UKC

Hi,

I am thinking of building a moonboard in a small barn/shack behind my house. Any way I look at it, the place is "just" too small. Using the standard 40 degree angle and 37cm base board I only get 280cm length of board rather than 360 that the standard design gives you. 

Will this be a practical bouldering surface? The next problem would be finding/designing routes for the shorter surface. Being a novice I would like to take advantage of the standard routes ... so If the answer is yes it would still be worth while could anyone suggest a source of shorter routes

Many Thanks Nick

In my honest opinion, no it won't work very well. The benefit of moon boards is because they're all identical you can share routes etc, if you chop the top off you'll loose all of that.

I'd design your own wall, that way you can tailor the angle and holds then just get cracking on setting your own routes. 

Surely it would be a whole lot better just to let the space dictate the bouldering surface and forget the branded shite?

If it has to be moon and it has to be that size then I'd just make the space between all the holds just a bit smaller so you still have a full board. 

It'll still work and you'll still be able to use all their problems they'll just be easier. 

Have you used a moonboard? Or any 40deg board for that matter. If you are a novice, I'd be surprised if you have had much success on one. 

Moon boards are awesome, but you'll get just as much gain from a more bespoke board, especially when you don't actually have space for the moon board. 

How much width have you got? If you have a wider space, you can make a wider board. Your own problems don't have to be the path of least resistance to the top, they can traverse and wonder and circuit. It's about training, not topping out your board. 

What grade are you climbing?

Large enough to be a useful bouldering board but I don’t think a Moonboard will work. If you build a Murphboard can you invite friends around to help with setting?

In reply to Jon Stewart:

A little harsh: this is hardly Starbucks. 

The Moonboard is a very good idea albeit with room for improvement in execution.

I would go for 20-25 degree hang and try and make sure you have holds that are small enough to work fingers. Moonboards are fantastic, but building a poor mans version (excuse expression!) and then using app and probs will constantly have you wondering where you are. Moon holds are great, would try a mix of these, metolius and some wooden holds if you can make or source these. Keep footholds small. Good luck! Have a 10 yr old wall in garage that matches my advice and it gets regular use/visits from mates. 

What sort of width have you got access too? Could be worth considering squaring out the board a bit and then you could set circuits as well. 

You could also consider making it steeper to gain more height and simply using your own holds. A 45 or 50 degree board would be worse for stamina but incredible for strength straining - you could get in touch with Hardwood Holds and get yourself a proper setup sorted: 

https://www.facebook.com/hardwoodholds/ 

If it came to this or a moonboard I'd personally take the wood board. Shortcut to beast-hood! 

+1 for Murphboard!   OP will have to give Flaneur a free Murphboard when they become a global success!

Don't bother. In that sort of space I'd much rather have a few hangboards, a set of rings and holds on a smaller board you can bump around on. Much more beneficial than building a two move training board.

If you make the kickboard half the height with only one set of footholds this will give you a little more climbing height.

Hi, many thanks for all the advice. As advised I think I will let the space dictate the shape and make it a more versatile training space.... I must confess to finding a 40 degree board a bit intimidating... So questioning that alone is helpful.

Could anyone suggest a cheap source of holds and mats (or old mattresses)

Thanks again 

The 40 degree moonboard is brilliant but brutal, and isn't really ideal for a novice (think going straight onto routines on a Beastmaker 2000).

There are some compromises you could make, by leaving out the kick board, or (as Ben suggests, bring down the vertical spacing of your bolt grid to suit). You could also then reduce the angle.

However, my advice would be to build a board at 20 degrees, source some wooden symmetrical system holds to make a system board, and go at it. Add a Beastmaker 1000 and work through the grades. Use the moon board (and/or beastmaker board if you live near Sheff) at your local wall. Your tendons take a lot longer to develop than your muscles, and it's easy to take a long time off from climbing if you don't take care while you're doing this.....

With mats, keep an eye on local facebook groups. I got a couple of thick mattresses and carpet for free which does the job well. I had the same though, as I've only got about 2.5m of vertical height to play with.

In the end, I opted for a 45 degree wall, which has been pretty good. To give you an idea of my level, I climb around 7a/b on a good day (with some practice!) and have been climbing for several years, although only seriously training for a year or so...