UKC

I'm just trying to see who feesable it is to build a Moonboard outside.

My plan is something like this:

https://m.imgur.com/a/kNXJp

Only with the two vertical post moved 300mm-600mm further away from the board. Or 300mm further back toward the kickboard and use stronger joists for the frame to take the additional load created. In addition i want to add a small roof to help weatherproof the main face.

The problems:

1) What material should I use for the main up right posts?

150mm× 150mm × 5000mm? Oak or Pine?

2) Concreting the posts in is the easy option but how do I stop them rotting?

3) It's 3150mm high, will i need planning permission?

4) Do i need Marine ply, or will a good quality exterior ply be ok, and is it best to use 12mm or 18mm?

Thanks once again UKC hivemind

Michael

No idea about post size, 150 x 150 seems pretty meaty and should do the job.

Post bases - if you don't intend to build a shed or structure around the whole thing- I'd be using some kind of post support to prevent rotting. U brakets to concrete into the ground can be had from screw fix etc.

Planning rules for outbuilding would apply I should think (max height to not exceed 4m) but you need to speak to local planning dept.

https://www.planningportal.co.uk/info/200130/common_projects/43/outbuilding...

I assume you'd be weather proofing the back of the ply roof with something (bitumen roof sheeting, etc) then exterior ply should be fine.

Inwas wondering about galv or stainless U Brackets but  was wondering if they would weaken the design at all? They would also mean I could cut down on timber costs...

You can certainly build it, but using it is another matter. Too hot, too cold, too humid etc etc. It needs to be inside, or under a big canopy. Also those hold sets are hard enough to latch even when conditions are perfect.

as with all training facilities, you need it to be in an environment which makes you want to train, and unless you live in San Diego, I would put it inside a big shed at least.

Unfortunately the garden won't take another big shed. I was planning on throwing easier holds up as well to warm up on (and cheat if need be).

I'm not committed to an actual moonboard just yet but more intereseted in best structural design and wood treatments.

I've just  built a moonboard and although it's inside I thought I'd mention that I drilled extra holes to the right of every LED and have put Holdz mini jugs on them so I can warm up and do some big moves on easy  holds.  Works a treat and I can even use the  LED's to create routes my own problems on the big holds as long as I remember that the led will be on  the left of the target hold.

You'll definitely need marine ply though - plywood will rot eventually (and possibly quite quickly depending on where you live)

 

Great idea! What hold set have you gone for btw 2016 or 2017?

I'm still pretty weak and it seems the 2019 set is nails so I went for the 2017 as the red holds are a little more 'accessible' and I also got the white and black holds. I've got it set up on a winch but its going to stay at 25 degrees for a while yet

Tim

here's a gallery. This doesn't show the extra holds but you can see the spaces I've left for them

https://www.facebook.com/timparkin/media_set?set=a.10158360472944066&ty...

Re. marine ply, there is "proper" marine ply for making boats and suchlike out of, and then there is exterior plywood which is still much more resilient than the standard plywood. Most places don't sell proper marine ply, or they sell exterior grade ply as "marine ply" even if it's not very well suited to making aforementioned floating things from! Exterior ply is the stuff that most walls are built from, although being a truly outdoor wall you might actually be best with marine ply. Edges will need properly sealing as well, and probably best to paint it well in something suitably weather resistant, as well as having a roof over it to keep the rain off.

I've had some proper marine ply sitting outside as a base for a pile of logs, sitting on grass/peat for the last three years in scotland and  after this post I thought I'd see if it was bearing up OK. a quick sand with some grit paper and it was very obviously unaffected. This hadn't been treated at all so is a pretty good worst case scenario. I'm impressed!

Maybe i should pay a little extra for some then! Although it would be well protected under corrugated sheets.

And some of those beer garden infra red heaters to make it more usable. 

If you can keep it from getting wet too often and treat it then normal structural plywood would be ok

I was going to give several coats of exterior wopd paint, boat builders seem to swear by standard acrylic/latex paints so I'll give them a go aa for the main frame work i think my mum has some old school cresote kicking around that should do the trick.

And maybe the beers to go with them?

Pics below of outdoor traverse wall I built for kids seven years ago, all wood is pressure treated so has never needed staining or anything like that and cost was far less than marine ply (from memory wood total cost was 150 pounds). The three main 4in by 4in posts are attached to 'metposts' which have a 70cm spike concreted into the ground. Basically you dig pits about 60cm deep, attach wooden beams to met posts, bang them all in, get them spirit level straight with each other and then concrete the pits. Good luck sounds a fun project

https://ibb.co/RPXH50c
https://ibb.co/SQ0Wbhp

Personally I'd avoid Creosote, as it's horrible stuff, especially if you want to grow anything near by what you creosote.

Pine will be fine.  You can get 'structural' timber.  Those dimensions sound ok to me.  4x4 should be plenty strong.

You can get what'll be called exterior plywood, for a little bit more than normal plywood.  This uses waterproof glue and will last much longer outside.  No need for marine ply.  The standard is EN636-2 or 3.  Ideally -3. 

Make sure you get your wood from a decent (ideally independant) timber yard as they'll give you better advice.  They might look at you a bit funny if you mention EN636-3 or similar, but they will be able to tell you if it meets that.

Might be worth ringing up the local council and talking to the planning office to make sure.  But broadly speaking this'll be a shed/temporary wooden structure.  Which means if you're with in 2m of a boundary, 2.5m is the maximum height.  Otherwise, it's 4m for a dual pitched roof and 3m for single with 2.5m eaves.  3m is quite high, so I'd definitely make sure that the neighbours know and are ok before going ahead.  Asking nicely in advance might save you hassle down the road.

Have you considered an A frame setup? This offers the duel benefits of weatherproofing, two boards (meaning you have a hard one and an easy one and also means you can drop tarps down the side to block wind/rain on crap days meaning you'll still train which is the whole point. 

If not committed to this, at least build a small extending roof which you could again hang tarps from and peg to the ground in crap weather. This makes a weird little board tent which is warmer, dry and means it will get actual use. 

Otherwise, you might as well forget about it because the UK climate is way too wet for an uncovered outdoor board, especially considering the main times for using a board are when weather is crap. 

We probably won't have room for two boards tbh, but a small roof is in the plan.

As for weather we're Lincoln based so it'll be for training so we have to travel less to Sheffield/Nottingham less during the week. Cheers

Did they dismantle the climbing wall in the leisure centre?

There was a new one built in 2010 (The Showroom), the route setting is ok but it's probably only 8/9 meters. And not being in a climbing hotspot it doesn't cater too well for people who want to train above 6c/7a it has got a small bouldering wall as well but sadly too small to be of much use.

I worked in Lincoln 2009 to 2014, used the Showroom a few times but generally drove to Sheffield Climbing Works and Foundry, and moved back there as soon as we could!

Yea it's a little easier now with the new Sheffield Depot being on the right side for us to get to and once work on our house is done I'd like to move. But for now a moon board would mean less need to travel and an easier to stick to training plan.

I may have bumped into you tbh, I started climbing at the showroom around Jan 2014.

I had a great job, and actually really liked Lincoln, and property was crazy cheap after Sheffield. However, common sense prevailed and we moved back to the Peak.

Yea I've been looking at house prices outside of Lincoln and what we've got here is incredible by comparison. What did you do over here?

I worked at the University. We bought a great place on the way to Market Rasen, but eventually the sheer despair of Lincolnshire broke us. 

Hahaha! I can sympathise and I've never left the place. At least we have the van, so can base ourselves in the peak at the weekend.

Mine is supported on four cut off, heavily treated fence posts sitting in long metpost spikes. So although the very bottom is just about touching the ground, no real rot risk. Still fine after 3+ years anyway. The posts have two 'side rails' connecting them front to back and the joists holding the load are bolted to the side rails, all enabling adjustment.

Used marine ply (or at least the exterior grade stuff) with lashings of good gloss varnish, including t nut holes (ie drilled first). 

Covered in green bituminous shed roofing panels so never gets wet.

Articulated with a rather low tech pulley system to a tree behind but, given the hassle of adjusting, has resolutely remained at 40 degs ever since. 

Sited just over 2m from garden boundaries so planning not an issue. Less than 2m from boundary and anything over 2.5m exceeds permitted development. The green roof,  varnish and fact it's semi-hidden under a massive willow tree all help keep it discreet too.

As already said, indoors would be much preferable for quite a bit of the year and it's only been pulled on in earnest once since November. In truth though my strength is more of an issue! If you happily boulder steep 7A+ just go for it. On a nice evening with the setting sun on it and me feeling OK I still really enjoy working through my pretty limited set of yellow and white problems from the original setting and I have a fair few warm up holds on there too. 

Cheers, I've pm'd you with some questions if that's ok?

So under planning rules, a "regulation" moonboard like that linked to above would have required planning permission as a standard Moonboard is 3.15m tall according to the page?

If it's with in two meters of a boundary yes.

If it's not that close, then I reckon you'll be ok at 3.15m as the regs say no higher than 4m with eaves of 2.5m.  No idea what you'll class eaves as on a moonboard tho.

I like the idea of painting it green tho.

Yeah - the one linked to is hard up against their fence, so well within 2m of the boundary.

Ours would be within 2m of a boundry but the boundary hedge itself is 5/6 meters so i doubt it would be an issue tbh (and my neighbour is pretty chilled anyway)

I've managed to find the moonboard plans online and was thinking of using their basic structure with my own holds. 

As this is going to be more of a family and friends board instead of a training board, added to the fact that we're not sure how long we'll be living here I was thinking of going for the standard plywood / chipboard route with a good coating of paint. It'll be fixed back to the house walls so no need for ground posts either. 

Can anyone see any issues other than those already listed? 

nooooo not chipboard, especially not outdoors! It'll disintegrate before your eyes and you'll have to start over. Exterior grade ply and protect it well - seriously consider a roof for it to keep the rain off.

Thread resurrection. How do I fix this back to my house?

https://i.ibb.co/GkjRKkg/Capture.jpg

Cant decide if to cut some triangles out of the spare from the kickboard sheet to fix between the wall uprights and the board uprights or order more 3 x 2 and attach them between uprights.