Backyard Rink Thread

[Eddie_Shack]

Anyone here building a backyard rink this winter? I'm thinking about it, I don't have a lot of space to work with but I believe I can make it work.

What do you guys usually use for the tarp/waterproof base? I'm thinking the boards should be easy, just need a bunch of 2x6s.

 

[IPostedWhat]

About.com: http://www.backyardrink.net/

 

[Eddie_Shack]

About.com: http://www.backyardrink.net/

I realize this information is highly googleable, just like everything else, but I was hoping to get some ideas straight from the horse's mouth.

 

[IPostedWhat]

I realize this information is highly googleable, just like everything else, but I was hoping to get some ideas straight from the horse's mouth.

OK, make sure it is cold out.

 

[pixburgher66]

I wanna do thhhhhat!!! Sadly a) I'm in college, don't really have a space I can do this b) even if I did it at home my yard is one giant hill and c) weather is too unpredictable in the burgh...not quite cold enough all the time.

 

[li0lsh]

I always see those backyard rinks when travelling Southwest while looking at the shopping magazine.

 

[Eddie_Shack]

I wanna do thhhhhat!!! Sadly a) I'm in college, don't really have a space I can do this b) even if I did it at home my yard is one giant hill and c) weather is too unpredictable in the burgh...not quite cold enough all the time.

If your apartment has a nice flat roof, it's basically already made for you. Just plug the drains and start running the water!

 

[Eddie_Shack]

I always see those backyard rinks when travelling Southwest while looking at the shopping magazine.

I have trouble buying something out of a catalog that also sells submarines, jetpacks, and wrist watches that double as throwing stars.

 

[pixburgher66]

If your apartment has a nice flat roof, it's basically already made for you. Just plug the drains and start running the water!

Now THAT is an epic idea! Dang, I'm getting an apartment!

 

[jstewismybastardson]

I saw at one of my local (vancouver) home depots that they were having an in-store demo on how to build a backyard rink ... in vancouver ... ??? ... nice try i guess

last year they had some sort of national contest on the best nhl team inspired painted room and you could go in there and colour match your teams colours

anyhow, a couple things I heard from a family friend in Kelowna is to make sure you start with a level surface and use rigid styrofoam taped at seams underneath your poly or liner

 

[juliansteed]

I haven't played on a backyard rink since I was a kid. My cousins use to always make one as did my neighbours growing up. The good news is we have a nice lake that hosts a pond hockey tournament every year where we can play and then go for beers after.

 

[dash]

We were lucky as kids growing up in my town, as soon as it got cold, city workers would put up the boards and freeze the rink in a designated area of a park right behind my house. Now the boards weren't very high, meaning that you needed a good supply of pucks, 'cause they were tough to find in those 8 foot high snow drifts surrounding the rink.

 

[Eddie_Shack]

We were lucky as kids growing up in my town, as soon as it got cold, city workers would put up the boards and freeze the rink in a designated area of a park right behind my house. Now the boards weren't very high, meaning that you needed a good supply of pucks, 'cause they were tough to find in those 8 foot high snow drifts surrounding the rink.

There's only two or three good outdoor rinks around here, and they are always jam packed with skaters so we can't play any hockey. It's really more for the kids (heh, suuuuuure... I'll keep telling myself that) to learn how to skate.

I've got a pretty small back yard, but great drainage and it's all fairly flat.

I've been looking around at different techniques, there's one using PVC that I'm considering but I'm not sold on it. It would be a little cheaper, but I still think that some treated wood is the way to go.

I guess I'll just have to experiment and figure out what works best.