Tested and approved...

Joan had to work today, I didn't.  There are always chores to be done on the boat, though.  Today's big chore: cut and fit Hypervent for the V-berth.

Some definitions are in order.  Those of you who are boaters know what a V-berth is.  For those who don't know, it is where we sleep in Wild Blue.  It is in the forward part of the boat... which is pointy.  Which means the berth (or sleeping area) is going to generally have that shape... kinda like the letter "V"... thus the name: V-berth.

That's the V-berth, minus the bedding.  It's the width of a king bed where your head goes, and narrows down to "footsies" territory.

Well, that makes sense, you're thinking.  Good.  One in a row for me.

Hypervent.  It sounds like something you'd take for asthma.  It's not.  Hypervent is a product designed to give an air layer under sleeping surfaces... the point of it is to allow air flow to decrease condensation.  It's a boat.  Unless it's a really BIG boat, condensation is something you deal with.  RVers understand this, too

The first order of business was taking the bedding and memory foam mattress topper out of there.  Not as easy as it sounds, since the topper weighs about half my weight.  I may be exaggerating just a teensy bit.  Then, the cushions come out.  Most of us boater folks will put them out on the dock... kinda going for that Beverly Hillbillies look.

Then, up to the truck to get the Hypervent.  We bought it in a big roll, about 4 feet long and as big around as your arms can wrap.  You look very nautical carrying that up on one shoulder as you walk down the docks.

The Hypervent is like a scramble of wire, like a worm orgy.  Well, skinny worms.  Here's a close-up...

There is a cloth backing, which is actually a topping - the cloth side goes up, with the cushions on top of the Hypervent.

Next, you cut the long roll of Hypervent to fit the shape of the V-berth.  No, they don't sell it in V-berth pre-cut configuration (too many variations of V-berth width and length).  It is stiff, you get blisters cutting the metal stuff, and it slides all around as you try to fit it in place with all the curves from the hull sides and the movement of the boat.  Imagine trying to carpet a pit-bull.

Here's what it looks like fit in place...

Joan had proposed a way to fit it to get the most coverage with the fewest cuts.  Being a guy, I waited until I was wrestling it in place before making the executive decision that Joan's way would, indeed, be the best.  Yes, I made that decision before making the first cut.

About the time the fitting was done, I got a call... some chick said, "Hey, big boy, want to take me to lunch?"

"Yes, I do," I answered.  "Oh, and who is this?"

Turns out it was Joan.  That's convenient, since she said, "You can take me to lunch - I'll call you," when she left the boat this morning.

I moved the cushions off the dock, into the cockpit, fed little Isabella, put on some sandals, and headed off to my lunch date.

When I came back, little Izzy wasn't so sure about this stuff in the V-berth.  She hopped up there, now that I was back to protect her, and shook her paws...

She turned to me with an "I don't think this is going to be comfortable" look on her cute face.

"Don't worry," I said, "All the other stuff goes back on top of it.  You won't even know it's there."

She walked around it some more...

Kitty Tested and Approved.

I waited until late afternoon to put the cushions back in... it was a beautiful sunny, low humidity day... perfect for showing the neighbors how nice your cushions are!  But, they are fresh and dry... the cushions, not the neighbors.

I narrowly avoided a hernia getting the memory foam/gel topper back in, then tried to make the bed reasonably close to the way Joan had it.

Done!

Which brings to mind another nautical tradition: the celebratory beer.  No, I don't like beer.  Yes, I know that's odd.  I'll wait for Joan to get off work and have a celebratory rum.

And then anxiously wait until bedtime to find out if that stuff makes scratchy noises or feels any different... because the V-berth has been pretty darn comfortable with that new topper.