New F32 Owner tips on Vberth and Screen Door

[kcgarza]

We recently upgraded from our F28 to a F32. We have been doing a lot of work to it and can't wait for summer to get here. We loved our F28 but we spent so much time on it we thought it would be great to have some more room. I am hoping F32 owners can offer some tips for a new owner

What has worked the best for sheets, blankets and maybe a mattress topper?
Has anyone added a screen type door to the slider? We are on Lake Superior and the black flies are terrible out on the lake.
Any suggestions for extra seating or bow seating that stores easily.
Any tips or tricks that you have would be appreciated!

[prowlersfish]

From a F36 owner , first the boat should have had a screen door , I assume one could be made ? maybe Beacon has one ? We use king size sheets but there are places that make custom sets . We use a memory foam toper .

[kcgarza]

I should have mentioned the boat is a 1978. It may have had a screen door at one time.

[El L Sea]

I bought a generic aluminum screen door from Home Depot and cut it down. Took about 20 minutes and $80 and it is perfect.

[WayWeGo]

If you can't find something that will fit, CR Laurence (http://www.crlaurence.com/default.aspx) will have everything you need to build a door from scratch.

[oil&water]

Congratulations on the new acquisition. As someone who moved up from a 24' to a 32' and now a 36', I am certain you will enjoy the extra space and layout.

The easiest way to get a good fit on your sheets is to use a king size flat sheet with elastic clips to hold it together. A good fitted sheet will work, it just has a tendency to come out from under the mattress if there is lots of movement in the bed.

[WayWeGo]

Our boat came with fitted sheets that seem to work very well. They are sewn to fit the individual cushions for the v-berth and have draw strings on the bottom with cord locks instead of elastic. We use a king size sheet on top, or when it is cold, twin comforters (apparently I would steal a king size comforter ).

My wife is amazing with a sewing machine and I suspect she will want to do something similar when they need replacement.

[gitchisum]

Welcome to the forum!

I take it that Ramona Rose is yours. good looking F28. I know there was a few F32's for sale up there last fall. Reel Deel was one of them. Maybe you could check Barkers Island for a screen door to copy.

We bought a mattress topper and cut it to fit, then sewed up a cover for it. Sounds like several others have done the same. I looked into buying a custom mattress, but decided not to empty my 401k. WOW they are expensive!

[kcgarza]

How did you know "Ramona Rose" was our old boat? You must have seen her for sale?

Reel deal is still for sale I believe. We looked at that one, it needs a lot of work. We bought The Concord, not sure how long it was for sale.

Thanks you everyone for the tips!!

[captainmaniac]

My wife is an Interior Decorator / Designer. Functional simply won't do... She wants to do gobs more than I will spend the money on or allow, but that's my problem!

She made custom cushion covers, fitted sheets, and fitted bedspread/cover for our F32 v-berth. I think normal cushions are 3" foam, but there are lots of ways of augmenting or replacing this (new foam, real mattresses, 'marine mattress' companies you can find at a boat show, etc... look up what companies showed up at TIBS and you will probably find a couple a least who proposed mattresses or new mattress concepts).

In my case, my wife covered cushions with extra padding; made custom cushion covers that are zippered on and have velcro along their aft end base; and made custom fitted sheets that are velcro attached so they stay in place! Special covers were made for filler cushion to match bedspread/cover fabric. When we pile pillows and filler cushions at the bow, it looks like a "designer decorative arrangement of cushions on a bed". V-berth bedspread/cover is never used - just a cosmetic cover when v-berth is not in use. Extra cover / thick blanket that might be needed on cold nights is wrapped up in another nautical themed cover the wife made.

Can't give a pic of all that until later in the year when we are back in the water and v-berth is 'made up' (if I remember, which I won't) ... unless I find on old shot in the meantime.

I believe screen door was standard on these (F32 Sedan) models. My screen was inside of the glass slider; at least one other member of the forum has said their screen was outside... but I think inside was the normal config. If you can't find a local part to reuse, you may need to customize a standard part to fit as some other posters have suggested, or have someone make one custom for you.

Not clear what you are looking for in terms of 'bow seating'

[gitchisum]

How did you know "Ramona Rose" was our old boat? You must have seen her for sale?

I have a home 50 miles south and use the Duluth Clist. We quit fishing Superior 25 years ago when the fishing went to hell, and moved to Lake Michigan. So now I drive 300+ miles to the boat, instead of 50.

Good luck with the sale, and the new boat.

[P-Dogg]

300 miles?!?!

OUCH! Man, that might be a credential for Trojan Boater of the Year. That is some dedication right there...

[GrumpyDuck]

How did you know "Ramona Rose" was our old boat? You must have seen her for sale?

I have a home 50 miles south and use the Duluth Clist. We quit fishing Superior 25 years ago when the fishing went to hell, and moved to Lake Michigan. So now I drive 300+ miles to the boat, instead of 50.

Good luck with the sale, and the new boat.

I thought I had a long commute to get to my boat but you've got me there - I'm driving a mere 215 miles. That's some serious dedication to do 300 on a regular basis!

[gitchisum]

Lucky for me I have a wonderful wife and a flexible work schedule!

P-Dogg - The fact that anyone would mention me and TBOTY in the same sentence is humbling. "Gitchisum is but pawn in the game of life"


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