How would you make the most of a 12x16 Moonboard shed?

MP, 

I'm dreaming up a 12x16 climbing shed build primarily for a Moonboard but want to maximize spray wall climbing surface as well.

The majority of build threads are about ceiling height, or needing 1-2+ feet on either side of a MB, but not so many numbers & experiences on landing zone length. The woody forums are awesome inspo but include few numbers towards to the question.  Let's assume i) I'll have the necessary height ii) 12x16 is the biggest/only size footprint possible and iii) they'll be two climbers most of the time. 

It seems to me I really have 3 options but I want to put it to the hive mind.  I didn't have a proper application like MS Paint on this computer, so I just threw together some not-to-scale visuals. 

Option A:  Single wall along the 12ft side. I'd plan to go wall-to-wall climbing surface on either side of the Moonboard so there'd be a little less than 2 feet on either side for spray wall holds. 

  Pros - nice deep landing zone / safe-hang-zone (~8ft total...the MB has ~8ft depth).  

  Cons - a large proportion of the total space is not useful (overhanging) climbing surface.  The least spray surface area out of the three options.  Essentially no opportunity for another overhanging wall (I don't care about vertical surface, but I do see myself utilizing the 'dihedrals' created between the vert and overhanging walls). 

Option B: Single Wall along the 16ft side. Assume wall-to-wall, like Option A, for better spray wall opportunity. 

  Pros - more spray wall surface area

  Cons - Skimping on the landing zone. I'm concerned It's not enough. Jason's Swole Hole shed build was 10x12 and he mentions it's not big enough to do dynamic MB problems.  I don't want to be limited in what problems I could do, so I'm curious to get people's actual numbers of landing areas they have.  Jason seems to imply both length and width are a problem.  I measured my gym setup and it does seem like certain dynamic problems (i.e. 2019 Full Swings 7A+) I would have collided into a wall had there been one - hitting the ground first and then reaching out with my hands or rolling into it. I'm doubting this Option. 

Option C: Double Wall V Design.  I'm curious about two walls that lean towards each other.  A Moonboard shed alone would be a game changer but having my own small but dedicated spray wall too would be a dream come true. I'd likely settle for a 20-30 degree spray wall without a kickboard opposite of the Moonboard to achieve two or more feet separation between the top of the two boards.  I'd be curious if anyone had actual experience on minimum separation distance here. 

  Pros - the most spray wall surface area.

  Cons - the biggest for me is there's basically no hang zone, you'd have to sit under the board not being used, and I'm guessing the shed will feel very small compared to Option A. I'm guessing I wouldn't take the spray wall wall-to-wall to leave a dedicated space for a heater, chairs, etc. I'm concerned the landing zone/general space is compromised too much with this option, but would love to be proved wrong.  

Thanks in advance for the input,

I have a 40 degree 12x12 board in my garage (not a Moonboard though). My landing zone extends 11.5 feet outwards from the base of the wall. I've never fallen beyond the pads, although I've come close, typically on moves where I jumped to the top row and swung off. In your Option B it looks like you have 12 feet of landing zone "depth" which should be pretty safe, IMO. You might have some mental block on moves where you might swing out and land far back, but just throw some crash pads against the back wall if you're concerned with that. If you really swung out violently, then most likely you would actually land feet first and then fall facing down.

I'd go with Option B in your situation because you also have a ton of sideways landing zone, around 4 feet on each side, and the spray wall on the sides will hopefully encourage you to pad all 16 feet. I would much rather have 16 feet of horizontal landing zone and 12 feet of landing zone depth, compared to only 12 feet of horizontal landing zone and > 12 feet of landing zone depth. My board is 12x12, and my padding is also 12 feet wide, and when I climb problems on the 8x12 crop that end in a dynamic move to a top corner, I sometimes still worry about landing off the side of the pads. The landing and then rolling into things is a bigger factor on sideways swings than backwards swings, IMO.

Importantly, with option B you also get nice spray wall on either side of the Moonboard and honestly the MB is so sparsely set that you can just put extra spray wall holds onto the MB itself in the empty spaces. So you get a nice wide 16 foot spray wall at 40 degrees. I'd prefer that to Option C which is more building work, and could lead to issues with swinging out and kicking the wall behind you. Option A is my least favorite due to less spray wall space and less side to side landing zone.

Prav Cwrote:

I have a 40 degree 12x12 board in my garage (not a Moonboard though). My landing zone extends 11.5 feet outwards from the base of the wall. I've never fallen beyond the pads, although I've come close, typically on moves where I jumped to the top row and swung off. In your Option B it looks like you have 12 feet of landing zone "depth" which should be pretty safe, IMO. You might have some mental block on moves where you might swing out and land far back, but just throw some crash pads against the back wall if you're concerned with that. If you really swung out violently, then most likely you would actually land feet first and then fall facing down.

I'd go with Option B in your situation because you also have a ton of sideways landing zone, around 4 feet on each side, and the spray wall on the sides will hopefully encourage you to pad all 16 feet. I would much rather have 16 feet of horizontal landing zone and 12 feet of landing zone depth, compared to only 12 feet of horizontal landing zone and > 12 feet of landing zone depth. My board is 12x12, and my padding is also 12 feet wide, and when I climb problems on the 8x12 crop that end in a dynamic move to a top corner, I sometimes still worry about landing off the side of the pads. The landing and then rolling into things is a bigger factor on sideways swings than backwards swings, IMO.

Importantly, with option B you also get nice spray wall on either side of the Moonboard and honestly the MB is so sparsely set that you can just put extra spray wall holds onto the MB itself in the empty spaces. So you get a nice wide 16 foot spray wall at 40 degrees. I'd prefer that to Option C which is more building work, and could lead to issues with swinging out and kicking the wall behind you. Option A is my least favorite due to less spray wall space and less side to side landing zone.

Thanks for the input. That's helpful to know your 11.5ft measurement depth and experience and how you'd prioritize the width of the landing zone. Giving me some hope for Option B.  I'll lay out a simulated wall line when I hit the gym today and see where I'm falling, and hopefully more folks weigh in as well. 

I don't have an opinion because I don't have a board (shed) but here's an example of Dan Beall's double board setup which is like your option C. It looks like his boards are probably 45-50deg.

Israel Rwrote:

I don't have an opinion because I don't have a board (shed) but here's an example of Dan Beall's double board setup which is like your option C. It looks like his boards are probably 45-50deg.

Dang that's a sweet outdoor setup, looks like he only have two feet or so between the top of those boards - pointing to the feasibility of Option C if I could get over how small it might feel. Though at 8:25 his scorpion feet were really close to hitting the wall and climber behind him. That's scorpion swing is representative of the majority of MB problems. Good food for thought. And wow are those beastmaker holds are gorgeous.

You need to get your shed figured out first.  You will struggle to get any pre-built company to give you the 10' wall height you need for a moonboard.  Depending on your local planning/building departments you will likely have a height limit on the shed as well.  Most likely a gambrel roof shed will be your only other option.

I built a double wall setup for a client this Summer similar to your option C in a 12 x 16 gambrel roof shed.   A 8x12 TB2 at 40 and a 12 x 10 spray wall at 30 on opposite short sides took up most available space.  We had about 2' space between the walls at the ceiling.  I believe you will have less space in the area than you are anticipating.  I would not recommend your option B.

Kevin Strickerwrote:

You need to get your shed figured out first.  You will struggle to get any pre-built company to give you the 10' wall height you need for a moonboard.  Depending on your local planning/building departments you will likely have a height limit on the shed as well.  Most likely a gambrel roof shed will be your only other option.

I built a double wall setup for a client this Summer similar to your option C in a 12 x 16 gambrel roof shed.   A 8x12 TB2 at 40 and a 12 x 10 spray wall at 30 on opposite short sides took up most available space.  We had about 2' space between the walls at the ceiling.  I believe you will have less space in the area than you are anticipating.  I would not recommend your option B.

Thanks, yeh I've looked up regs and permitting and can go 15ft height in the structure.  Tuff Shed does wall height upgrades 10' and higher. 

When you say 'I would not recommend Option B', did you actually mean Option C because of your experience with that build you described (which reflects my Option C)? Or what specifically about Option B would you shy away from if you meant that?  Super helpful to know you have experience with that Option C design. 

I like B because you have the most room to flag.  You could build the spray walls at a 30 degree or whatever.  You can also face the wall south and have good natural light from windows and doors (maybe a rollup door for nice weather).

I second adding holds between the moon holds.  A friend built his that way and it’s much more versatile.  The only problem is you end up climbing your own problems more and ignore the Moon problems.

Option B would be perfect for a 30 degree spray wall, but I would not recommend a 40 degree Moonboard with that configuration.  Depending on your construction method you are going to have little more than 4' of space past the wall.  A general rule is to extend your padding the same distance out as your wall overhangs, and you would have about half that.  The option C gives you the most potential for quality wall space if your building around a 40 degree Moonboard IMO. 

I'm considering doing something like this(minus the spraywall, probably throw a treadmill in that space for the wife). Did you pick out a shed and start building? Was wondering what your setup looks like so I can get some ideas.