Posted: Mon Sep 05, 2011 5:55pm

I have recently purchased a 4ft mattress for my main bed which is on a marine ply base with two sheets of play on top with the calorifier underneath. Is it best to fit ventialtion grills in side of the bed base or just buy a dry mat as on page 135 of th eAugust 2011 magazine. the matressis a standard 48" x 75" x 9" standard domestic orthopeadic mattress?

Posted: Tue Sep 06, 2011 8:53am

To be honest I can not make up my mind on this. The hire fleet used many mattresses with no form of ventilation underneath then and they seemed to either brake a spring or get too lumpy and soft before significant mould appeared. However cheap ones with plastic covers did get mould on them, but that was usually on the sides. Our own mattress seems to gt damp on the boat despite being stood on the side whenever we are away from the boat but I suspect it is an illusion because the mattress is cold when we go back on. If I was worried I think I would either drill small ventilation holes or route small slots in the plywood it sits on but then I do not like spending money unless it is a proven necessity. Lets hope a reader has expertise in this field. Tony Brooks

Posted: Tue Sep 06, 2011 10:55am

Thanks Tony It's our first boat but we have used a wide variety of hire boats before who I guess routinely replace mattress's as they get regular use. I guess the interesting bit is whether having the calorifier in the unused bed base area next to the side of the boat is an advantage or not as far as condensation is concerned as it could act as a kind of anti condensation heater or just mmake condenasation issues worse. My own idea now would be to put some small vent holes in the sides of the base as circulating air is the best way of dealing with damp and mould and to take the mattress off the bed whennot in use. Stan

Posted: Tue Sep 06, 2011 2:33pm

My understanding is that the perforated base board or the rubbery horse hair type mats are used to allow any damp that gets into the mattress from sleeping bodies to evaporate, not condensation caused by changes in air temperature. Tony Brooks