bob_sauve28 Posted December 27, 2016 Report Share Posted December 27, 2016 I need to find out if my kid likes hockey before that kind of commitment. Not to mention zoning crap I'd have to deal with. Keep us updated! Looks neat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bcsaberks Posted December 27, 2016 Report Share Posted December 27, 2016 Have you ever considered an asphalt rink with a 2 inch curb all around? No need for a tarp liner. Just fill with water. (You do leave a drain hole in the corner that you plug.) Interesting idea. Do you have experience with this? I'd guess it would be well into the thousands.....but less than a refrigeration system. I think refridge is the way to go if you have a lot of cash. We've skated 1 day so far this year, and forecast is for next 10 days (roc). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
inkman Posted January 6, 2017 Author Report Share Posted January 6, 2017 (edited) I made a thing. It should be ready for skating this weekend. https://www.instagram.com/p/BO52fW3Bz-N/ Edited January 6, 2017 by inkman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tondas Posted January 6, 2017 Report Share Posted January 6, 2017 I made a thing. It should be ready for skating this weekend. http://www.instagram.com/p/BO52fW3B Very, very nice. I bet the rug rat is excited. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LTS Posted January 6, 2017 Report Share Posted January 6, 2017 I made a thing. It should be ready for skating this weekend. https://www.instagram.com/p/BO52fW3Bz-N/ Should be... it's 12 degrees out overnight and still frigid.. you are good to go! Well done sir! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
inkman Posted January 6, 2017 Author Report Share Posted January 6, 2017 Stepped on a corner this morning to see if I could remove the couple inches of snow on it. Suffice to say, it's not. Only about 2 inches frozen so far. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Claude Balls Posted January 6, 2017 Report Share Posted January 6, 2017 (edited) I used to build one every year when my kids were younger. It was always a pain in the ass keeping it skateable just because the weather never cooperated. The winters aren't nearly as cold as they used to be when I was young. Our rinks back then would be frozen for 2-3 months straight. Then when we got older we just started playing on the canal. Up there you could shovel off regulation size sheets of ice.....greenish brown ice that is. Hopefully the rest of Jan/Feb stay cold enough for you. But you should definitely be skating this wknd. Gonna get colder each night/day until Monday. Edited January 6, 2017 by Claude Balls Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
inkman Posted January 9, 2017 Author Report Share Posted January 9, 2017 I used to build one every year when my kids were younger. It was always a pain in the ass keeping it skateable just because the weather never cooperated. The winters aren't nearly as cold as they used to be when I was young. Our rinks back then would be frozen for 2-3 months straight. Then when we got older we just started playing on the canal. Up there you could shovel off regulation size sheets of ice.....greenish brown ice that is. Hopefully the rest of Jan/Feb stay cold enough for you. But you should definitely be skating this wknd. Gonna get colder each night/day until Monday.I confidently walked on my ice this afternoon to shovel off the couple of inches that had accumulated. I started hearing cracks about half way through but I just thought it was the ice settling or something. Then BAM! CRACK! SPLASH! If you can't picture the plane taking off in 2012 (the movie) where the land was disappearing under the plane while it took off, that was me trying to escape frozen feet. I made it out with only a wet ankle but man what a harrowing experience. It turns out I only have about 4 inches of ice. In some places my water is 18". So apparently that's not ready for 212 lbs of inky goodness. It's been in the teens for 4 days. WTF!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darksabre Posted January 9, 2017 Report Share Posted January 9, 2017 I confidently walked on my ice this afternoon to shovel off the couple of inches that had accumulated. I started hearing cracks about half way through but I just thought it was the ice settling or something. Then BAM! CRACK! SPLASH! If you can't picture the plane taking off in 2012 (the movie) where the land was disappearing under the plane while it took off, that was me trying to escape frozen feet. I made it out with only a wet ankle but man what a harrowing experience. It turns out I only have about 4 inches of ice. In some places my water is 18". So apparently that's not ready for 212 lbs of inky goodness. It's been in the teens for 4 days. WTF!! Your water is too deep. You want it as shallow as you can get away with so it freezes all the way through. You really only need maybe an inch or two in the shallow spots. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
inkman Posted January 9, 2017 Author Report Share Posted January 9, 2017 Your water is too deep. You want it as shallow as you can get away with so it freezes all the way through. You really only need maybe an inch or two in the shallow spots.Yeah the shallow spots aren't more than a few inches. Maybe 4 at most. A lot more sloped than I anticipated. It's why I built it a year before Cody will skate. Need to work out the kinks. My Father-in-law has a backhoe so I need him to do some work in the "offseason". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darksabre Posted January 9, 2017 Report Share Posted January 9, 2017 One thing my buddy does is he builds up the deep spots with old pallets and cardboard. Getting a relatively level surface makes a big difference. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spndnchz Posted January 9, 2017 Report Share Posted January 9, 2017 One thing my buddy does is he builds up the deep spots with old pallets and cardboard. Getting a relatively level surface makes a big difference. Makes sense. Kinda like filling your flower pots with old water bottles to avoid using so much soil. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SabresFanInRochester Posted February 6, 2017 Report Share Posted February 6, 2017 I have built a backyard rink 5 out of the past six years. Last year, I built the frame, but never laid the tarp out and filled it with water because the weather never cooperated. This year, we had two great skates this past weekend and it looks like we will hit some rocky weather over the next couple weeks, but there should be additional ice time. I cannot get my kids off the ice -- it is totally worth it! I posted this pic to Twitter -- the one of my son shooting and daughter skating in the background. There were some great responses. The hockey community in and of itself is incredible, but I think I discovered a niche persona in this group of rink builders. One of the coolest photos I saw out of my Twitter post, was this guy who posted a photo of the rink his dad built, with a caption along this lines of "I haven't played hockey in 15 years but my dad still builds this rink out of tradition." I hope my fellow rink builders were able to get it going this year. Happy skating... go Sabres! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
North Buffalo Posted February 6, 2017 Report Share Posted February 6, 2017 noice totaly envious Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darksabre Posted February 6, 2017 Report Share Posted February 6, 2017 Dude. Sweet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SabresFanInRochester Posted February 6, 2017 Report Share Posted February 6, 2017 noice totaly envious No ice? How deep is your water? I range from 2" to 6." I do not have solid ice, but enough to hold a 200lb skater. Dude. Sweet. :thumbsup: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
North Buffalo Posted February 6, 2017 Report Share Posted February 6, 2017 No ice? How deep is your water? I range from 2" to 6." I do not have solid ice, but enough to hold a 200lb skater. :thumbsup: Meant nice, still only have an inch on local ponds downstate not enough consistent below temps to hold a 200 lb man Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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