Oct 19, 2007

Endless Pool, YMCA or SwimEx Pool?

I've wanted an Endless Pool for a long time. This would really help my swim training because I've calculated that swimming in the 25 meter pool at the YMCA is really only about swimming 15 yards with 5 yards on each lap used up by the flip turns and wall push off. I'd love an Endless Pool where there is no turnaround, no resting, no flip turns etc.

So I have been looking around and have received two DVDs; one from EndlessPool and one from SwimEx. I like what SwimEx has to say and they really seem to be a high quality company. I really do not care for the Endless pool. They have too much metal just sitting in the front of the pool. My strong preference seems to be the SwimEx pool. We just have to figure out how to dig a hole so deep and so big. Also, how are we going to get that 20 foot pool into the backyard!

Well as an update, I have called the SwimEx people and have learned that it will cost about $38,000 - $40,000 to build, ship and install the pool with the options that I wanted. It's amazing, because the pool is advertised at about $22,000, but the reality is that it is nearly DOUBLE the advertised price to actually get it into the ground and running. That was a huge shock to me.

So based on my SwimEx research, I think I may head back to talk to Endless Pools about thier new FastLane Product. Apparently this sells for about $10,000 and is a free standing pool with the motor unit, but it's only a vinyl set up, not a real, in-ground fiberglass pool and it won't have tiles, or jets or benches or any such item. It is built only for one thing, to swim against a moderate current without having to make flip turns.