Anyone have any dos and don'ts before I start this project ?
I was given 50 yds poly tarp 12' wide. I thought i would use a string level to level the soil and place the rink over were I plant my garden.
2 by 10" treated 10 and 12' boards screwed with scrap pieces.CathyLee
How permanent are you looking to make this? The 2x10's are overkill in any event. If the soil is level 2x4s will be plenty deep. A water level would work better for leveling the site. I'd also consider using composite lumber instead of treated - it'd look better, wouldn't splinter and there'd be no treated chemicals leaching into the soil near you garden.
R
Not permanent as I want to garden there in the summer but have a rink there every winter my son is 3 and can skate now. I thought 50' by 24' would be a good size.
CL
You don't want it 10" deep. You want as shallow as possible. It will freeze a lot faster and be easier to build and maintain.
I did a 20x40 foot rink for several years- my son and several of his hockey buddies spent a lot of time on it.
The only think I had any luck joining or patching poly with in cold, wet conditions was 'Wet and Dry'[?] roof patching compound. Get a gallon can and a pair of rubber gloves - it's messy, but it will stick or patch.
My technique was to get out as soon as the frost got into the ground and put about an inch of water down. As soon as that froze I'd add a half inch- and repeat until I had 4-5 inches.
Then all winter, I played Zamboni with the hose and kept adding ice. Sometimes I'd end up with 10 inches of ice- which sometimes would get me through a short thaw in the spring.
Other hockey parents made their frame and filled it with 4-6 inches of water a week before it was supposed to start freezing. [the lead time was to let the air get out of the water- I never had any luck with this technique.]
Every so often, for a fleeting moment, I think longingly of the old lawn rink--- then I slap myself and thank God #1 son doesn't play hockey anymore.
Jim
Canadian Tire carries 'EZ Rink Kit', 15'x23' which you fill and then layer ice on top.
2x10's needed to keep the puck in the rink
Around here we always had to have some barrier under the ice, or lose a lot of water to soaking into the ground, even if you waited until the ground had apparently frozen. Who knows how global warming, even if it is only temporary, will affect this.
We never had board around our home rinks; just a berm of snow. The rule was if you put the puck out of play, you had to chase it, which was some incentive to learn to pass accurately.
I know the kids don't really like it, but if you want to become a good hockey player, you start by learning to skate, and you don't carry a stick while you are doing it. Figure skaters, no matter what one thinks of them, are stronger and more knowledgeable skaters than hockey players, and the figure skaters learn to skate without a stick. Too many kids lean on their stick, or try to use it as a balancing bar, and all of that gets in the way of really learning to skate. Once they have mastered skating and start to use sticks, your mini-boards won't be much help, as its pretty easy to accidentally loft a puck over such a low barrier. So I would stick with a cheaper and easier snow berm; you will need the money for fixing broken windows, which you will want to consider in locating your rink.
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