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41-V Birth Ideas

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41-Hatteras

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Jun 27, 2005
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75
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  1. OWNER - I own a Hatteras Yacht
Hatteras Model
41' CONVERTBLE-Series I (1964 - 1971)
I’m considering in modify the V-birth to a single double on my 1966 41 convertible. Has anyone done theirs or has any good ideas without remodeling the complete v-birth.
 
I've thought of this idea on my 36c. It probably has a very similar set up to yours. It does not seem that it would be difficult to modify. My only problem is the bed would only be accessible from one side, so the middle of the night bathroom breaks would be a PITA, unless I stop drinking so much :eek: There would be no way to make a centerline double on mine.
Chad
 
I've thought about the same thing on my '65 41DC. I assume your forward stateroom is the same as mine.

I have a little fellow who I am afraid to let sleep on the v-berth because of the height. He still has a tendency to fall out of bed sometimes!

My v-berths are pretty unique in that the original owner specified wider than normal bunks to accomodate his "big boned" daughters! I have considered having someone make me a filler cushion that would rest on a wood platform that would attach over the side rails on the existing bunks.

This would allow easy removal for access to the drawers underneath, and would leave only the portion next to the entry door as a possibility for little Bubba to fall out of the bed. That wouldn't be likely as it would be the foot of the bed.

It would also come in handy in the event I had a "happy" couple onboard who wanted to sleep together. For my part, I'll keep the seperate twins in the master! :D
 
Filler cushon is a good idea, we thought of that but have not done it yet, still may do so one day. our last boat had a filler cushon, smaller boat but it did work out well. only draw back is that is another item to store.
 
My last boat, 1967 41DC was set up just like yours, Randy. We had talked about making the filler but never did. We did see one that was done. It made a nice large bunk and slid under one of the sides when not in use. No storage issues!

Our 1965 50'MY has the up/lower in the forward "crew quarters". We have been talking about making a removable extension for the lower berth in similar fashion. It would be great when multiple kids are onboard, or friendly adults.

By the way, tell your little guy not to get too upset about falling out of bed. I still do it sometimes, myself! Or, maybe the wife is giving me a little push and I'm not feeling it in the state I'm in at the time. It mostly happens after a ten hour stretch at the bar at Block Island.

Oh, yeah...Hatteras (keeps it legal, no?)

K :p
 
LOL......Hatteras to you too Bubba! :D

Hey Kapt Krunch, you know I hadn't thought of doing an extension on the lower bunk on my 58TC. That's a good idea!

At the risk of taking this thread a little off course, I have removed the mattresses from the forward slave's quarters as well as the guest stateroom on the 58. The forward berths are angled on the ends, and the guest berths are rectangular. My 41DC has twins in the master, and they are standard twin size beds with innerspring mattresses.

The old mattresses on the 58 were in pretty sad shape, and I need to replace them. Anybody know where I can purchase these things, or do I just need to make templates and have them custom made?

Innersprings would be nice, but I don't know if I'm nice enough to fork over the extra dough for beds I'll never sleep on myself.
 
I had a filler piece for mine when I bought the boat. I found it to be a PITA all day you need to get in the drawers so you need to store this piece. Well there was no good place to store it so out it went.
Every old Hatt I have seen done you have to angle it so you land up just like
CDB101
My only problem is the bed would only be accessible from one side, so the middle of the night bathroom breaks would be a PITA, unless I stop drinking so much
:D :D I just kept coming up with the same thing so I left it original, hey how about that there is something I didn't change :cool: .
 
CDB101 said:
My only problem is the bed would only be accessible from one side, so the middle of the night bathroom breaks would be a PITA, unless I stop drinking so much :eek:
Chad

PITA? I regularly go the route of PITO (Pissin In The Ocean) as my prostate is the size of a grapefruit, and when I gotta go, I gotta go!!!

Just ask the little foreign feller who was a bathroom guard at FLIBS! I had to break line or wet my pants. I thought he was going to arrest me for PWP (Pissin Without Permission)! :D
 
Last edited:
I converted the Vberth in my 36C to an offset double. It is not difficult, but you end up with a mattress that is not rectangular. Email me if you want details. It involves flipping the door over so it hinged from the other side, and a few other changes. We reused all the original drawers and doors and it came out really well; it almost looks as if it was built that way. It is hard to photograph, though, because the Vberth room is so small. I think the methods that we used would be adaptable to any convertible with a wooden interior.

I may have posted on this before, I can't recall, seems like it has come up before.
 
Jim,
I am very interested in pursuing this option on our 37C. We have three kid and the Admiral and I start out on the v berth, seperate, and get together in the AM. The 37C in 1980 had a double. Do you have pictures? Tons of boats have v berths with inserts that work although the 37 did not come with the arrangement.
 
Hal,

We have the insert fixed in place between the "V". It works quite well and makes a huge berth. The insert partially obstructs the drawers and makes it a "jump up" to the berth. Sometimes I end up with my third young child and young cousin sprawled in the berth.

I emailed a photo to you. Can't seem to insert it here.

Nick
 
Unfortunately I don't have pictures, and the boat is 160 land miles from here and probably going to move to HP imminently. (I only hope- getting a car moved by land is NOTHING compared to getting a boat moved). When I visit the boat, which is likely to be in NC, I will shoot some photos. On my boat, it involves flipping the door over to have it open from the stbd side, and extending the port side of the berth out over the floor to make it wider.
 
Yes if you guy's have any photos of those modification, could you please forward to me or post them here. I'm sure the filler cousion is a PITA but sure would be nice to have a little extra bedding area. I have a sleeper sofa in the saloon however that another PITA.
Captn, Ron
ronald.culbreath@worleyparsons.com
 
Re: 41-V Birth Ideas -- Offset Double

keep hoping somebody will post a picture or two of this modification. (Hello... Jim ?)
 
Mine has a filler board and cushion that makes the V bigger.
 
We added a filler board and cushion to our trawler that worked well. The board was hinged right to left to make a smaller profile for storage and we placed it on the starboard Vee against the anchor locker. The cushion was also in two pieces and placed against the locker to look like a sham pillow on a bed. It actually looked good and solved the issue of storing the inserts. Sorry, no pictures.

Bobk
 
I have tried to photograph this in the past, but no luck. In order to see it, it requires an ultra wide angle lens that I don't have for the digital camera I have. I've asked around and I don't know anyone with a digital camera with a lens that wide. However, with the boat due to go back in the water in the next month, the interior will get cleaned up and I can try again to locate what I need to get photos.

In the meantime, this verbal account of what we did. The boat is a 1971 36 C; whether these ideas are applicable to later 36s or 37s is anyone's guess. I am not enough familiar with them to accurately say.

1) the original interior of the 36C has a V-berth and includes a filler piece that can be put in the middle (I am doing this part from memory since the conversion was done so long ago)

2) Below each bunk are wide shallow bureau-type drawers. On the port side. we took these out and set them aside. The starboard side was left untouched.

3) In the center of the V-berth, down low, are (IIRC) two smaller drawers, and below them a hinged door. We left the door in and set the two drawers aside.

4) To the port side, we sawed the drawer guides and supports out, leaving a large rectangular opening where the wide drawers had been fitted. This areas was boxed in and a pair of teak doors made to fit to close off that opening. (If I were doing this now, I would use afromosia, to match the rest of the interior, but I didn't know it was available back then)

5) To the port side, we took the finished wooden rail off the side of the bunk surface, and set it aside.

6) The stateroom bulkhead was fitted with a full-length mirror to the inside of the bulkhead, to port as you entered the stateroom. This was taken down and set aside.

7) The stateroom door was removed and (you guessed it!) set aside. At this point we had a lot of the stateroom furnishings and elements on the aft deck of the boat.

8) The support surface of the portside bunk, the part you set the mattress on, was extended towards the center of the stateroom, using (I think) 3/4" marine plywood. This rests on the original structure and also on a support cleat screwed and glued to the stateroom aft bulkhead, dividing the space where the full-length mirror used to be.

9) The wooden rail was re-installed, modified to fit, and finishes the edges of the new portside bunk surface.

10) The mirror was cut to half its original height, and reinstalled above the bunk on the port side aft bulkhead.

11) The four drawers removed from the area in the middle of the original V-berth and under the portside bunk were measured, and a bureau was fabricated to fit them- the two small ones on top and below them the two large ones. This bureau structure was made to fit in the starboard side bunk, set back from the original wooden rail, against the slanting side of the hull. Since there is no longer a mattress on the starboard side, that horizontal surface is used for the bureau. I should have made the drawer supports sturdier as they have given trouble over the years, but not enough to take it all out and do it over.

12) At this point, the stateroom had a full length but tapered bed area on the port side, ample storage (although the storage below the portside bunk area isn't all that easy to get to) and much less standing room than it did in its original configuration. The door to the stateroom, which was previously hinged on the left so that it folded into the room and secured against the area of the bulkhead which had the full-length mirror, was now turned upside down and reinstalled so that it hinges from the RIGHT side, and folds back, into the room, securing against the starboard side bed rail. It probably could have been left the original way, but getting into the bunk is a lot easier with the door relocated to hinge to the right instead of the left.

13) I had a custom mattress made up for the uniquely-shaped bunk area. This involved getting a template drawn up and sending it to a mattress company in Richmond, VA, who started with a queen mattress and modified it to fit. It is actually much more comfortable than the one I have at home. I have had a couple of sets of custom fitted sheets made for it. I can use regular queen bed sheets, but they are way too large side to side.


If I were doing this conversion now, I would:

-use afromosia veneer plywood instead of teak for the new cabinet doors and the bureau.
-make the drawer supports heavier.
-consider putting in storage under the port bunk, instead of doors, which are kind of hard to get to anyway.

The bunk to port is about the size of a double bed at the head, and tapers about forty percent to the foot. It has not been a problem sleeping two in it, though. It's cozy but not too cozy.

Hope this is helpful and again if I can find a wideangle camera or lens I will post some photos.
 
My 45 has a small v birth, looks like the same as my old 41. I made a half filler for the V, and small set of steps angled for ease of climbing. Add some foam, and makes a nice large bunk for 2. The pups sleep on the other side of the birth. Yes it is hard to reach the other drawers, but the whole thing comes out in less than a minute and stows in the closet for fishing. We just put it in place to cruise and anchor up for long weekends. Did not want to permanent modify.

Have a great week,
Tim
 

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