Van: the story of the fit-out

My big project for the Summer was fitting out the rollerski van.

The reasons for this were pretty obvious to anyone who's witnessed the chaos of equipping 20+ rollerskiers with padding, boots, poles, rollerskis and helmets. With a dozen different pole lengths; 20 different shoe sizes; small and large knee and elbow pads and various different types of rollerskis, this is no easy logistical task. Add to this the need to collect Safety Forms, answer questions and allocate instructors, and it becomes a bit challenging...

Although the time and effort involved in dealing the kit was reason enough to get it done, having (in particular) the rollerskis better accommodated would make them easier to clean and maintain and prolong the equipment's life. It would also allow us to provide a higher level of service, with instructors focusing more on instructing, and less on the equipment.

What was required (and I've had 5+ years now to mull this over) was a pretty major fitout, including a series of boxes designed to house each different bit of equipment -

• long pigeon holes for poles, each of different lengths, accessed from the rear;
• pigeon holes for the boots, between the side doors, with more space for the larger boots than the smaller ones;
• drawers for all the rollerskis, on heavy duty runners. Rollerskis required to sit flat without moving around;
• deep but easily accessible cubby holes for the large and small knee and elbow pads, and helmets;
• leaflet holders for new and completed Safety Forms;
• a bit of space left over for my bike, bags and shopping (when van's not in ski use);
• compartments to be painted, and floor spaces lined with rubber, to protect against dampness; easy to clean;
• all design, painting, construction and fitting to be done in 2 weeks.

I must say, this kind of project is not something my career (such as it is) has prepared me for. But help was at hand...

On Tuesday 2nd August I left London and drove to the port of Liverpool, where I took the next day's 3AM ferry to Dublin. Arriving 10.30 in Dublin Port, I drove the (now amazingly quick) road to my parents' home at Monlough, 8 miles outside of Belfast, arriving just in time for lunch.

After this it was time to take the van to Michael Scott, who runs a joinery workshop only a field away from my parents' house. Although more used to fitting out high street shops and restaurants, Michael had bravely agreed to take on the project, and so the work began.

The first thing was to put in a floorboard, onto which all the other boxes would sit. Then work began on the boots' boxes, based on the dimensions of the different shoe sizes. Top quality (but heavy) Scandinavian birch plywood was chosen for the task, being easy to work with and readily available. The large and small boots boxes would sit behind the driver's and passenger's seats respectively.

Without having the time to build mock-ups of the different areas, the work had to be done 'on the hoof', with a close eye being kept on the space available in the van, and the dimensions of the equipment. Come the weekend, the boots boxes were pretty much complete, albeit with a few tweaks (which would have been avoidable with a bit more planning).

Learning from this, over the first weekend (with some help from my uncle), I put together a mock-up of the rollerski shelf, using available bits of plastic and polystyrene. Now with a slightly better understanding of plywoods, and a growing appreciation of joinery, it was possible to create drawings for the design of the rollerskis 'carcase' and the poles pigeonholes. So on Monday morning, with a plan now coming into place, I met up with Michael to discuss it, and during that week the rest of the job started to come together.

Although looking great in the bare wood, it was necessary to give it some protection, bearing in mind the dampness the whole thing would be exposed to over its lifetime. This is at its most critical in the Autumn / Winter, when we reach our peak of numbers, and the weather is at its worst. Here it was the turn of my Dad (retired marine engineer and builder of yachts) to help out, sourcing suitable paint and rubber matting from the industrial estates of Belfast. Uncle Andy helped me find suitable 24 inch drawer runners, which were fitted to the shelves.

So on Friday, with all the major boxes built, it was time to take them to an empty farm shed / ex-shooting range (kindly provided by Uncle Andy) and a marathon weekend of painting began, which included working until 3AM on the Sunday morning. On Monday morning, with everything now painted, it was time to return the van to Michael and Jonny (Michael's number 2, and right hand man). All that remained was to create the box for the padding (and paint it), cut down the rubber for the lining of the rollerski trays and boots pigeonholes, and fit it together.

This was done on Monday and Tuesday, and I finally left Monlough for Dublin on Wednesday mid-morning, returning to London early on Thursday 18th August. On Thursday and Friday I sent out almost three weeks worth of parcels, and on Saturday and Sunday I was 'on duty' in Hyde Park and Dorney Lake for the rollerski club and courses.

I'd have to say, as far as summer holidays go, this was not the most relaxing.

However, the job's now done, and hopefully it will last for many years and will save us a huge amount of time. I'd very much like to thank Michael and Jonny for their work and commitment - the fact that they were able to translate my requirements into a finished product which fits the purpose so ideally, in less than 2 weeks, and to such a high standard is something I cannot thank them for enough.

I'd also like to give a big thank you to Uncle Andy and Dad for their invaluable technical advice and practical help; Terry Newth for his muscle at a critical moment; and Mum, Lindsay and Luke for keeping my energies up.

There remain only a few finishing touches, but the van is already proving its worth. Please come along and take a look. It will be in Hyde Park's Triangle Carpark every Saturday morning until Christmas, and I'm expecting it to become a major tourist attraction!

Iain Ballentine