Odd BedsFrançais

Boat mattresses: the V-berth, the template method, thickness

You cannot measure a boat berth with a tape alone. You trace it.

12 in · 30 cm72 in · 183 cm78 in · 198 cmhead
A V-berth, drawn as two halves with a split down the middle so each piece comes through the companionway. Yours will not be this symmetrical.

What a V-berth measures

Head width 60–78 in (152–198 cm)1, foot width 6–18 in (15–46 cm)1, length 72–84 in (183–213 cm)1. V-berth mattresses are not symmetrical: left and right mirror each other and the angle varies by boat1. That is why the numbers are only a check on the template, never a substitute for it.

The template method

1press paper into every corner, trace, cut2measure twice, in two places3closed: how thick can it be?

lay cardboard or kraft paper into the berth, press it into every corner, trace against the hull and cabinetry, cut, confirm the fit, then measure the template at its widest, narrowest and longest1.

  • Mark the centreline and which side is port, on the paper.
  • Mark where you want the split, if the mattress must come through a hatch in pieces.
  • Roll it up, do not fold it. Send the paper, or a photo of it laid flat with a tape across it.

Thickness is headroom

closed: how thick can it be?

Boat mattresses are typically 4–6 in (10–15 cm); thicker eats headroom1; most liveaboards settle at 5 in (13 cm)1. Measure from the berth base to the deckhead at the head of the bed, sitting up, before you choose.

Want it made in Canada? Matelas Personnel makes odd shapes in Montréal →

Sources

  1. Mattress Sizes for Boat Berths (ItemFits) — read on 2026-10-08