A Peterborough Man Uses Unique Homeboni For His Backyard Rink
/When it comes to backyard rinks, everyone has their own DIY way of building and keeping that ice nice and smooth during Canadian winters.
Peterborough’s Sion Hughes has been making homemade backyard rinks for eight years now for his family to enjoy. “I just buy the liner each year, and I do my best to repurpose the liner to minimize waste,” he tells PTBOCanada. “My backyard is sloped, so I build it up with a platform made of steel and pallets to reduce the amount of water needed and ease the pressure on the boards.”
Sion Hughes working his Homeboni in his Peterborough backyard rink
Family fun on Hughes rink of dreams
To keep that ice bump-free, there are all kinds of homemade Zamboni-type designs and contraptions rink builders MacGyver. In Sion’s case, he rigs up what he calls a “Homeboni”—which almost resembles a giant Swiffer on ice or something.
Photo of Sion’s Homeboni
Sion says the Homeboni is a hose attachment, welded to copper pipe, which has a series of small holes. It is then strapped to a squeegee which he wraps with a towel.
”Full disclosure, this is not my invention,” Sion tells PTBOCanada. “A family friend actually found it in a garbage in Toronto a couple years ago and saved it for me. It works wonders.”
Photo of Sion’s Homeboni
Photo of Sion’s Homeboni
