Removing Cabin Bolsters...

bartoma

bartoma

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One thing I did that has proven to be a winner was removing the cabin bolsters surrounding the v-berth of my 265 Express... The primary issue was the fact that the bolsters trapped the mattress cushions directly against the berth... I wanted to do something to make these ridiculously firm cushions more comfortable, so I added Froli spring base... This, along with a 2" serene foam topper and a custom fitted contour sheet has made the bunk very comfortable... To keep stuff from falling into the berth, I mounted a 1" tall, 1/2" thick strip of starboard around the ledge over the berth - this serves the function provided by the bolsters without trapping the mattress cushions... All in all, I am very happy with the new set up...
 
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Sounds like a nice upgrade. Hopefully you'll use them enough. My guess is most don't thus the reason for the material selection.
 
Yea, seems like a lot of folks don't overnight on boats this size - use the cabin more for storage... In my case, I live an hour from the marina, so it's nice to be able to overnight so that I don't have to get up so early on a fishing day... Might as well make the most of it... :-)
 
bartoma said:
One thing I did that has proven to be a winner was removing the cabin bolsters surrounding the v-berth of my 265 Express... The primary issue was the fact that the bolsters trapped the mattress cushions directly against the berth... I wanted to do something to make these ridiculously firm cushions more comfortable, so I added Froli spring base... This, along with a 2" serene foam topper and a custom fitted contour sheet has made the bunk very comfortable... To keep stuff from falling into the berth, I mounted a 1" tall, 1/2" thick strip of starboard around the ledge over the berth - this serves the function provided by the bolsters without trapping the mattress cushions... All in all, I am very happy with the new set up...
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I sleep in the cuddy after long tuna days. Please post a photo of the spring system if you can. I looked online but it looks like a frame is needed?
 
Sounds like a good project, I'd also like to see pictures of the spring base. Im trying to get ideas on how to make our marlin more comfortable for our marina hopping trips.
 
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Froli Sleep Systems

Froli's Travel is a very versatile and low-profile sleep system for any bed size or shape. It fits perfectly into angular or rounded bed shapes, plus the under-mattress air flow helps prevent condensation and mildew. Features: Comfortable sleep syste
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I'll take some pics next time I am out at the boat...
 
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if you have a decent mattress you have a much higher probability of use. I keep my boat 5 min from the house, so only stay on it if I'm traveling to another port.
 
Here's how mine is set up:

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The organizers are really handy for keys, wallets, phones, and so on...
 
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That is interesting. I didn't understand the plastic went right on the fiberglass. I think my table would be in the way on the Marlin. The midberth might work better.
 
I was wondering if anyone knew how to remove those cabin bolster without breaking them? I have a new to me 228G Seafarer and I can’t seem to determine if they are screwed on or just pressure fitted somehow, thanks.
 
Don Davis said:
I was wondering if anyone knew how to remove those cabin bolster without breaking them? I have a new to me 228G Seafarer and I can’t seem to determine if they are screwed on or just pressure fitted somehow, thanks.
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Yea, I tore mine out... The screw heads were impossible to locate in the bolster seam, and I knew I didn't care about saving the bolsters... Only thing I was worried about was if they were made of plywood - turned out to just be a plastic board, so they came out easy enough...
 
Interesting I just wanted to clean behind them but maybe I’ll try to unscrew them first before I try to tear them off thanks.
 
Don Davis said:
Interesting I just wanted to clean behind them but maybe I’ll try to unscrew them first before I try to tear them off thanks.
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I just redid mine (track down my earlier post), and they were screwed through the fabric crease in the middle. I found a few easy and couldnt find others - I had to RIP the bolsters off and it was not easy (screws stayed in the fiberglass, and had to tear head of screw through the plywood base). Not sure they will come off easy with no damage, there were approx 8 screws on each side but not positive.
 
I worked on removing the cuddy bolsters yesterday and did manage to get all of the screws out except for one that I had to cut with a hacksaw blade after loosening it about a 1/4 of an inch. There were 7 on one side and 6 on the other and then strange enough 3 screws in the short front bolster. There were 2 screws in that front bolster 2 inches apart, not sure why. Was nice to remove them and clean behind as I'm sure it was 21 years of crude. I sprayed Moovit into all the holes and coated the screws as well so hopefully it will be easier the next time I have to remove them to clean in behind. I have noticed that the screws are a mix of stainless and chrome plated screws, a little bizarre. Being from Canada I like the Robertson screw head over the standard Phillips screw head throughout the boat, Robertson is a little more forgiving when trying to remove old screws but would like to hear other peoples opinions. It sees you can torque a little better on the square Robertson head, thanks for the information.
 
Did you access the screws from the front or behind the bolster? Want to change my fabric and can't find the screws
 
Randy Clement said:
Did you access the screws from the front or behind the bolster? Want to change my fabric and can't find the screws
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I accessed the screws from the front where the fabric splits, in my 1999 Seafarer there is a center trim piece that I separated to find the screw heads, they are recessed into the foam and can be tricky to find them through holes in the fabric
 
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Don Davis said:
I accessed the screws from the front where the fabric splits, in my 1999 Seafarer there is a center trim piece that I separated to find the screw heads, they are recessed into the foam and can be tricked to find them
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Thank you!!
 
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