Does anyone have the length of the v berth in a new M? It doesn't look quite long enough for a six footer! The rear berth looks a lot better. Looked in all the advertising and can't find it anywhere... i am guessing that means that it will not be 6 foot plus room to play .
Do most of you sleep in the rear berth? Have one wife and one ankle biter. Would i be putting him in the V and us under the cockpit?
Thanks in advance, can't wait to get the boat when i order it in a few months... chalk up another for the Aussies!
BTW... i hear we are not allowed to call it a cockpit any more with the new anti sexism, politically correct laws. To keep the feminists happy we must now refer to it as... the box office.
I am 6 foot and 230lb. There is enough room for me on the v-berth of my 26X. I would assume the M is about the same. Actutally, sleeping solo, you can have your head at the bow and still have enough room. For two people you would need to go feet to bow.
Don't have the measurements handy, but a single person 6ft might work if you don't mind sleeping on your side, knees a bit bent, etc. If you want to sleep flat on your back, I don't think it would work too comfortably. We put our 2 girls up their (11 & 13 -the shorter, 11 y.o. to starboard) and once they got used to the limited lateral space for their feet, they've been fine. Me, mom (and the cooler, extra boxes etc.) all sleep comfortably to aft. I'm 6' 1'' and sleep on my back; couldn't guarantee that I'd be able to do that in the vee, but fine in the stern. I won't be down to the boat till mid next week, so if someone doesn't answer by then, I'll let you know.
Regards,
Shane
Cam wrote:Does anyone have the length of the v berth in a new M? It doesn't look quite long enough for a six footer! The rear berth looks a lot better. Looked in all the advertising and can't find it anywhere... i am guessing that means that it will not be 6 foot plus room to play .
I have never measured it, but I am 5'10" 230 lbs. and can sleep comfortably alone in the V-berth legs to bow. Head to bow is possible but for me it is just too claustrophobic. With the admiral it is always the aft berth which is amazingly spacious. Although it is marketed as a double berth, the reality is it is a very comfortable single for anyone under 6 foot. You dont want Rover kicking you in the middle of the night to move over
It's about 6 feet measuring lengthwise. If you angle yourself a little it will be more. I'm about 5'8" and sometimes wish it was a big longer but the Admiral is up there with me too so if I were alone I'd have a lot more room.
I have tried both berths and various configurations.
For me... such as Kelly noted.. I now prefer the starboard
side of the vee birth with my feet at the bow.
Right now my biggest concern is making the aforementioned
lay down area more comfortable. I'm going to try a mattress
topper hoping that will soften things up.
The previous owner (Rich Boren) told me he liked to settle in
on the port settee.
Bill
Anacapa Isle Marina
Channel Islands Harbor
Oxnard, California
As to their v-berths, there's a significant difference between the 26X vs 26M.
IMO, the 26X v-berth is the best room in (that) house. Starboard side is expandable to 7+ feet by removing the dinette seatback. Portside can also be extended to the same length with a plywood shelf. Meanwhile, the aft berth is fairly large, but it's entry is somewhat 'acrobatic.' Ergo, my aft berth is for stowage, and for an occasional crew member berth.
By contrast, the 26M's starboard v-berth is permanently constrained by the head enclosure, so portside is the only option for lengthening it. Usual owner comments consign the kids to the v-berth. Meanwhile, the 26M's aft berth is cavernous. Even with lots of stowage back there, the sleeping space is ample for two adults.
To echo Franks comments, the X vee berth is great as it can be expanded onto the dinette on the starboard side and over the seat on the port side. This let's it grow into a very comfortable open space. The head wall precludes such expansion on the M and makes the vee berth a very confined space. The berth ends at about the line of the sleeping bag you see in the picture below. It's certainly long enough for a 6' person, but your feet end up way in at the point and it just doesn't work with two people in the berth. The X berth let's your feet end up quite a bit further from the point where you have a lot more width for your feet.
In an X the vee berth is the sleeping space of choice for adults, and on an M the aft berth is the best choice.
Here is our vee berth expanded and ready for sleeping. We upgraded our factory cushion foam to a denser firmer foam quite while back. Since then we have added topper of convoluted foam and memory foam which makes a very nice sleeping surface with the stiffer foam as a base.
On edit:
I should mention that the foam pad you see in the cover under the sleeping bags in the picture is a Std Queen size matress pad. It needed about 15" of trimming at the foot area on each side but this doesn't start until around the knee area. It is full width down to that point.
Last edited by Duane Dunn, Allegro on Thu Aug 02, 2007 4:02 pm, edited 1 time in total.
2007M - 6'2" 240lb and I can fit OK using a cushion back for a pillow as mentioned along the starboard side. Good at least for the odd afternoon nap. Wife is 5'4" and I might fit with her but her idea of camping out is a Holiday Inn without a pool. I do not like crawling under the cabin aft and do like the sense of seperation in the V. I will be adding a "SS Handicap hand rail from HD" opposite the head shortly to aid in getting in and out of the V berth, especially when you've been on your knees hanking on/off the jib and you turn to head back to the cabin - it will double as a towel rack.
Cam wrote:Does anyone have the length of the v berth in a new M?
When considering the length, don't forget the Mac v-berth width (foot room) is essentially zero at the forward end, unlike some other boats, especially those with a chain locker forward. I measured our X to lose 9" of length down the middle to where the total width was one foot, or six inches on each cushion. I think 6" is a reasonable minimum foot width per person.
The 14" or so inches gained by using the forward dinette seat on the 26X more than made up for this, though, and had my wife been taller than 4' 10", we'd have added an extension on the port side for her.
I am 5' 7" and the V berth is not where I would sleep. I don't like it because it is too small. I am reading about 6' plus persons sleeping there, and I am impressed.
For me it's the aft berth ( really big) or the port settee. That is considerably longer than 6', and it is comfortable as long as you remove the back cushion.
I am 6'2" 250lbs. and have crawled into the V berth a few times, but I wasn't very comfortable. The V berth is great for duffles, sails, my raft and extra pillows. I find the aft berth to be very roomy, but difficult to access. My dinette is held together with quick relese pins and is very fast to drop, I sleep there, head to the bow. This lets me leave the cooler in place all the time. I rarely eat in the cabin and only use it for late night card games. I do most of my cooking in a Magma kettle mounted on the port side of the gallows and eat in the cockpit so I don't miss the table. The Grand Admiral herself prefers the rather narrow bench across from the head, she finds it cozy. Depending on the weather I also enjoy the cockpit benches.
Thank you everyone for the quick responses. It always amazes me when someone post a somewhat trivial question, many people jump on in and help out. Can't wait to ask you something meaty when i actually get my Mac and start answering questions instead of just asking!
Its a shame the v berth could not be just 1/2 a foot bigger. From a little research, i know that Roger actually reduced the V berth after the X, however, he did improve the height of the rear berth, although it seems a little more difficult to get into. Any comments about the table berth? How quick to set up and can two comfortably sleep or is it better to have one there and another on the port side quarter berth?
Too many options! Although the rear berth does look the one at the moment. Can't wait to try them all out.
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