My 16yr old said he thought it would be a good idea to hang hammocks into our Endeavour 26, instead of building a V berth. The boat is not fitted out with much. So plenty of room to hang them either side of the companion way as you walk in.
Has anyone tried this?

Nice idea, but you would need room for the hammock to swing. Plus you need a very strong attachment point at each end. I can imagine the bow end would be OK, but not so sure of the bulkhead end. Fastening through the deck might work.

I'm not a fan of hammocks, they are bloody uncomfortable as you can't lay straight in them and end up with a bent and sore back, plus if you are a person that sleeps on their side then that is out too.

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LooseChange said..
I'm not a fan of hammocks, they are bloody uncomfortable as you can't lay straight in them and end up with a bent and sore back, plus if you are a person that sleeps on their side then that is out too.

I have one of these.
Quote comfortable.
Lay straight.
They are much better than an ordinary hammock.
hennessyhammock.com

Well they've worked for sailor for a couple of hundred year but I'd like to think we've progresses just a little?

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valo said..

LooseChange said..
I'm not a fan of hammocks, they are bloody uncomfortable as you can't lay straight in them and end up with a bent and sore back, plus if you are a person that sleeps on their side then that is out too.

I have one of these.
Quote comfortable.
Lay straight.
They are much better than an ordinary hammock.
hennessyhammock.com

Hi Valo

With the Hennessy do you still lie along it like a conventional hammock

Regards Don

Build yourself a nice comfy v-berth and he can sleep on deck in a hammock.

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Donk107 said..

valo said..

LooseChange said..
I'm not a fan of hammocks, they are bloody uncomfortable as you can't lay straight in them and end up with a bent and sore back, plus if you are a person that sleeps on their side then that is out too.

I have one of these.
Quote comfortable.
Lay straight.
They are much better than an ordinary hammock.
hennessyhammock.com

Hi Valo

With the Hennessy do you still lie along it like a conventional hammock

Regards Don

Hi Don.
No. The one I have is asymmetrical shape. There's that work again
If you think of a hammock having a low spot in the middle. My HH has, lets say a pockets to the sides of the centre line, that are the same level as the low spot. This means that you lay slightly askew to the centre line and lay flat.
Simple but brilliant idea.

I spent 12 months on a warship sleeping in hammocks. Real hammocks with horsehair mattresses. They are superb to sleep in when rigged correctly. The downside in the case on warships is they have to be stored in the hammock bin during the day. Coming back onboard after a culture run ashore meant searching in the bin in the dark for your hammock and then slinging it. Some people never seemed to master this bit! The messdecks had hammock bars just above head height and the hammock is best rigged fairly taunt. The shape of the hammock is very dependent on how the clews were adjusted. This where fitting a hammock to a 26 footer comes unstuck. The canvas base is about 7 feet long, the clews add another 5 feet overall and then the ropes either end on top of that. Even if the ring on one end was attached to a bulkhead you would run out of room in the saloon.

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Ramona said..
I spent 12 months on a warship sleeping in hammocks. Real hammocks with horsehair mattresses. They are superb to sleep in when rigged correctly. The downside in the case on warships is they have to be stored in the hammock bin during the day. Coming back onboard after a culture run ashore meant searching in the bin in the dark for your hammock and then slinging it. Some people never seemed to master this bit! The messdecks had hammock bars just above head height and the hammock is best rigged fairly taunt. The shape of the hammock is very dependent on how the clews were adjusted. This where fitting a hammock to a 26 footer comes unstuck. The canvas base is about 7 feet long, the clews add another 5 feet overall and then the ropes either end on top of that. Even if the ring on one end was attached to a bulkhead you would run out of room in the saloon.

Ramona, you must've been in the Navy when men were made of steel and ships were made of wood!!

A properly rolled and tied navy hammock had a second function as a life preserver.
We were told they would help keep a man afloat for 6 to 8 hours.
That and other naval things come from the days when the men were made of steel and the ships made of wood.
Probably the best place to sling a hammock on a small boat is under the boom.

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Ramona said..
I spent 12 months on a warship sleeping in hammocks. Real hammocks with horsehair mattresses. They are superb to sleep in when rigged correctly. The downside in the case on warships is they have to be stored in the hammock bin during the day. Coming back onboard after a culture run ashore meant searching in the bin in the dark for your hammock and then slinging it. Some people never seemed to master this bit! The messdecks had hammock bars just above head height and the hammock is best rigged fairly taunt. The shape of the hammock is very dependent on how the clews were adjusted. This where fitting a hammock to a 26 footer comes unstuck. The canvas base is about 7 feet long, the clews add another 5 feet overall and then the ropes either end on top of that. Even if the ring on one end was attached to a bulkhead you would run out of room in the saloon.

No bulkhead in my little Endeavour 26. So plenty of length.
It will just be working out the the best spots to install the fixing points. Definitely not through the deck. Too many protrusions and things to trip over as it is. Maybe into the Anchor locker and back to either side of the companion way.
Buying another hammock and some fixing points will definitely be cheaper and quicker than building a V berth.

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valo said..

No bulkhead in my little Endeavour 26. So plenty of length.
It will just be working out the the best spots to install the fixing points. Definitely not through the deck. Too many protrusions and things to trip over as it is. Maybe into the Anchor locker and back to either side of the companion way.
Buying another hammock and some fixing points will definitely be cheaper and quicker than building a V berth.

Central ring on the back of the anchor locker for both hammocks. Then rings on either side of the rear cabin bulkhead about deck height for the other clews. The hammocks need a bit of room to swing. Will need hand holds on the deck head to swing yourself into the hammock.

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valo said..
My 16yr old said he thought it would be a good idea to hang hammocks into our Endeavour 26, instead of building a V berth. The boat is not fitted out with much. So plenty of room to hang them either side of the companion way as you walk in.
Has anyone tried this?

I use to put a hammock from the headsail back to the mast, I thought it would counter the swing from waves and reduce motion, instead it amplified it and I would end up swinging wildly even on almost flat water. This may be because I was quite high above the waterline but it was not as comfortable as I thought

If you do go through with it post some pictures and feedback on what its like!

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cisco said..
A properly rolled and tied navy hammock had a second function as a life preserver.
We were told they would help keep a man afloat for 6 to 8 hours.
That and other naval things come from the days when the men were made of steel and the ships made of wood.
Probably the best place to sling a hammock on a small boat is under the boom.

Hey cisco, back in the old navy days when men were made of steel, what grade oil did you drink to stop from squeaking while swinging ?

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Ramona said..

valo said..

No bulkhead in my little Endeavour 26. So plenty of length.
It will just be working out the the best spots to install the fixing points. Definitely not through the deck. Too many protrusions and things to trip over as it is. Maybe into the Anchor locker and back to either side of the companion way.
Buying another hammock and some fixing points will definitely be cheaper and quicker than building a V berth.

Central ring on the back of the anchor locker for both hammocks. Then rings on either side of the rear cabin bulkhead about deck height for the other clews. The hammocks need a bit of room to swing. Will need hand holds on the deck head to swing yourself into the hammock.

Exactly what i thought.
No need for hand hold as I get in through the bottom of the hammock.
That's not me by the way.

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Jake888 said..

valo said..
My 16yr old said he thought it would be a good idea to hang hammocks into our Endeavour 26, instead of building a V berth. The boat is not fitted out with much. So plenty of room to hang them either side of the companion way as you walk in.
Has anyone tried this?

I use to put a hammock from the headsail back to the mast, I thought it would counter the swing from waves and reduce motion, instead it amplified it and I would end up swinging wildly even on almost flat water. This may be because I was quite high above the waterline but it was not as comfortable as I thought

If you do go through with it post some pictures and feedback on what its like!

Will do.
Won't be for a while though.

I would suggest trying a real hammock first. Navy style hammocks have a stiff horsehair mattress about about 50cm wide and 50mm thick and normal sheets and blankets are used along with a pillow. The shape and comfort of the hammock is very dependent on the adjustment of all the clew lines. You sleep in a hammock the same as you do in a normal bed if it's rigged correctly. You can lay on your side. Loosechange was not a Dibdab so he probably was one of the failed to correctly sling a hammock people!
I also had the dubious pleasure of sleeping in a parachute hammock while on a survival course. This entailed folding the parachute along the seams so that I had half a dozen panels under me and the others arranged so I was sleeping in a tent. Stretched between two trees this got me off the ground but it was not like sleeping in a hammock. With just a few layers of the parachute under me and wearing a flying suit I was pretty cold! If your planning on sleeping onboard you are going to have to wear some seriously heavy clothing in the hammocks pictured above.

sliding slightly more off topic ....An old ex army hammock was great when camping , best sleep ever ! had a roof and fly netting also !! swing in between two small trees dry as a bone in the rain !!!

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Ramona said..
I would suggest trying a real hammock first. Navy style hammocks have a stiff horsehair mattress about about 50cm wide and 50mm thick and normal sheets and blankets are used along with a pillow. The shape and comfort of the hammock is very dependent on the adjustment of all the clew lines. You sleep in a hammock the same as you do in a normal bed if it's rigged correctly. You can lay on your side. Loosechange was not a Dibdab so he probably was one of the failed to correctly sling a hammock people!
I also had the dubious pleasure of sleeping in a parachute hammock while on a survival course. This entailed folding the parachute along the seams so that I had half a dozen panels under me and the others arranged so I was sleeping in a tent. Stretched between two trees this got me off the ground but it was not like sleeping in a hammock. With just a few layers of the parachute under me and wearing a flying suit I was pretty cold! If your planning on sleeping onboard you are going to have to wear some seriously heavy clothing in the hammocks pictured above.

Thanks Romana.
First thing is that I have had this hammock for about 10yrs now. I find it very comfortable. Sleep on my back or side. Thinness is remedied with a mat. Cold with a sleeping bag. I prefer it to sleeping on a mat on the ground in a tent.
In saying that. Where would I get a navy style hammock these days?

The problem with a hammock is you wont have settee seating. I don't think I could live with not having somewhere to sit or take a quick snooze while sailing. Bet it's easier to leap off a seat than struggle out of a hammock for a quick exit to the deck!

At my age neither is easy or quick
At least getting out of a hammock is down hill