material for kicker surface

Greg Smith · Posted: Aug 25, 2005 5:34 pm Post subject: material for kicker surface

what is a good material to use for a kicker surface. i need something to put over the plywood i have. i have looked into both plexiglass and lexan and they are both on the expensive side. what do skateboarders use for their ramps? any help would be appreciated.

luman00 · Newbie Joined: 24 Aug 2005 Posts: 5

[b][color=black][/color][size=18][/size] DUED im in the final stages of building my own kicker its 4 feet high 10 feet long .. at homedepo there these sheets of fermica i think the call it ...a sheet of 4x10 which fits my ramp sweet ...is 40 bucks n totally worth it ...[/b]

madtekniques · Outlaw Joined: 23 Jun 2005 Posts: 156 City: Toronto

Can't give you a suggestion but I can say that for most skate ramps, 1/2 pipes, ... they use a very thin, smooth, single ply, high grade sheet of plywood.

QNev · Posted: Aug 26, 2005 11:21 pm Post subject:

PVC Sheeting maybe..?

Greg Smith · Posted: Aug 31, 2005 8:32 pm Post subject:

okay here's what i've learned after a bit of research. plexiglass obviously comes in 4' X 8' sections. you can also get custom sizes if you ask certain places. seeing as how plexiglass is too expensive and tends to scratch and crack, bathboard is probably the cheapest way to go. ive heard of whiteboard being used too but i hear that is doesnt last too long. lexan is probably the best thing you can use. its used on the inside of windshields, it wont scratch and you can screw and many screws through it as you want..... but its even more expensive than plexiglass so right now i think bathboard is the way to go.

super4011 · Posted: Sep 01, 2005 9:36 am Post subject:

do they hurt the board, i mean, do they scrath them

Greg Smith · Posted: Sep 01, 2005 10:40 am Post subject:

im not sure if plexiglass or bathboard scrath the board. i imagine they'll leave a few small scrathes. nothing to worry too much about. i used to have a bunch of black pvc pipes on the kicker that left big black marks on the bottom of the board that were so hard to get out.... so i took them off.

Cheb75 · Outlaw Joined: 16 Jan 2003 Posts: 154 City: Dallas

PVC sheeting

Greg Smith · Posted: Sep 06, 2005 9:14 am Post subject:

I'm guessing you get PVC sheeting at Home Depot? How much does it typically cost? Does it come in 4 X 8 foot sections? or....?

Lanky · Criminal Joined: 10 Mar 2004 Posts: 73 City: Hudson

How do you keep the seems where the two pvc sheets meet smooth? DO you just screw them down really good or is there some other way?

Greg Smith · Posted: Sep 09, 2005 9:38 am Post subject:

I think you use Apoxy. It's like a glue I think. I could be wrong.

Maestro · Posted: Oct 12, 2005 11:21 pm Post subject:

Use PVC sheeting. I think it costs about $100 for a 4x8 (depends on the thickness), but it's definitely worth it. It'll last forever and will give you a sweet surface to ride off of.

As far as the seams between the sheets - there's no need to seal them. You fasten down each sheet so they line up flush, and if you want you can sand the edges down just in case they don't sit at the same level. With the rocker of the nose of the board though it really doesn't matter if you have a little bump - it's not going to stop you.

arof · Posted: Oct 17, 2005 10:56 am Post subject:

Maestro, how tall is that kicker?

Maestro · Posted: Oct 17, 2005 11:12 am Post subject:

arof - I think it's somewhere around 3.5 feet...

Beaver · Posted: Oct 27, 2005 5:29 pm Post subject:

Maestro, wow thats it, that thing must boot you.