Drainage Luge

Have you ever seen those cement drainage pipes down hillsides? I see them wherever I go. On the drive through Silicon Valley I see them along Highway 87, 101, and even 280. All the way up 101 I see them in Santa Barbara, Los Angeles, etc. And, they're throughout the east coast as well.

They're meant to help water flow down hillsides without eroding the land. The good news is that in order to keep water flowing well, these pipes have flowing, organic lines, rather than hard turns and such. To me, they've always looked like a roller coaster ride.

So we decided to turn the drainage pipes into a ride, a sport if you will: DRAINAGE LUGE.

Outfit a large skateboard/buttboard/street luge like board, get to the top of the hill, and time yourself from point A to point B. Pretty simple. The one who gets down the fastest wins. To top it all off, these things are fast and fun!

Step 1: Get the parts

In order to build a board, you have to know a bit about the drainage pipes. The key facts are the following:
Top Width: 33 inches
Height: 20 inches deep

I quickly figured out that normal trucks, even street luge trucks, just wouldn't be large enough. The largest skateboard trucks I could find were 15 inches wide: nowhere near the 30 inches width that I was shooting for.

We ended up going to a store and picking up two crummy skateboards for $8 a piece and taking them apart. The boards and bolts we ditched (got other projects in mind for those), but kept the trucks.

Parts List

• Four skateboard trucks with bearings and wheels
• 16 - 2 inch 10/24 bolts, washers and lock nuts
• 3/4 inch plywood, 28 inches wide x 36 to 48 inches long (depending on how long you want the board)
• Wood glue
• Four C clamps (Size? as long as they open up enough for 2 inches)
• 3/4 inch plywood strips, 28 inches wide, 4 inches long
• Sandpaper or electric sander
• Drill (bits: 10/24 and1/2 inch)
• Two pieces of rope, roughly 8 inches each, thickness of 1/2 inch.

And for when you're riding:

• Gloves
• Helmet
• Boots or sturdy shoes (for stopping)

Comments

[slaveboy2000]

that is coo. Were are you ? were i live there aren't any.

[AronC0816]

It would be awesome if you could somehow use a mechanical disc brake from a bicycle as a brake for one of the newer designs.

I'm not entirely sure where or how you would mount it, but that would give you plenty of braking power and you could just mount the brake handle on a cut section of bicycle handlebar.

If we had these ditches in my area I would be all over building a speed machine to run in them.

Looks so fun!

[ride on toy dude]

Seems like you are putting a lot of weight on those outer wheels on the trucks. If those break off...... But heck why should I be telling you about safety when I have done some even more dangerous (and unspeakable) things in my 14 years of existence. Maybe try mounting the trucks on hinges to get all 8 wheels onto the sides of the drain. Maybe add some creature comforts like a seat and a handle bar to hold onto. An old pillow stapled onto the wood would work perfect to smooth out the bumps.

[RC Guy]

Hey i wanted to suggest that if u loaded spring loaded ball joints and an optional drainage pipe shaped backfin the you could go faster and the fin can come in use to harness the power of the downflowing water to give u some additional thrust, but only if you are going slower than the downflowing water if u arent the u could atleast use it as an emergency brakes right?

[35Timmy]

hey how do you not go into the pipes because that's why i think it's dangerous because of the dangerous currents in the sewers and plus it is illegel to be in a sewer unles it's to mantaine,fix or clean the sewer's besides that it's fulll of germs,viruses,it's dirty and gross unless it was like from the 30's or 40's or before that

[he who crashes often]

1) these drainage gutters are for rain, not sewage, and two, (as i assume you are talking about what to do when the gutter stops and enters a sewer) there is a new thing called stopping that should work great.

[bertus52x11]

If I had a drainage pipe in my neighbourhood, I would definitely make this!
Very nice!

[Kelticpaddler]

Mate, I love your sense of adventure. Good 'Ible. :O)

I wish we had similar drainage ditches where I live.

[mashedpotato13]

Watch out for the occasional dirt and piles of leaves.

[zippydaspinhead]

Would be deciently easy to either mount plain wood dowels or to carve alternate handles. Would be even cooler if you could rig up a foot rest steering system like on real luges, but that could be slightly difficult. Sweet idea.

[alex315ca]

Real luges are lean steer.

[freakyqwerty]

Why would you need steering since you're going down a drainage thing?

[Mr. Potato Head]

Now that doesn't look dangerous at all, does it???

[mcaliber.50]

i wish i had drainage things like that where i live

[soccer2291]

Careful using gloves, around machinery, it can be very dangerous. The gloves can get caught in the moving parts pulling you in.

[snowluck2345]

true, generaly you shouldn't is what i've been taught, a splinter isn't that bad and i rearley get them, i wear gloves when using some tools, like grinders and when welding, but thats about it. Its much to easy to get the glove stuck on the equipment, like drill bits which can realy destroy your finger.

[mossimo3]

There are some times when you should, even when drilling. I had been drilling a steel plate and wasn't wearing gloves; the bit got locked in the steel and caused the plate to swing around and put a deep cut in my hand, which would have easily been prevented had I worn gloves. I would say gloves are based on the situation rather than the tool you are using- it's best to weigh which consequence is worse.

[snowluck2345]

I would agree, but when drilling steel i was always taught to clamp it down.

[SIRJAMES09]

I can see where this would be a blast of fun & maybe a head rush as well, but dude, you have WAAAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYY too much time on your hands. LOL

[LancasterPA]

Looks like real stupid dangerous FUN. Who do you sue when you break something or kill yourself? No brakes?

[fairypenguin22]

 It looks to me like the trucks could break after a while, as they aren't really in line with the angle of the pipe. You could try to angle the trucks so that both wheels of each truck ride on the pipe.

[lukeyj15]

 brakes are always nice

[emdarcher]

when I saw those kinds of luges near my city I always wanted to do this but there's always too many tubes that block parts. And my parents would probably never let me do this. :-(

[rick.leasure]

I've often thought the very same thing each time I've seen the drainage ditches. The other idea was the "tunnels": storm drains that run under the city. Perhaps an electric luge for riding thru them?

[octopuscabbage]

there's one near me thats constantly filled with low water. I've always wanted to try the "pumkpinseed kayak" (look it up here on Instructables) through there. but yeah id put headlights on if I were to try such a feat.

[Derin]

And some headlights!

[possum888]

Lucky, in New Zealand our gutters are only the size of a milk carton. Maybe I could make one of these for a mouse!

[astro boy]

you should post a video like on the cart going down hill to see what it could be like

[Lithium Rain]

Wow! I wish we had drainage ditches like that in my area!

[Derin]

E70 and E75 have them,I am sure E90 has them too

[KilroyWH]

uhu, but where do you know an part where it is steep enough to get speed???

[Lithium Rain]

Lol, are those highways? I don't live in CA, we have plan ol' dirt ditches where I live. No good for this, unforunately. :(

[KJ4ZVQ]

all terian trucks or casters could work for you! :)

[JACKBARRY]

if you yoused castors it wouldnt work the trucks jeep the whole thing level

[mg0930mg]

Same here.*sigh

[Derin]

european highways:)

[Derin]

there are also D highways that u dont pay for(aka blue highway) the E ones you have to pay for(aka green highway) D highways are worse than E highways

[KilroyWH]

Look pretty cool, but is the mounting from the trucks to the board strong enough to hold that kind of pressure??? I think that if you jump to hard on it, or weight too much, the mounting will come off...

[raimen]

Any Ideas for brakes? xD cudo's to you for wearing a helmet :D

[toogers]

no kudos to you for misspelling kudos. sorry.

[raimen]

oh, stfu xD

[luvit]

kid tested, mother approved. i was a crash test dummy like you!

[trd788]

Um that looks dangerous !!

[xerxesx20]

That's part of the rush you get from doing it! 8-) I'd do it if there was anything like that round here!

[italia.hill77]

there's no dranage ditches in maine or in new england from what i've seen. it's no fair! california's got everything, don't they? :( cool instrucable though:)

[pie popper]

i want a drainage ditch! me will vote!

[chevonne]

Years ago in the early 70's when I was a kid we found something similar not too far away from our neighborhood during our summer vacation. A small stream dumped out at the top of it, and water ran continuously down it. Algae grew in the middle of it, and we slid downhill on our butts. Needless to say, we wore holes in the seat of our pants, some of us clean through our underpants to bare skin. The water smelled pretty bad, but we had a blast. We returned the next day and did it again. Upon returning home, my mother demanded to know what I was up to, coming home all smelly with my clothes ruined again. I excitedly told her what we had been doing and where our 'waterslide' was located. She burst into laughter, and when she could speak again, told me we had been sliding down in sh*t water! That was back before the local health department built a sewage treatment plant, the neighborhood's waste water emptied into that creek! To this day, I don't know how we never got sick from that.

[raimen]

lmao :D

[Gamer917]

lol

[bowmaster]

Do what I did and add a "cow-catcher" like devise to clear leaves.

[CoasterKid98]

i going to put a rope on my car's back so i can pull myself back up the hill.

[cody316]

that would be fun to try in the hills of san francisco!

[qwerty29]

me too

[I_am_Canadian]

Any idea of the actual MPH/KPH? Great instructable!

[tristan993]

i am canadian too!!!

[dianep]

I used to see the pipes when I went on fam vacations as a kid, and dreamed about doing exactly this! You rock!

[skidude28]

All my drainage pipes are on flat ground :(

[planeglory]

if you guys like that then,on a hill on a real stormy day, go booby boarding down! Of course make sure that It is private so u don't get runover.

[~INVENTOR~]

to bad i don't have any drainage ditches close by where i live!!!! =(

[shadowninja31]

CONGRATS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[jeff-o]

Pretty neat! The only thing I'd add is more reliable (and potentially less painful) brakes.

[stinkymum]

A worthy winner, this seems a truly original sport. Congratulations

[=SMART=]

dude this is awesome !!, congrats on the contest !

[Rye2121]

dude this is gross. what if u fell off and landed into the water and there was like a used diaper or something like that. This could be cooler if the pipes were everywhere! The pipes are only around the highways and big cities. Now seriously, who wants to be having fun diong this and then being stolen by some creep that sees you and grabs you and puts you into his car. Good idea, just think ahead next time!

[Mock26]

The "danger" of dirty diapers and used condoms adds to the thrill of the game!

[DELETED_craz meanman]

(removed by author or community request)

[lukeyj15]

you're going too fast to be stolen by some creep

[Derin]

fyi,it is illegal to stop on the highway unless there is a problem.

[mark429]

FYI, it is illegal to steal people ;D

[underroutine]

hey its you again well your right in a sense and wrong also if you live in the hills these pipes go through the the ground out so there are ends that don't go into the water and end at land so you wont land in water and as for the creep that grabs you if your small then do it with a group but if you can, you can stick the creep under his own dashboard

[musicalbee2003]

Kind of a "Debbie-Downer," I think. Getting "grabbed" while luging is no more likely than if you were biking/walking/rollerblading/etc.

[Lithium Rain]

I agree.

[Spint]

Whose going to grab you when your flying down a drainage pipe at high speeds. Anyway just use the buddy system.

[Flumpkins]

This looks awesome!

[Flumpkins]

5/5 + fav

[Flumpkins]

+ Invent a sport vote

[Derin]

i want to remind you that these drains pour into the highway,it does on E70 at least

[pbshoe]

None of the ones I've seen pour into the highways, but as I state in my instructions, SCOUT the drain prior to running it! :)

[Derin]

oh wait,they did not,i checked:)

[Plasmana]

This is so cool!! I want to do that but, they are no pipes around my area... :(
5 star rating and 1+ vote!

[Gort]

I was wondering if it self centers itself as you go down or do you use body english to keep it on center?

[pbshoe]

Well, you got me there. Yes, you have to use your body to keep it centered, but I've thought of ways of making it self centering.

[ComfortableShoes]

have you seen the cheap disc brakes on gopeds? Those tires and brakes would kick butt on this thing, you could get going at high speed and STOP. The front tires on them are on a dead axle so you could use something like heavy all thread to mount them.... Put one on front and one on back... Wish we had these around where I grew up... WE had plenty of hills though...

[pbshoe]

That's a great idea! Using the wheels from the gopeds/scooters could totally change the game! I'll give it a shot.

[Fizzxwizz]

The drains I have here in AZ are REALLY rough, I don't think this would work well also because it changes size and isn't very downhill.

[spartan094]

You should add this to the invent a sport competition.

[pbshoe]

Yes, I already have!

[Horny Toad]

Awesome instructable! How long did it take you to make the board? What was your top speed flying down that hill?!

[pbshoe]

It took us about two hours to make the board. It was seriously simple. Top speed? With the skateboard wheels we only got going around 10-15mph, but once we finish the new board (larger, go-kart/lawn mower wheels), we'll be getting serious speed. Plus, adding a brake for safety concerns! :) I'm hoping that others will contribute additional designs to this new sport. Then we can get a real race going!!! :)

[Rishnai]

How do you plan on braking it? The alpine slides around here are pretty torn up from steel brakes rubbing against them, and while that is okay for an alpine slide, putting big scrapes all over the city's drainages might be a little unpopular. I personally would use chunks of large-diameter PVC pipe (since the large radius means sections will be nearly flat, having maximum contact patch), which will be forced down against the pavement using a lever system. I've used a very similar method to brake my downhill kart for years. It can stop a person on a kart going 30mph in about the same distance as car could stop.

[stimps]

Yeah, the alpine slides that popped up all over BC in the 70s were all shut down by the mid-to-late seventies because they hadn't really thought of how different a child or an adult were in terms of shooting them down the side of a mountain. A plethora of a) massive injuries b) massive lawsuits sprung up, and alas, no one has thought to try it again. I'd suggest if you really want to get interested in it, find out some deep knowledge about it from years past.

[Rishnai]

We've got a few commercial alpine slides in the foothills around here, and you can get going at a pretty good rip. What they've done, though, is banked the turns a lot, so it's really tough to spill it. I did it once (they wondered why I was going up the lift with a motorcycle helmet...) and it took huge effort, and what tossed me was hitting an expansion joint and flipping forward/sideways. Hurt, but then I knew just how far I could push it before bad things happened.

[stimps]

Aha! That makes sense. I wish they'd have done something like that around here instead of shut them down.

[pbshoe]

re: no one has thought to try it again.

I guess that isn't true, as others on this list have pointed out. There are a bunch of these, including Mt. Hood, Big Bear, and Park City.

But I should point out that rather than running down in the pipe, these ride near the top, which is necessary for this type of pipe, so there's not a lot to leverage from those other types of slides, unfortunately.

[stimps]

It actually is true, in at least 2 provinces that I know of. It's just not true where you are. =)

[pbshoe]

Hmm. not sure what you mean. I don't live anywhere near a place that has these alpine slides, just pointed out that they abound; just do a simple google search.

[mrmath]

I'd use a breaking system that applied friction directly to a set of wheels. For example, lever against both back wheels at the same time. Friction there won't cause damage to the drainage ditch, and it won't leave PVC filings behind.

[Rishnai]

Good idea, but when pointing it downhill, the caliper brakes from a bicycle won't hold a mountainboard in place. Not enough leverage, since the wheels are too small. I can see the allure in not leaving a sreak of white all down the road or ditch anymore. I'll have to look into braking systems.

[mrmath]

No, I meant something like a length of copper pipe used as a lever against one of the wheels.

[Rishnai]

Might work. I'm still worried about the clamping force, but it sounds reasonable enough to build a simple prototype of.

[soapbox derby car]

I once made a very successful braking system for a skateboard type wheel in about five minutes. I put a hook behind the wheel with a rubber band to a wedge that I could pull in between the wheel and the board with a string (which I ran with more hooks to my hand and I could stop the thing pretty quick... but I made sure that I pulled in a manner so that the wheel was trying to push the wedge away, not pull it in to prevent wheel lockups. it would probably be fairly easy to implement in your case, it stopped me from 15 mph routinely- just replace the band every so often.

[Noodle93]

Awesome! If these were in my area (Australia) I'd totally try it. However, if I had acreage I'd make my own course :D

[madhops0620]

cool idea, but I don't think i've ever seen one a drainage pipe thats open like this one, and I know there arent any around where i live

[pbshoe]

Keep a lookout for them. I tell you, once I saw them, I started seeing them everywhere!

[hornbadoing]

Looks fun but we don't have them in the US.

[zawmintu]

this was in silicon valley! that is in the US XD

[madhops0620]

hahaha

[sageserver]

Cool. really cool. but i suggest adding brake. even though you have your arms and legs as brakes.

[madhops0620]

i was thinking the same thing, you could get going really fast on one of those going down a hill

[Esmagamus]

*scrapes arm bones on the ditch*

[merseyless]

well you can feel free to use your hands whenever you like.

[the_burrito_master]

hey I did that but with a skate board! it had a flat bottom so the skate board could role around in it.

[Esmagamus]

Now get some chunks of rubber speed-bumps to make brakes that brake against the sides of the drain by pulling a rope/lever and a coloured smoke bomb. Light before you go seriously fast down a drain and look like a pilot!

[Andyman3k]

For a brake you could try using a big piece of hardwood to dig into the cement, or even a simple piece of pine or Douglas fir.

[flying_robot_syndrome]

Wow, that looks fun. I've been on an alpine slide in Salt Lake City, but sadly the drainage pipes in my area are buried. Oh well.

[adamvan2000]

Another way of doing your second design idea would be to place wooden wedges under the wheels where they bolt onto the truck. You'd have to figure out the correct angel, mount the wheels to the wedges, and then the wedges to the board, but it should work. If we had those drainage things here I'd give it a try ~adamvan2000

[Rmg12]

Looks fun but we don't have them in the UK.

[ventifact]

Elbow & knee pads anyone?

[stickystyle]

WOW! I grew up in the same area and all the way into adult hood I thought of doing this, alas I live in a flat state now and can only dream of it :(

[fighterpilot1]

Brilliant! I wish I had a drainage ditch to luge in!

[brittohalloran]

Great idea here. Love the inspiration and in general the execution. The one problem I have is that those are standard skateboard trucks right? Having just one of the wheels hit the wall is like leaning on your skateboard, and will make the trucks turn and "grind" along. This is a lot of wasted energy. Since you have the trucks on the two sides turning opposite ways I'm assuming it doesn't affect the luge steering, but if you mounted the trucks on angles so that both wheels were always in contact you would probably go a lot faster. Great instructable though.

[underroutine]

well you can use the method used on street surfer boards they use bent piping with about 6 wheels on either end so you get a highspeed "rocking" feel

[pbshoe]

I completely agree. The trucks don't grind along, just the wheels slide sometimes. Not a big deal, but you're right that it slows things down. If you look at my last step I suggest a few alternate designs that we're working on. In fact, we're working on another design that I didn't list. If it works, I'll add it! :)

[bumpus]

Awesome! Pretty good Instructable, However, whenever I see these type of drainage trough they are either on wickedly steep hills, or have a deadly blunt stop at the bottom... Either way, Very well done!

[pbshoe]

Thanks. Yes, for the most part, they ultimately have an unsafe stop, but I've found that on most hills they tend to peter off long before the 'deadly blunt stop'. Giving you plenty of time to stop beforehand. At least the ones I've seen are that way. The interesting thing is how these things flow, and once you get going (providing you did a good scouting job beforehand, as I mention in this instructable) it is wicket fun!

[woofboy111]

I can't tell you how many times I've seen one of those on the side of the highway and thought how it looks like it would make a great alpine slide. If only the drains on the side of Florida's highways were a bit longer. Something more like this...

[picbuck]

A note on gloves. Contrary to what the box on the pic says, WOODWORKERS NEVER EVER WEAR GLOVES. Welders do, woodworkers don't. This is because a rotating saw blade or drill bit can grab a leather glove and pull your hand into the blade or bit to be mangled. Without gloves you'll still get cut of course--if you don't stay clear of rotating machinery--but your hand won't get pulled into the works, Lefty. That leaves the danger of splinters. Well, woodworkers get splinters.

[ItsTheHobbs]

I've never seen them here in New England.

[chuckr44]

They don't have cement lined drainage ditches in Michigan. They are all natural dirt. We don't have too many hills but I'll bet they are common in mountainous areas, like Colorado.

[Rishnai]

Actually, only the newest foothills yuppie colonies have the proper cement drainages. The cities mostly use dirt ditches or buried storm drains. Denver uses buried drains, and Co. Springs uses big dirt ditches. Most mountain communities just let gullies form, or landowners put in big culverts. The dirt ditches have their own allure if you have one in your backyard: you can put up a big plywood and 2x4 barrier and make a ghetto pool for the duration of your barbeque.
_{Not that I've ever done that}

SoCal is full of these little cement pipes, terminating in big drainage canals, which are generally used for drag racing.

[bustedit]

are u nuts? If u ever driven down the Mass Pike theyre everywhere. back in late 80s my 3 friends and i ventured onto the pike in Westfield, hiked a bit and rode our skateboards.

[Rishnai]

Just to let you know, pressing down hard on an orbital sander designed for almost no downward force whatsoever can lead to severe overheating. I've never actually had it happen to me and my favorite sander (go 65-year-old snaders!), but I've seen and smelled it happen with newer ones, and it's not pleasant. Just for future reference.

[pbshoe]

Agreed, which is why I stated "a bit of force". You definitely don't want to press too hard!

[Rishnai]

Yep. I remember junior high woodshop, when the instructor said "a bit of force," people were leaning on it with all their might. We lost a couple of sanders that way. So I just wanted to clarify for all the iblers who would have pressed down with a bit of force, then added mroe and more "to make it go faster" until the wonderful smell of a burnt motor filled the air.

[fegundez1]

we used to scateboard down the ones in santa barbara but beware the city guys can be very brutal to this sport!!!they put in pipes at head height,ans finally dinamited sections out to stop evolution of a fun sport.its good to see others carrying on!

[monkey666]

weve just got a dirt ditch.... to bad.

[Rishnai]

I sense potential for large wheels, like on mountainboards or hand-trucks...

[Ben.land101]

to allow all four wheels touch and to work in different drainage pipe things you should put the 4 trucks on the very edge of the board on hinges. it would probably be hard to find the right hinges though.

[ve2vfd]

I've always wanted to do that as a kid... but the drainage pipes are made of corrugated steel here... would make for a heck of a bumpy ride!!!

[John Smith]

thats...so....awesomely dangerous... florida sucks. no hills(where i'm at at least, its flatter than kansas). great instructable though

[PickPacket]

This looks just like the 1/2 mile alpine slide at Mt. Hood SkiBowl in Oregon. It's a blast too!

http://skibowl.com/index.php?page=attractions

http://www.alpineslide.com/

[hedgiehog]

very awesome! great because there arent any cars in the ditch, no worry about getting hit! love it 5+

[Neodudeman]

Lol. Awesome!

[Weissensteinburg]

Haha...very cool. I wish I had that as a kid.

[killerjackalope]

Nice job, looks good, nothing like that here though...

[codester]

Awesome! Good job!