Building a bed big enough to put a Tim in

One of the reasons we chose this boat was the decent sized aft cabin and bed. The bed appeared to be almost a double when we first tried it and was infinitely preferable to the forepeak doubles we had seen in many other boats. However, we have since discovered that the bed would be perfectly proportioned if Tim trimmed his feet, or the top of his head. But at the moment, the man cannot lie flat without his head or feet touching a bulkhead.

This is not the best bed-state for an insomniac who searches for any reason to justify his nocturnal brain wanderings. It doesn't do much for the person who shares the same bed space either.

The other bed issue is the incredibly uncomfortable "mattress". I say "mattress" as it is, in reality, a lump of slightly damp foam through which the airing slats can be felt. This is not a good enough replacement for the princess-like pocket-sprung king sized (costly but worth it) divine affair I invested in at home. Comfort aside, my lower back is in a permanent state of spasm resulting in me walking like a duck for much of the time. A fantastic chiropractor had rid me of pain for the last two years and it is annoying to be in this state again.

So, we are going to get a proper mattress (most probably memory foam stuff cut to size - you can get the foam here but we would have to cut it ourselves - any tips?). But before that, we are going to extend the bed. My original idea was turning the entire cabin into a huge bed. This is fine for someone so suited to snoozing but I suspect that most people would see this as a terrible waste of space. We cannot extend it lengthways as there are bulkheads at either end. We have looked at all possibilities but the most straightforward (and best way of keeping the accommodation desirable to a future buyer) is to extend the bed widthways so at least Tim can bugger off to his own side of the bed and do what he will (ie. lie horizontally).

Since neither of us are experts on the carpentery front, we have engaged a Brummie called Barrie and his pal, Gojko, in the task. So far, they have come to look at it and had coffee. Progress will depend on their quote.