Well I got the memory foam cut yesterday. It was a bit of a challenge but I did it. I figured the best way was to relay the foam on the back deck and then bring the mattress up top to trace. So that's what I(we) did. Mark helped me get the monstrosity up on the deck and then carry out the mattress. I traced the mattress with a big sharpie a little outside the edge of the mattress. I looked online to find the best ways to cut memory foam. What I came up with was an electric carving knife. Slight problem...I don't have one and I'm not about to buy one because I'm sure in NZ they would be ridiculously priced and I don't have any other need (or space) for one on the boat. So instead I pulled out my big knife and decided I would just give it a go with that.

A little note about my knives. I have these two great Silvermark ceramic knives. I had been looking for good knives for the boat for awhile and was thrilled when I came across these for a couple of reasons: They are ceramic and don't rust. This is a huge benefit on a boat. They also come with covers for the blades so I can just throw them in my drawers without worrying they are going to nick my wood or something else in the drawer (remember limited space on a boat means lots of variety in each drawer) and it means underway I don't have to be afraid to put my hand in the drawer. They stay sharp and I can be sharpened. When I bought these they only made this two size pack which has been enough on the boat but I have discovered writing this post that they now have 4" & 6" knives as well. I don't think I need anything more for cooking but I'd love to replace our steak knives with these. I have having all those sharp objects in the drawers.

Back to the mattress pad... I discovered that if I made long smooth cuts with the knife it worked pretty well. I did make kind of a rippled effect on the edges that I cut but those got pushed against the wall so I don't think it's an issue and with a proper table it probably could have been done a little smoother. Overall it worked out well. Only thing is that it is slightly smaller than the mattress even though I traced outside the mattress and cut outside that line. I think without the weight of what I cut off it shrunk up a little. This works for us because I didn't want the pad to snug since we need to be able to lift our bed and get to the storage underneith but it would be if you wanted a perfect fit.

Now I have a huge piece left over and I'm trying to figure out how to use it. It's so nice and soft I'd hate to throw it out but storing it is not an option. Maybe some pillows? Anyone have any ideas?

Photos of the project.