Carey wrote:I plan to do my own in the near future. My existing dinette is not so bad that I can't make it work. Higher density foam, and a little thicker, with the sculpted, thicker front edge, and tapered back.*
Based on many posts to the GB owners forum on this same subject, I believe that a total recontour of the cushions on an existing settee can a make a huge difference in comfort for most people.* One problem with most factory settees is that they were not built deep enough.* The designs were compromises between sufficient bottom depth and conserving space in the cabin.* New cushions will not change the depth of the settee but they can do wonders (according to the people who've done this) for the comfort.
A big part of the problem is that boat seats (and berths)*are invariably on top of flat panels, usually wood.* As opposed to household furniture like couches which*are built*on frames.* On a boat, compressing a cushion enough to bottom it out on the panel can lead to real discomfort.* So the foam needs to be firm enough to hold the person off the panel underneath it.* A big mistake a lot of people make (according to the shipwright experts on the GB forum) is specifying a too-soft foam for new cushions.
When Aloha Airlines began direct service from Oakland, CA to Honolulu, HI in the late '90s*with a couple of 737-700s, the planes they used had been*set up for the original operator, an airline in India.* The CEO of Aloha told me he had been very concerned that the seats were too firm for 5-1/2 hour flights.* But when the planes entered service, the airline began getting compliments from passengers on how comfortable the seats were*compared to the airline's other 737s which had seats with softer cushions.* Soft does not automatically mean comfortable, particularly for longer periods of time.
Another problem that frequently contributes to seating discomfort is the distance of the table from the edge of the settee.* Many boats, like our older GB, have clever arrangements for converting the table to a berth by dropping it down to fit inside the "L" of the settee.* The problem here is that the edge of the table has to be even with the front of the settee.* But this makes for a very uncomfortable way for most people to sit at a table.
One of the changes often made by Oak Harbor Boatworks, a boatyard that specializes in custom interiors for GBs, is to re-make the table, extending the top a bit over the edge of the settee.* While this eliminates the ability to make the settee into a berth, it makes for a
FAR more comfortable seating position at the table as people don't have to lean forward to eat, read, draw, use a computer,*play cards, etc.* It's like sitting at a table at home with your legs under the table with*the table top closer to your upper body.
I've spent a lot of time on Carey's boat and while his cabin settee and table layout is very good I think the settee and his two helm seats could benefit greatly from new, properly contoured cushions made of a firmer foam.* I think removing his boat's big table and built-in L-settee and replacing them with free-standing furniture would reduce the usability of the cabin.
-- Edited by Marin on Wednesday 5th of January 2011 09:56:42 PM
