Plans for a BASIC Backyard Rink

Commercial kits are widely available on the Internet.  Or if you prefer to do it yourself, here are some basic plans for a 46X36 (50x40 liner) rink (which of course can be modified to suit different dimensions).  No warranties given or implied, and the risk of basement flooding, frozen pipes, and hypothermia is included at no extra cost!  

 

1) Find a LEVEL, preferably shady, spot of land.  

If you need excavation or leveling, consider patronizing our sponsor, Hunter Excavation, 725-7635.

Start leaving the grass a little longer in September, and keep it clean of twigs, stones, and acorns (anything that might pierce the liner).

 

2) Purchase and cut 1/2" plywood into twenty  1x8'  lengths.  (Some people like taller lengths at the end boards.)  (If you want a shooting wall, get 2 more sheets.  See below.)

 

3) Purchase five  16' lengths of 'strapping", then cut and shape forty 18" stakes (if you have taller end boards, size stakes accordingly).  (All wood parts will be reused for several years... this is a one time purchase.)

 

4) Purchase your liner in the fall, .WHITE or CLEAR (not black) "6 mil poly sheeting".  Special order a 100'x40' from Down East or Hancock Lumber, and cut it in half  (you can use the other half next year or share with a friend )  (You will most likely have to replace your liner each year.)

 

5)  Before the ground freezes (usually before Thanksgiving, depending on shade), set the boards and stakes.  It will look something like this:

a             b

 _ _ _ _ _

|               |

|               |

|               |

|               |

|               |

 _ _ _ _ _ 

c            d 

 

 

Note the pieces a,b,c, and d should actually be slightly angled to add ~3' of length at each and ~6' of width on each side.  Your goal is to allow the 50x40 liner to come up and over the boards for the initial filling.  Plus this gives you a slight octagon shape so kids can "wrap the puck around the boards".

 

6)  Pound  two stakes per plywood sheet into the ground, attaching them to the sheets with drywall screws.

 

7) take some scrap plywood, less than 1'x1' is fine, and use it as a "joiner" between the 8' lenths.

 

8)   Watch the weather ... when the forecast calls for 2-3 days of frigid nighttime temps, and below-freezing daytime high temps (and no precipitation) (usually around Christmas), it's time to lay down the liner and start filling.  If you have last years liner, you can set it down as an extra layer of protection, even if it is not waterproof, and put duct tape "red line" and "blue line" on that.  Lay down the new, waterproof liner next ... try to bring the liner up and out of the way, if not over the boards.  Attaching the liner to the back side of the boards is  a challenge; staples and duct tape don't hold long but they can usually suffice during filling.  If you have enough overlap, you can place firewood or something similar on the overlap to hold it down. 

 

Because your ice is supported by solid ground, you won't need the ice to be as thick as you would on open water.  Around an inch of water will give you more than an inch of ice, which is enough to support an adult once it is entirely frozen.  You will add to it frequently, the thicker it gets the longer it will last.

 

Be patient, let it freeze solid ... your "deep end" could very well have liquid under the ice for 3 days, and if you step on it too soon you will push water up on the edges.

 

Keep it clean of leaves and  snow, resurace regularly (spray method is most common), and enjoy for up to 3 months!

 

 8'x6' "shooting wall" : replace just one of your 8x1' ' sections with a full sheet of plywood (on it's side) plus another half sheet on top of that, for a total height of at least 6'.  You brace it with 8' 2x4s (or bigger), sunk like fence posts.  

Then you can paint a goal on it, attach  targets (eg hubcaps, frying pans) in the vicinity of the "5 hole" and "top shelf".

When you set down your liner, you can take your original 1' high 8' length of plywood you had in that space, and screw it to the base of the shooting board from the liner side, to hold the liner in place.  

So when the kids are playing shinny, we play pond hockey rules, no lifting the puck, but when they are just out there goofing around they love to shoot at the targets, try to wake the neighbors, splinter the wood, and dent the targets.

We leave the shooting board up all year, for lax or soccer or whatever.

And if you have a scrap of linoleum you can set that down on grass and practice shooting pucks even when there is no ice.

 

9) Take down.  Pierce the liner and let it drain.  (As long as the empty liner is cleaned up quickly, to avoid overheating the grass, your lawn wil not be damaged and in fact will probably green before the rest of the yard. )

 

After you drain the rink, you can save your liner for an "under liner" for next year.  If you want to get rid of it, just put it on  Craigslist as a freebie "used but servicable "drop cloth" or "tarp" for painting or ground cover" and someone will come reuse/recycle it for you usually within a week.