rink construction

[ezjohn]

I'm considering building an in-line rink on my property for recreational/multipurpose use. Has anyone here attempted this? Looking for plans, lessons learned, etc. Rink will be slightly smaller than regulation, approx 110 X 60, but I want to make it as safe and fun as possible. Any tips would be appreciated, especially with construction/surface coatings and sideboard info. Rink will be outdoors in Northwest Washington state(moderate climate/rain) so I'm doing extensive planning/research before I start. Thanks in advance.

[NCCcardinal]

I've played on several outdoor rinks for the past ten years and I've noticed that when it rains there always seems to be a couple of puddles here and there, I would recommend crowning the surface (much like a football field) to ensure the rain drains out from the middle.

[ezjohn]

thanks!, thats just the kind of info I'm looking for, who else out there has likes/dislikes about outdoor rinks?

[MDE3]

Maybe use one of the ice court surface designs with an underlying suface which is set up to drain...these tiles are perforated in order to be used over ice rink concrete floors where the ice can be flooded over the tiles. These perforations will allow you surface to dry much faster and avoid any standing water. Of course the underlying surface must also be set up to drain rapidly. Using a surface like this will allow you to use puck play as well as ball play, and not be so hard on wheel usage.

[DannyG]

If price trade-offs work:

1. In our new building, we had concrete graded and glazed with a rail-driven, computer processor controlled trowel system that graded the concrete down to 1/100 of an inch, compared to 1/8 inch for normal grading...if your contractor can do this it might be worth the additional cost...

2. If you go with wooden boards, covering the ends, corners & "Kick Plates" with high density polyethylene sheeting (only 1/4" is necessary) will do wonders.

3. If you can afford aluminum boxes with Poly sheeting for faces, it will last darn near forever. A local sheet metal fabricator can make them for you...

4. for the price isn't an object situation, Border Patrol Athletica, Inc, is definitely the way to go...and they will even get you full blueprints of the surface construction to go with their boards...in Hawaii, almost every rink is outdoors, and the high end rinks look brand new years later...Border Patrol Pro 5000 dasher boards is the best way to go, if the project can afford it.

hope any of this helps...please ask me any questions that I might help with...over the past fifteen years, I have built plywood boards, and designed two custom sized dasher sets. worked with warehouses, wooden gym floors, and composite surfaces, albeit all indoors...

good luck, have fun, let me know how I can help...

<font color=purple>DannyG</font color=purple>