DIY Plastic showjump materials

[vatican]

My showjumps are looking well past their best so I thought I'd buy a set from of Jump For Joy as they'll last for ages and I'll not have to paint them. Having got up off the floor after seeing the £7800 price tag for a full set of what equates to a pile of plastic tubes I think I'm going to have to wait until I win the Lotto! Is it possible to buy similar tubes/materials from builders merchants to make these sorts of jumps? I'm guessing that Jump For Joy must have some sort of plant/mould for manufacturing all of their 'designer' shaped planks etc. so I would just be looking to make wings etc. out of straight lengths. I've looked in all of the regular DIY stores but can only find drain pipes which are too narrow and not strong enough.

 

[kerilli]

I've never found any!
There's a new company called jazziejumps making plastic showjumps, they are a bit more reasonable. they're near Norwich, and make nice uprights that look more like trad sj wings, not just plain single-pole uprights. they do all different heights, and i'm going to contact them and get a few to try, i think.
i have used a few drain pipes (which were lying around here when i moved in) as sleeves for wooden poles, but tbh i don't think they're springy enough to be used alone, i think they'd shatter/splinter maybe if the weather was very cold (some plastics go very brittle) and they got a good bash.
I've wondered about sourcing plastic lengths from a UPVC window company - just an idea.
fwiw, the J4J ones are totally worth the money. i sold my whole old wooden course and bought just uprights, a couple of fillers and a few poles from J4J, and intend to add to them as and when i can. i still use lots of wooden poles (much cheaper) and spend the money on uprights. mine are about 8 yrs old now and look as if i bought them yesterday. excellent quality.

 

[brighteyes]

I know at least two people who have made the drilled tube uprights from waste soil pipe and welded metal feet - as per the J4J type. I think they also had cups made up but when you've done all the faffing about, it's not worth the effort. I have lots of plastic jumps, collected over the years and they are brill. Save up and buy them a few at a time.

 

[luckilotti]

My parents have a few carpet shops and sometimes, rolls of carpet come on very strong plastic tubes

Sadly a lot now come on carboard tubes instead but there are still some on the plastic ones - after the store sells the carpets - they usually just get thrown away!
i did have a load but when i was stabled at a dodgy livery yard they got stolen

all i can say is they must have been good enough to steal from me so it wasnt just me that found them ideal!
I'd say its definatley worth asking at some carpet shops - go to the ones that stock rolls of carpets rather than just have the racks you can order from.