so i recently bought a house and ive got 6 more or less unusable acres since its mostly hillside.. however, there is one spot at the very bottom of my property that is relatively flat and thats where im now building the mini ramp of my dreams. ever since i was a kid ive wanted my own half-pipe. my parents never really supported me in skateboarding so there was no chance in hell of ever actually getting a half-pipe in the backyard. so now that im an adult, and ive got my own money and my own house, im finally building the ramp ive always wanted.

im going to post some pics of the construction process in this thread and try and answer any questions anybody might have about building a ramp like this..

height: 4'
width: 24'
decks: 4'
total legnth: 32'
plans: based on ramptechs 4' halfpipe plans, tripled in dimensions.
cost: ~$4000 for pressure treated lumber and plywood + masonite
additional cost if i wanted to add skatelite: ~$8000 (probably not going to do skatelite)

this first pics are just of the site. the site wasnt quite level. there is 4' drop from one side to the other so i had to dig out some foundations and put in some concrete colums for supports (ill post pics of that tomorrow).

all the wood for the transitions has been pre-cut already and all the 2x6 and 2x4 frame elements have already been pre-cut and is sitting in the driveway waiting to be taken to the bottom of the hill. it took about 3 full days to cut all the wood frame members (ill post a pic of that tomorrow too, my camera is giving me grief today for some reason).

http://i631.photobucket.com/albums/uu39/slothdogramp/site1.jpg
Merging doublepost
the wood:

http://media7.dropshots.com/photos/631795/20090530/065932.jpg (http://www.dropshots.com/slothdog#date/2009-05-30/06:59:32)
http://media7.dropshots.com/photos/631795/20090530/065950.jpg (http://www.dropshots.com/slothdog#date/2009-05-30/06:59:50)

not all the plywood is here yet. there were a few sheets of 1/2" on backorder and the masonite is on backorder too, should be here sometime next week.

also some pics of the foundation work. the 4' drop from one side of the site to the other turned out to be a real ***** to deal with.

http://media7.dropshots.com/photos/631795/20090530/070003.jpg (http://www.dropshots.com/slothdog#date/2009-05-30/07:00:03)

still working on the foundation.. damn slope..

http://media7.dropshots.com/photos/631795/20090601/164944.jpg (http://www.dropshots.com/slothdog#date/2009-06-01/16:49:44)

concrete blocks filled with concrete on concrete footings. also for the larger columns you can see in the other pics that i used those round form tubes filled with concrete and they have backets mounted in them to hold the wood beams. the concrete blocks will just have the beams laying flat across them, they wont be anchored to the supports except in the corners and the high spots.

http://media8.dropshots.com/photos/631795/20090601/165005.jpg (http://www.dropshots.com/slothdog#date/2009-06-01/16:50:05)

dug down about 6" and rebar added for extra strength and then filled with concrete.

http://media6.dropshots.com/photos/631795/20090601/165021.jpg (http://www.dropshots.com/slothdog#date/2009-06-01/16:50:21)

the only thing that sucks more than the slope is the amount of mosquitos. it kind of sucks, im going to get a case of bug spray to keep next to the ramp.

24' wide is going to make it insanely fun.

so is this ramp going to be elevated as high as the cement pillars?

so is this ramp going to be elevated as high as the cement pillars?

yeah, one side is more or less level with the ground and the other is about 3.5' off the ground so the deck of that side will be at about 8' off the ground. the ramp will be level of course, just one side will be higher off the ground than the other.

made progress today.. finished all the foundation pilars and started the framing of the flat section.

http://media7.dropshots.com/photos/631795/20090602/172759.jpg (http://www.dropshots.com/slothdog#date/2009-06-02/17:27:59)

http://media7.dropshots.com/photos/631795/20090602/172816.jpg (http://www.dropshots.com/slothdog#date/2009-06-02/17:28:16)
Merging doublepost
24' wide is going to make it insanely fun.

yeah i had to go big. there is this 12' wide metal spine-pipe that i sometimes skate and its just so narrow and hard to really bust fat grinds on.

btw, if anybody wants to buy a 1940-something willys truck thats like half-restored, hit me up :) ive got 2 of them (one assembled, one in pieces)

making progress on the framing of the flat and starting on framing the transitions. so far its been 8 days of work with 2 people. i should probably take a few more days to finish all the framing and sheeting. then its waiting for the rest of the plywood to be delivered and i need to weld the coping piece together to make it full length.

http://media8.dropshots.com/photos/631795/20090604/061142.jpg (http://www.dropshots.com/slothdog#date/2009-06-04/06:11:42)

you can see what i was talking about how thebackside is 4' in the air at the base because of the slope.

http://media6.dropshots.com/photos/631795/20090604/061158.jpg (http://www.dropshots.com/slothdog#date/2009-06-04/06:11:58)

overview of the entire ramp project:

http://media7.dropshots.com/photos/631795/20090604/061216.jpg (http://www.dropshots.com/slothdog#date/2009-06-04/06:12:16)

that looks so sick! i cant w8 to see it when its done!! How much did all the wood and stuff cost??

Won't you need another few foundation pillars for the platform?

hmm very interesting.

that looks so sick! i cant w8 to see it when its done!! How much did all the wood and stuff cost??

about $3500 worth of pressure treated wood and about $500 in concrete and forms for the foundation. and so far 9 full days of work.
Merging doublepost
Won't you need another few foundation pillars for the platform?

there are 16 piers spaced 8 feet apart. some are that are basically level with the ground and others as you can see in the pics that are fairly large.

today we finished all the transition framing and put the plywood down on the flats. when you see it fully framed, its sooooo mellow, it almost looks too mellow, but definitely going to fun and easy to learn new lip tricks. ill post pics of the fully framed ramp in the morning my phone is totally dead and its charging right now.

don't know what the rain situation is like but if you can afford it put metal on it instead of Skatlite

^^^ it gets too hot here for metal, you would fry like an egg if you fell on it!

day 9:

view of full framed (high side) transition taken from opposite side:

http://media7.dropshots.com/photos/631795/20090604/184540.jpg (http://www.dropshots.com/slothdog#date/2009-06-04/18:45:40)

closeup of high side transition framing:

youll notice the ghetto support under the middle transition, thats because an 8" form was used instead of a 10" one like all the others and it wasnt wide enough for the transition to sit on more than about 1/8" of it. that beam is just temporary, its going to be replaced with a cinder block column filled with concrete.

http://media6.dropshots.com/photos/631795/20090604/184527.jpg (http://www.dropshots.com/slothdog#date/2009-06-04/18:45:27)


view of transition from flats:

http://media8.dropshots.com/photos/631795/20090604/184511.jpg (http://www.dropshots.com/slothdog#date/2009-06-04/18:45:11)

overview of entire ramp project from left hillside road:

http://media7.dropshots.com/photos/631795/20090604/184441.jpg (http://www.dropshots.com/slothdog#date/2009-06-04/18:44:41)

man that looks so cool. keep the updates coming, its cool to see how its all coming along

I hadn't thought about the heat (not really and issue in New England). Are you putting more footings in for the Deck on the raised side or cantilevering it. Looks Good BTW keep up the photos please

I hadn't thought about the heat (not really and issue in New England). Are you putting more footings in for the Deck on the raised side or cantilevering it. Looks Good BTW keep up the photos please

the deck will be supported with pressure treated 4x4 post put in the ground with concrete.

oh my god, that will be so fun

day 10:

work in progress.. laying first layer of plywood.

http://www.bluemelon.com/photo/2657/118515.jpg

so rad! you should build me one haha. but honestly its sick

That's a sick ass project you've got going on there! I love it when I see a well built ramp going up; using 2x'6s instead of 2x4's is going to make it so rigid and nice. I was going to ask about the frost line when I saw you only went 6 inches deep for your foundation piers then I saw you lived in California; haha. Definitely keep us updated, I want to see the finished product.

you have a massive backyard

do you need to use that quad bike to get around

you have a massive backyard

do you need to use that quad bike to get around

yeah ive got almost 7 acres, most of it is steep hillside so its just easier to ride the quads around (which i got for a steal from a resort that went out of business) up and down the hills. ive walked up it countless times, it just wears you out so much... its about .1 miles to the ramp down the hill.

yeah ive got almost 7 acres, most of it is steep hillside so its just easier to ride the quads around (which i got for a steal from a resort that went out of business) up and down the hills. ive walked up it countless times, it just wears you out so much... its about .1 miles to the ramp down the hill.

woah i would rep you but

some progress from yesterday.. one side has its first layer of ply on it now. it takes a surprising amount of time to put down a sheet of plywood.. youve got to lay down the glue first, then line everything up, then measure out the screw locations, snap lines, then screw in the 45 screws for each sheet..

http://bluemelon.com/photo/2657/118801-T800600.jpg
http://bluemelon.com/photo/2657/118800-T800600.jpg

today its finish the otherside and put on the second layer. once that second layer goes on, its officially skateable (but without coping)! masonite and skatepaint are due in next week.

this ramp is going to last forever.

this ramp is going to last forever.

i hope so, ive got big plans to add bowl corners and a vert wall to it next year.

made progress today (no pics till morning). finished all the plywood, got both layers completely put on. finished framing the decks and am waiting for the concrete to setup on the foundations for the piers before i put in the permanent 4x4s for the deck.

the ramps skateable, more or less. theres no coping and no deck, but i dropped in once and did a couple kick turns just to get the feel for it. its a lost faster than it looked. the transition looks so mellow, but it really give you a lot of speed when you drop in. i cant wait for coping... my buddy is coming over tomorrow to weld the coping together (connecting a 21' piece to a 5' piece to make a 24' piece and do that twice once for each side). once thats done, ill install that and it will be pretty much good to go.

still waiting on masonite... i guess soft masonite isnt something that the lumber yard keeps in stock. its all special order.

Very nice. That ramps looks like it could last well like forever... Also looks like it took a lot of work to get where u are at and a whole bunch of money.

So what do you plan on doing about the mosquitoes once you start shredding that thing? Try to eradicate all the stagnate water?

Very nice. That ramps looks like it could last well like forever... Also looks like it took a lot of work to get where u are at and a whole bunch of money.


i got in WAY WAY WAY over my head on this project. i didnt intend to spend as much money as i did, it just kind of happened. everybody told me to get pressure treated wood so that pretty much doubled the cost. then the fact that it wasnt totally level to start with (which i thought it was) also cost a few hundred bucks extra for the concrete and fasteners for the foundations. at this point, im almost like **** it, ill just spend the money to get skatelite, ive already spent too much, why not just break the bank and go all out?! hahahahah im already over my head and way over budget.


So what do you plan on doing about the mosquitoes once you start shredding that thing? Try to eradicate all the stagnate water?

my friends who helped build the ramp have these little electronic things that you put these little pad things in and it makes some kind of smoke that keeps the mosquitos away for like 15' in all directions from it. i figured if i get about 4 of those and put them at each end of the ramp and put one on the ground on on each side of the ramp that it should keep the mosquitos away for long enough to session the ramp. they really are only bad in the morning and evening, in the middle of the day its too hot for them.

ok and now to the pictures...

the low side of the ramp and the deck being held with temporary supports.

http://bluemelon.com/photo/2657/119553-T800600.jpg

full view of the ramp with both layers of plywood installed. no coping yet.

http://bluemelon.com/photo/2657/119552-T800600.jpg

this is the high side, you can see that the deck thats 8 feet in the air.

http://bluemelon.com/photo/2657/119551-T800600.jpg

view from standing on the edge of the deck looking tword the high side.

http://bluemelon.com/photo/2657/119550-T800600.jpg

same spot, different view. you can see the unfinished deck on the high side.

http://bluemelon.com/photo/2657/119549-T800600.jpg

looking tword the low side from the flat bottom.

http://bluemelon.com/photo/2657/119548-T800600.jpg

i got in WAY WAY WAY over my head on this project. i didnt intend to spend as much money as i did, it just kind of happened. everybody told me to get pressure treated wood so that pretty much doubled the cost. then the fact that it wasnt totally level to start with (which i thought it was) also cost a few hundred bucks extra for the concrete and fasteners for the foundations. at this point, im almost like **** it, ill just spend the money to get skatelite, ive already spent too much, why not just break the bank and go all out?! hahahahah im already over my head and way over budget. That's how my projects always turn out, haha. I always end up severely overconstructing things and it costs me in the long run. Look at the outcome though, you are left with a extremely overbuilt, great quality product that you can't get elsewhere.

If you don't plan on adding Skate-Lite are you going to stain / paint the wood? Since it is pressure treated make sure you wait a bit:

Can pressure-treated wood be painted or stained? Definitely!

Stains first...
Many manufacturers carry full lines of both oil and latex products that can be used on pressure-treated wood. According to the folks at Cuprinol, you should wait at least one to two months before staining.

You may apply a clear preservative immediately, but it must be a product manufactured for use on fresh pressure-treated lumber. One such product is Wolman Oil-Base RainCoat Clear Water Repellant.

What about painting?
Don't even think about painting fresh pressure-treated wood! The moisture in it "stacks the deck" against good paint adhesion. Seal your project with a pressure-treated wood preservative immediately. Follow the preservative's instructions regarding future painting, making special note of the amount of time the preservative should weather before painting.

Applying a sealer can protect against CCA exposure...
According to the EPA, studies show that the application of a penetrating oil finish can reduce or eliminate exposure to CCA in older decks and to the chemicals used in newer decks. So it is recommended that all pressure-treated surfaces that have human contact be coated with an oil finish (or paint) as needed.

The Importance of a preservative:

Why does pressure-treated wood need to be coated with a preservative? If it's so dang tough, why bother?

Though the infused preservative prevents rot, it does not inhibit weathering...
The effects of the elements on pressure-treated wood are no different than with ordinary wood. So a preservative is a must, and should be applied as soon as possible after your project is completed.

Rapid drying causes warping, cracking and splintering...
Pressure-treated lumber is shipped to the lumberyard in stacks that are tightly bundled and damp... sometimes even wet. If you go and pick through a bin of pressure-treated lumber, you will see some pieces are straight, and others moderately to wildly warped. The warped pieces are invariably the pieces that were on the outside of the bundle... exposed to the sun and air and dried on one side. Once the bundle is broken they twist like Chubby Checker!

Once installed in your project and subjected to freely moving air and the sun, the same effect occurs. Shrinkage of deck boards can be excessive, in both length and width, and twisting can loosen railings and floor boards. Railings can become cracked and splintery, making them uncomfortable to use.

Applying a preservative slows drying, so less shrinkage occurs and the surface of the wood remains smoother longer. The preservative should be applied immediately upon completion of the project. Be sure that the preservative you purchase is recommended for use with pressure-treated wood. More about this in the next section...

That is so damn awesome. I so want to skate that!

If you don't plan on adding Skate-Lite are you going to stain / paint the wood?


im going to put 1 more layer of masonite on top of the pressure treated ply so its got a nice smooth surface. then i guess im going to paint it with this stuff:

http://www.skatepaint.com

it sounds like it will do the job of both sealing and protecting the ramp.

im going to put 1 more layer of masonite on top of the pressure treated ply so its got a nice smooth surface. then i guess im going to paint it with this stuff:

http://www.skatepaint.com

it sounds like it will do the job of both sealing and protecting the ramp. I figured you had it all planned out; you're on the ball! haha

Its cool to see the process of a mini going up, a nice mini too! Are you gonna leave room for upgrades and changes?

Maybe i should come by once its finish and check to make sure its safe before you skate it :)

Its cool to see the process of a mini going up, a nice mini too! Are you gonna leave room for upgrades and changes?

Maybe i should come by once its finish and check to make sure its safe before you skate it :)

yeah there is plenty of room for expansion. i have to make some improvements to the property around the ramp before i can expand it. if it expands ill have to make a new road since it will incroach into the road that circles the property (its my own road, nobody but me uses it, so its no big deal if its blocked, its not in use on a regular basis). and ill have to move the junk cars that are in the bushes behind the ramp.

were already talking about planning how to build bowl corners and a waterfall rolling up this little hill to another smaller ramp.. hahahaha but who knows whats really going to happen, im just excited to have something to do and not have to drive an hour to the closest patch of concrete to skate on (my yard is all dirt, no pavment in sight, it sucks for skating, thus the ramp had to be built!)

i really want to build bowl corners. i think having a big wood bowl would kick so much ass! the next thing i need to get is some chain to put across the ramp so nobody can skate it when im not home. its far enough away from my house that i wouldnt be able to hear somebody skating it if i was in doors at night.

if your over 18, live in northern california, and your willing to sign a waiver that you wont sue me if you fall off the high side of the ramp. id consider letting you come over and skate a sessoion or two with me sometime.

Hmmmm... that tall side looks rather precariously perched... looks like tons of fun though.

that's honestly so awesome. i know i already said that haha, but seriously. a bad ass miniramp in like the woods, that would be so ****ing fun to skate

updatE?

Slothy's too busy putting on the finishing touches to update us! Or even better he's busy skating it. I hope the coping came out good.

i want to see that skate paint stuff.

hes soooooooooo lucky

Good job on the mini ramp! It seems like you were able to solve each of the problems that you ran into during the construction process. I understand exactly what you mean when you say that the price got so high that you just wanted to go all out. I often get that mindset, sometimes its for the better and sometimes I realize I just went overboard. But in your case it seems that you really pulled it off even if it was over your budget. Have fun with your mini ramp.

updatE?

sorry, ive been out of town for work for a week. one of my business partners is being featured in this documentry about up and coming artist and activist so we were in southern california for a week walking around with his film crew doing film stuff. after this experience, i dont ever want to be in a movie. its such a tedious process, even though its a documentry and theres no real script or anything, the damn producers are always telling you to do this or do that or talk to this guy or talk to that guy.. so annoying!

anyway, back to the saga of the ramp...

supposedly the masonite came in on friday of last week. i just got home about an hour ago so im about to call the lumber yard and verify that it has indeed arrived. if it has, then tomorrow well start putting it down. what a tedious process thats going to be, since every screw has to be predrilled and countersunk! its going to take forever to lay 30 sheets...

oh and i put the coping on before i left last weekend and skated it for a few minutes... its going to be so much fun once its smoother!
Merging doublepost
i got the masonite today. it was delivered this morning. 30 sheets to go..

ya keep submitting pics, its awesome to see the process!!

updates:

working on the finishing touches. putting down the 1/4" masonite top layer.

http://www.skaterscafe.com/picture.php?albumid=206&pictureid=961

http://www.skaterscafe.com/picture.php?albumid=206&pictureid=960

http://www.skaterscafe.com/picture.php?albumid=206&pictureid=959

all the masonite is down and tacked in place. there still needs to ge a few hundred screws put in to completely secure it permanently. we went out and skated it for a bit last night.. oh man, its so fast and its so much fun. i need to order some skatepaint this weekend.

however, the ramp did claim its first casualty last night, i eat some serious p00p when my wheels slid out right as i went for a grind and it hucked me to the bottom of the ramp. i landed on both my elbows (no pads) and totally dinged both funny bones at the same time.. it did not feel good!

but i lived, and i cant wait to finish all the stupid crap i have to do today so i can go skate!

well done man, im posting a build thread soon too once i finish a ledge im making with angle iron and all that

I welded a slider bar out of Black Iron pipe from Home Depot and rebar'd a parking curb in my driveway but that's the extent of my personal skatepark, that ramp looks fun

Damn, it looks soooooo fun slothdog. Must feel good to see a dream realized through hard work.

Now get those screws in and get to work on that bowl corner! Kidding.

Damn, it looks soooooo fun slothdog. Must feel good to see a dream realized through hard work.

Now get those screws in and get to work on that bowl corner! Kidding.

bowl corners are coming next summer.. dont worry!

Updates? I'm guessing it's pretty much done? You should make a video of you skating it. I wanna skate that sooooo bad haha.

Updates? I'm guessing it's pretty much done? You should make a video of you skating it. I wanna skate that sooooo bad haha.

i dont have a video camera (yet), but when i get one (very soon) ill make some vids of people skating it (probably not of me though, im not that great and it wouldnt be much fun to watch).

Thats awesome, Im glad the first phase of the project is almost done.

I noticed you live in norcal, are houses/property expensive? If you dont mind, what is your job?

Damn, with that last layer of wood on top it looks sooooooooo smooth, like really mellow!
I think you can be proud of yourself man, great work!

Thats awesome, Im glad the first phase of the project is almost done.

I noticed you live in norcal, are houses/property expensive? If you dont mind, what is your job?

houses WERE expensive, but when the market crashed it crashed hard around here, property values fell 30% or more. so what used to cost $500,000 now cost about $300,000 (which is totally reasonable, compared to $500,000).

what do i do for a living? advertising. online advertising to be specific. its been very good to me. a lot of hard work, i dont have much of a social life, but i love money and skateboarding, and this job gets me both, so i cant complain too much.

post a video of you riding it =] it looks insanely fun =]

probably more fun for you because you made it =]

I wish i could ride it haha =] :icon_woow

This might motivate ya so I figured Id share. My friend from a wakeboarding forum who I have skated at his place a couple of times and owns a wakeboard/skate shop in Chatam County NC built this for shreddage:


http://endofropegang.com/phpnuke/modules/coppermine/albums/userpics/10002/normal_20031010173918_006_3_0001.jpg









He then added bowl corners:
http://endofropegang.com/phpnuke/modules/coppermine/albums/userpics/10002/normal_Bowl%20_%20Hip.jpg

































And now he has this:
http://endofropegang.com/cpgnuke/modules/coppermine/album/userpics/showdown_night.jpg







http://endofropegang.com/cpgnuke/modules/coppermine/album/userpics/overview.jpg















Dream big man!!!

^^^^ now THAT WOULD BE AWESOME!!!@#!@$@#%@T#

He never planned for it to be that big. He was just like you though because he weent out there and made what he want happenHes EVEN GOT Toy Machine and I believe REAL to demo out there.




Anyways I wish you the best of luck. I really regret making my halfpipe 8' wide :/

if you don't mind, how old are you, slothdog?

It looks lots of fun! Trust me, you will break tons of boards miniramp skating at first due to the stress you put on your board when doing certain stalls (that's what I've heard, anyway). Good luck.

if you don't mind, how old are you, slothdog?

i am 31 years old.

update:

just got back from the sierra nevada world music festival. sly and robby and michale rose killed it... anyway, the ramp is ALMOST done now. all the screws are in, every screw hole has been covered with wood putty so the ramp is perfectly smooth. im waiting to get the skatepaint delivered this week so i can put the final sealant coat on the wood.

sweeeet

that mini ramp and bowl are insane

update:

so today my roommate and i applied the skate paint. skate paint it turns out is a clear polyurethane thats been specially formulated for skating (their website sucks for any info about the stuff, i was totally flying blind when i bought it), its made by some specialist chemical company and the website i bought it from just slapped their stickers all over the bucket trying to claim like they make it themselves.. haha.. so anyway, its this clear thick liquid and you roll it on like paint onto the wood surface. it took about 2 hours to paint the whole thing with a nice thick even coating. it looks like theres a few drips at the top of the transitions, but we did the best we could to smooth them all out before it got to tacky to work with.. it was fairly hot this afternoon when we were applying it so it was drying pretty fast. it says that it takes up to 24 hours to cure, but its supposed to be 91 tomorrow and the ramp gets full sun for the first half the day, so im thinking it should be ready to skate by noonish tomorrow.

sick!

skate paint update:

ok i am totally bummed out on skate paint. there are lumps and clumps all over the ramp. when we finished rolling it on, we went back over it 3 or 4 times without any more paint to make sure we had rolled out all the drips and clumps. it looked fine when we left, but when i went down there this morning, it had re-dripped and clumped in several places along the transitions and in other places it looks like it didnt stick to the surface (the wood is a different color than the rest of the wood). oh and its really shinny so it creates this horrible glare when the sun is shining on it... err, im kind of pissed, we followed the half-ass directions they provided exactly as they were written and i had even emailed the company a few times to make sure as how to apply it so that it wouldnt clump. they said just roll it on... and thats what we did and it dripped and clumped anyway.. err... so i guess what im going to do now is to sand it all down and try and buff out the clumps and then go get a power sprayer and spray down the skate paint instead of rolling it on (but go back over it with a clean roller to give it some texture so its not totally smooth and slippery). still havent skated it though with the paint on it, it says to give it up to 24 hours to cure, so i gotta wait till around 5pm today before i can go give it a spin..

you shoud post some pics of it with the skate-paint

i am so pissed off right about now.. skate paint ruined my ramp. its slicker than masonite covered in oil! i am about to go balistic!

Give it a once-over with a power sander, it will add texture. Get some softer wheels on your set up. Then you'll get used to the slickness.

Mike Mo's home skatepark Skatelab has a floor which is practically ice, but all the locals who ride there are used to it and don't slip out.

sand it down and maybe try adding some clean white sand to it. that should make it grippier.

im going to have to sand the whole thing and maybe even remove the masonite layer all together and start fresh with a new top layer. seriously this product is crap, its no wonder they only put 2 sentences worth of info about it on their website, they dont want you to know how bad it is.

Rather than replacing all the masonite, could you just take it off and flip it over?

^^^^you my son, are a genius!...yeah just flip it over man, this reay does suck, your project was lokkin so promising....i bet your gutted,serious tho white sand, make's it grippy, or sand it....hope you figure it out

i spent the day in 100 degree heat, sick as a dog sanding the ramp down yesterday to remove that crap. it was a huge pain in the ass. i think i got most of it, or at least now i have a relatively smooth, semi-textured surface that isnt slick as oil and is skateable. i am seriously pissed off still, that product is totally bunk, the company who sells it are con-artist and frauds and should be put in jail.

update:

sanding did not work. it just made it worse. so now i think what im going to do is just spend the money for skatelite.

update #2:

ok, after many consultations with a few different people, weve all pretty much come to the conclusion that im just going to have to buy some new masonite. which i guess is ok, its a lot cheaper than skatelite and it really want that hard to put it on, it just takes awhile..

Great halfpipe

Unlucky with the skatepaint man, I've heard so many bad opinion's on it :(

ok, ive figured out what im going to do. i found this stuff called 'skaters blend' its kind of like skatelite execpt its made from recycled plastic instead of pulp and resin so its a lot cheaper, about 1/4 the cost of skatelite (if you dont know, skatelite is $178 for a single 4' x 8' sheet, the cost to do my ramp in skatelite is about $6000). people on rampplans.org seem to dig the skaters blend as a good surface that will last a long time. so im waiting to get a quote back from the skaters blend makers and see what 30 sheets is going to cost.

You wasted $6000 on skatelite? Damn that must suck...
Won't skatelite give you some money back for it not working or something alike?

You wasted $6000 on skatelite? Damn that must suck...
Won't skatelite give you some money back for it not working or something alike?

nooo man, he bought some skatepaint, and it turned out to be ****.
Hes saying that skatelite is good but will cost to much.

You wasted $6000 on skatelite? Damn that must suck...
Won't skatelite give you some money back for it not working or something alike?
http://cdn.overstock.com/images/products/L11048286.jpg

Sucks about the paint. What you NEED to do is put a tent like thing over it. There was one video of these guys who built a ramp with a tent a flood lights in it. I cant find the video but something like this: http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2132/2413654387_c7084a9f2c.jpg?v=0

Update:

I got a quote back about the Polyboard, man the price of oil has made plastics really expensive. The price has double since last year (that was the last quote I found that somebody had posted) to just over $80 a sheet (4' x 8'). While thats still a little more than 1/2 the cost of Skatelite is still kind of pricey, especially when you need 30 sheets of it. Im still waiting to get a quote back on the Skaters Blend in 3/8" thickness.

the tent i dea is good....because if it rains you will be dry, and the heat will be somewhat diminished by the shade provided by the tent.

very nice

sick man email me updates please obama_2008@live.ca

update:

been sick and havent been working on fixing the issue with the skatepaint.. but im finally feeling better so im back to work on this project to make it skateable again.

here is the quote i got back on the skaters blend:

Renew Resources are pleased to quote you for: 30 Sheets of SkaterBlend 4 x 8 x 3/8" in Gray @ US $ 89.60 per sheet delivered

so its about 1/2 the price of skatelite (about $2700 for 30 sheets of skaterblend, about $6000 for 30 sheets of skatelite). i think for now im just going to replace the ruined masonite with new masonite and start putting some money aside for skaters blend next spring when i have to replace the masonite from the winters snow and rain.

does the skatepaint go on really flat? i am thinking about putting a layer on top of my grind box to help with boardslides, right now its super dry and sticks the wheels and holds me up

edit: i read ur other post about the clumps... now on mine itd be totally flat so no transition...

do u have any left i could maybe buy off u? where did u get yours from?

http://www.micahweber.com/box/0618091943.jpg

What happened to just flipping the masonite over, slothy?

fuzzy side not very fun to skate

Ah, I see.

Ah, I see.

yeah the bottom is like a micro gird, kind of like a giant waffle, only the surup pockets are really small. it would eat you alive if you fell on it, it would i imagine feel a bit like sliding on sand paper.. haha not fun!

but im halfway done resurfacing it. its been really hot so i havent been working on it.

Done re-surfacing yet ? Can't wait to see the end result of your hard work, and beating to the bank !

hey guys . . I'm about at the same progress on my ramp . . . my entire skeleton is done, ramp, deck, coping, . . . im just looking to surface it . . its 4ft x 12 ft x 26ft

Now i've got the massonite board also . . . and i was planning on using "valspar urethane" as a weather proofer as recommended by other good sources . . . just an idea . .

I'll let you know if it works for me . . im interested what will work for you . . .


cheers . . gl on your ramp

Good pics . . I bought a slab of plywood today to do flat stuff on in winter .

progress?


I just relayered my mini a week ago and Ive learned so mayn tricks :)

update:

so a few months have passed and weve had a blast saking the ramp, its soooo much fun. we went with a new layer of masonite over the crappy skatepaint layer of masonite. it worked out just fine like that.

well last week we had the storm of the year.. seriously, it was some kind of monsoon from asia that made its way over here. anyway, it dumped 6" of rain and had 60 mph winds.. we put a huge tarp over the ramp (roofing plastic) but it was no match for the wind and the rain. the ramp got soaked and the masonite rippled like the ocean. so ive spent the last 2 days removing the top 2 layers of masonite (60 sheets total x 50 screws per sheet..) and getting it down to the original sub-surface 1/2" marine plywood.

i had mentioned before about wanting to get some kind of permanent weather proof surface for the ramp, and thats still my goal. ive decided to go with ramp armour deluxe instead of skatelite or skaters blend. why? mainly becauase of the price, its about $40 a sheet cheaper than skatelite and i had a hell of a time getting a hold of the skaters blend people, so i dont think they are reliable enough to justify spending the big money it would cost to get 30 sheets.

so once im done taking off the 2 masonite layers, then its time to order the ramp armour. however, i am kind of worried if the sub-surface is strong enough to support it, it says that it weights 60 lbs per sheet, thats 1800 pounds of material on the ramp (im pretty sure it can take it, its built with 2x6s)...

anyway, i cant wait to be able to skate it again, im bored to death with out it..

Keep up with the updates, I have been watching this for a long time.

We need video of it skated!!!!!

Keep up with the updates, I have been watching this for a long time.

We need video of it skated!!!!!

i know! i know! my buddys got my camera and i keep forgetting to grab it when i go over there! but i promise as soon as the weather gets nice again ill get some footage! i suck, but ive got some friends who just kill it.. im talking kick flip 50-50s and ****, its soo cool to watch them skate it!

i know! i know! my buddys got my camera and i keep forgetting to grab it when i go over there! but i promise as soon as the weather gets nice again ill get some footage! i suck, but ive got some friends who just kill it.. im talking kick flip 50-50s and ****, its soo cool to watch them skate it!

I suck too! Getting back after it after 20 years! I found alot of inspiration from your ramp, gotta build me one this summer. You know once you get time in consitantly you progress so much faster. And your ramp definatly will help with that.

You must of spent loads more then you planed

looks sick :)

hi all.. update time again..

havent been skating much lately. the ramp is still in good condition, stripped to the base layer of wood still. its been raining and snowing off and on for the last few months so ive pretty much done nothing with the ramp.

glad that its in good shape ^.^

its pretty cool looking at this thread seeing when you started it and when you finished.

Good job.