St Louis Park, MN USA
January 2004
45' x 25'
Eric writes: This is my sixth year. My rink is about 25' x 45' with 4 foot boards on the goal end. We have a wooden goalie (painted by my son Daniel) that allows us to play games with only two players. I got the banners from a local Toyota dealership, liquor store and Army recruiter. The rink takes up most of the backyard from the deck to the garage. I have lights mounted in the garage windows for night skating. We have a fire pit with cover which fits flush to the ground. I used the Ice-N-Go kit for the first two years, then I decided to design and build a wooden rink that screws together and can be unscrewed and stored behind the garage in the summer. I built a curbing of 2x6's, one on top and two on edge. They get screwed together and leveled in after the last lawnmowing. Then as soon as the weather report calls for a cold spell I put in the liner and flood. The liner is run over the top of the curbing and stapled to it. Six hours later I turn off the water and it is full. Then when it can be walked on I set the dasher boards on the ice and screw them to the inside of the 2x6 curbing then cut off the excess liner. The result is no liner showing. Getting it filled in one flood means earlier skating and no liner showing means no damage to it and longer skating in spring. I use white paint from NiceRink mixed with water for the last half inch of water on the rink to help reflect the sun. Last year we started on November 28th and finished on March 13th. This year we started on December 13. Great job Eric. There are some good tips in your letter. Thanks for the pics. |
Last Updated on Mar 18, 2004