Saturday, December 24, 2011

Mountain Boy Sledworks Mountain Boggan 6-Foot Toboggan

Mountain Boy Sledworks Mountain Boggan 6-Foot Toboggan Review



Mountain Boy Sledworks Mountain Boggan 6-Foot Toboggan Feature

  • Mountain Boy Sledworks Mountain Boggan classic six-foot toboggan for children of all ages 5 years old and up
  • Made by hand with knot-free steam-bent, flexible basswood, and hand-carved willow crosspieces
  • With high-quality stainless-steel screws, genuine leather grommets, and a lead-free, marine-grade finish
  • Weight limit of 600 pounds
  • Measures 72 x 17.5 x 16 inches (LxWxH) and weighs 10 pounds
A true classic, the Mountain Boy Sledworks 6-Foot Mountain Toboggan boasts beautiful handmade craftsmanship, high-quality materials, and a simple, time-tested design for years of winter fun. Constructed of steam-bent, knot-free planks of flexible basswood, with hand-carved willow crosspieces, the toboggan can carry up to 600 pounds. Mountain Boy uses stainless-steel screws and genuine leather grommets to ensure long-term performance, with a lead-free, marine-grade finish that gracefully weathers the elements. The curl at the front of the sled is big enough for an adult to tuck his or her feet in securely around a child, and the rope is extra long for easy pulling.



The 6-foot Mountain Toboggan is large enough to carry four adults.


The curl at the front is big enough that an adult can tuck their feet up in there.
Specifications:
  • Dimensions: 72 x 17.5 x 16 inches (L x W x H)
  • Weight: 15 pounds
  • Weight limit: 600 pounds
  • Age range: 5 years and up

Care of Your Sled
Wax the bottom of the sled for best performance (though you'll find that it flies down the hill right out of the box). Ski wax is preferred, but in a pinch you can use paraffin or candle wax. After using the sled, bring it inside to dry. Use furniture oil to protect the top surfaces of the sled. The sled is warranted to be free of defects in workmanship or material for one year.

The Mountain Boy Story
Bruce Hoskin's lifelong fascination with wooden sleds became a way of life when he moved to the high mountain town of Silverton, Colorado. He was able to combine his woodworking experience with his love of sledding to create innovative, beautiful sled designs. Mountain Boy sleds give new meaning to the term "functional art"--they are known for their durability, speed and craftsmanship. Hoskin's wooden sleds hearken back to a century ago, when craftsmen made sleds by hand out of fine wood and steel. While Mountain Boy sleds complement any home, they are also made to last. Each sled is an individual work, designed to be passed from one generation to the next.

Environmental Commitment
Mountain Boy works hard to minimize the impact of all of our operations on the environment. Some key elements include:

  • Using only recycled cardboard packaging
  • Choosing only fast-growing, common, sustainable hardwoods such as birch, willow and maple
  • Ensuring that every part of the wood is used. Smaller pieces are turned into kicksled slats or Christmas ornaments, and the smallest bits end up in our woodstove or in the wood-drying kiln.
  • Just as important, making products that last! We think it makes sense to buy a sled (or wagon or scooter) that will last for years, rather than buying a cheaper sled that won't last nearly as long.

Lead Free Finishing
All of our sleds are made with non-toxic finishes, and we have them regularly tested so we are sure that they are lead-free. We use wood dyes to bring out the color and figure of the wood, and then a clear lacquer or polyurethane on top. We put on four coats of lacquer or three coats of polyurethane to create a marine-grade finish.

Sled Manufacture
Mountain Boy make limited quantities of specialty sleds in its Silverton, Colorado workshop, including the Elegant and Royal Flyers, Bambino Superior, and Silverton and Double Kicksleds. Other Mountain Boy sleds, wagons, scooters and ornaments are designed in Colorado and made in Huangyan, China, by our good friend Yu Guanglin and his crew.

In his small, family-run workshop, he makes sleds the same way we do - by hand, paying attention to the beauty of the wood, selecting the best materials, getting all the details right. He buys sustainably harvested birch logs, and has planks cut from them to just the right thickness. All the little pieces are used to make ornaments, and the sawdust is used to fire the wood-drying kiln, so there's very little waste. In his shop, he carefully prepares all the materials: each plank is planed by hand, and each willow branch is peeled and sanded by his crew. When he assembles the sleds, he makes sure that all the parts match and have no flaws.

Mountain Boy sledmaker Brice Hoskin is fluent in Mandarin, and travels to China to inspect sleds several times a year. In our long relationship working with Mr. Yu, Brice has been able to closely monitor not just the quality of the product, but also working conditions and the way the workshop is run.

This is the toboggan your grandfather had -- beautifully made, with solid planks, willow crosspieces, and made extra-wide with a tall curl at the front big enough that an adult can tuck their feet up in there, and the rope is extra long. This sled is designed to last: all hardware is stainless steel, and the wood has a marine-grade finish. Our Mountain Boggans are true classic toboggans, made by hand with only the best materials. The steam-bent planks are knot-free, flexible basswood, with hand-carved willow crosspieces.


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