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Sleeping berth
A sleeping berth is a bed or sleeping accommodation on vehicles. Space accommodations have contributed to certain common design elements of berths.
While beds on large ships are little different from those on shore, the lack of space on smaller yachts means that bunks must be fit in wherever possible. Some of these berths have specific names:
Frequently, yachts have a bed in the extreme forward end of the hull (usually in a separate cabin called the forepeak). Because of the shape of the hull, this bed is basically triangular, though most also have a triangular notch cut out of the middle of the aft end, splitting it partially into two separate beds and making it more of a V shape, hence the name. This notch can usually be filled in with a detachable board and cushion, creating something more like a double bed (though with drastically reduced space for the feet; 12 in or 300 mm wide is typical). The term "V-berth" is not widely used in the UK; instead, the cabin as a whole (the forepeak) is usually referred to.
The archetypal layout for a small yacht has seats running down both sides of the cabin, with a table in the middle. At night, these seats can usually be used as beds. Because the ideal ergonomic distance between a seat-back and its front edge (back of the knee) makes for a rather narrow bed, good settee berths will have a system for moving the back of the settee out of the way; this can reveal a surprisingly wide bunk, often running right out to the hull side underneath the lockers. If they are to be used at sea, settee berths must have lee-cloths to prevent the user falling out of bed. Sometimes the settee forms part of a double bed for use in harbor, often using detachable pieces of the table and extra cushions. Such beds are not usually referred to as settee berths.
A narrow berth high up in the side of the cabin, the pilot berth is usually above and behind the back of the settee and right up under the deck. Sometimes the side of this bunk is "walled in" up to the sleeper's chest; there may even be small shelves or lockers on the partition so that the bed is "behind the furniture". The pilot berth is so called because originally they were so small and uncomfortable that nobody slept in them most of the time; only the pilot would be offered it if it were necessary to spend a night aboard the yacht.
This is a single bunk tucked under the cockpit, usually found in smaller boats where there is not room for a cabin in this location.
A pipe berth is a canvas cloth laced to a perimeter frame made of pipe. Easily stored due to its flat shape, the pipe berth is often suspended on ropes or fits into brackets when in use. The canvas dries more easily than a mattress.
A root berth is like a pipe berth but with the pipes on only the long sides. Root berths easily roll up for storage. Some use heavy wooden dowels instead of pipes, again fitting into brackets when in use. Some boats provide multiple bracket options so the canvas can be pulled tight like in a pipe berth, or left looser for a more hammock-like berth, helpful in heeling boats or heavy seas.
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Sleeping berth
A sleeping berth is a bed or sleeping accommodation on vehicles. Space accommodations have contributed to certain common design elements of berths.
While beds on large ships are little different from those on shore, the lack of space on smaller yachts means that bunks must be fit in wherever possible. Some of these berths have specific names:
Frequently, yachts have a bed in the extreme forward end of the hull (usually in a separate cabin called the forepeak). Because of the shape of the hull, this bed is basically triangular, though most also have a triangular notch cut out of the middle of the aft end, splitting it partially into two separate beds and making it more of a V shape, hence the name. This notch can usually be filled in with a detachable board and cushion, creating something more like a double bed (though with drastically reduced space for the feet; 12 in or 300 mm wide is typical). The term "V-berth" is not widely used in the UK; instead, the cabin as a whole (the forepeak) is usually referred to.
The archetypal layout for a small yacht has seats running down both sides of the cabin, with a table in the middle. At night, these seats can usually be used as beds. Because the ideal ergonomic distance between a seat-back and its front edge (back of the knee) makes for a rather narrow bed, good settee berths will have a system for moving the back of the settee out of the way; this can reveal a surprisingly wide bunk, often running right out to the hull side underneath the lockers. If they are to be used at sea, settee berths must have lee-cloths to prevent the user falling out of bed. Sometimes the settee forms part of a double bed for use in harbor, often using detachable pieces of the table and extra cushions. Such beds are not usually referred to as settee berths.
A narrow berth high up in the side of the cabin, the pilot berth is usually above and behind the back of the settee and right up under the deck. Sometimes the side of this bunk is "walled in" up to the sleeper's chest; there may even be small shelves or lockers on the partition so that the bed is "behind the furniture". The pilot berth is so called because originally they were so small and uncomfortable that nobody slept in them most of the time; only the pilot would be offered it if it were necessary to spend a night aboard the yacht.
This is a single bunk tucked under the cockpit, usually found in smaller boats where there is not room for a cabin in this location.
A pipe berth is a canvas cloth laced to a perimeter frame made of pipe. Easily stored due to its flat shape, the pipe berth is often suspended on ropes or fits into brackets when in use. The canvas dries more easily than a mattress.
A root berth is like a pipe berth but with the pipes on only the long sides. Root berths easily roll up for storage. Some use heavy wooden dowels instead of pipes, again fitting into brackets when in use. Some boats provide multiple bracket options so the canvas can be pulled tight like in a pipe berth, or left looser for a more hammock-like berth, helpful in heeling boats or heavy seas.