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Playland's Castaway Cove Discussion Thread


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^ It's just my personal opinion.

 

Just out of curiosity, which installations have you ridden (so I know which ones to avoid)?

I have yet but just looking at them I want to vomit. I have ridden both Green Lantern and X2 and both made me barf. I hate tumbling rides like zippers and such. If the FreeSpin is anything like those then no thanks. Rollercoasters are supposed to be 'runaway train rides' not flat rides.

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Oh well now that WestCoasterKing has declared what roller coasters are "supposed to be" we better draft it up and circulate it to everyone down at IAAPA. Timing coudn't be better. We have to get the word out. Back to the drawing board guys! No more development! No more innovation! Mine Trains for EVERYONE!!!!

 

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Saying a coaster sucks when you've never ridden it and it's nothing like any other coaster type in existence is hilariously ridiculous.

 

As for Gale Force, I don't really have much to add. I tend to think that DirkFunk is right (per usual) but none of us know for sure so there's not much to say. I have a hard time thinking the park is overly happy with this investment thus far though. I was going to say something about how a coaster that costs $10 to ride should be a great ride if they expect anyone to pony up that type of cash but then I remembered that I shelled out 15 bucks to ride Manhattan Express on Saturday and there was a huge line of other people waiting to buy tickets too so never-mind.

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In addition to the high cost to ride, the few times a year they have wristband specials, Gale Force is excluded. On those days they lower it to I think $5 a ride or 7 tickets. If 7 or 8 tickets was the regular price, whenever I get to the park I'd probably be more willing to ride the coaster a few times since that is $3.50 or $4.00 worth of tickets if you buy them during the half price sales they have.

 

I'm not sure if this is old news or not but their Double Shot is also for sale:

http://www.italintl.com/detail_page.php?record_id=2139

 

And it looks like Gillian's Wonderland Pier is joining the other parks in the area that are open in November and December. I got an e-mail a few days ago that the indoor rides will be open on the weekends. Not really great for anyone without kids since it's almost all kiddie rides in that section of the park.They are also selling their Runaway Train coaster:

http://www.italintl.com/detail_page.php?record_id=2142

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  • 3 months later...

Third times a charm?

 

Smoother Rides Ahead for Gale Force Roller-Coaster

 

GALE1.jpg.f0a45ff537980c58f6739aec7038c37a.jpg

Get ready. The Gale Force is coming back.

 

Yes, the second nor’easter in a week is poised to strike the Jersey Shore on Wednesday with high winds, but in this case, the Gale Force is a roller-coaster, not a storm.

 

After a two-month delay, Playland’s Castaway Cove, one of the Ocean City Boardwalk’s iconic amusement parks, is getting ready to add a new track for the 125-foot-high roller-coaster to give passengers smoother rides.

 

The coaster’s original track proved a bit too bumpy, so the designer has agreed to replace it with all new steel at no cost to Playland. The distinctive blue track will be attached to the ride’s massive gray superstructure looming over the Boardwalk at 10th Street.

 

Brian Hartley, Playland’s vice president, said S&S Sansei Technologies of North Logan, Utah, is expected to begin the work on March 19 and take about two weeks to complete it. Routine safety tests and inspections will be done before the ride is ready for the public.

 

Playland, currently closed for the winter months, originally hoped to have the coaster operational in time for the amusement park’s spring opening on Palm Sunday weekend March 24-25. However, a two-month delay in getting all of the new track manufactured and delivered has pushed back the schedule.

 

Hartley said the coaster should be ready in time for the Memorial Day weekend, the traditional start of the bustling summer tourism season at the Jersey Shore.

 

Although the slightly bumpy rides were virtually imperceptible to passengers, Playland wanted the track to be completely smooth on a roller-coaster that zooms along at more than 60 mph, Hartley said.

 

“It was like riding over the rumble strips on the side of the road,” he explained in an interview Tuesday. “Now, we’re taking out that tiny bit of imperfection to make it smoother.”

 

Gale Force made its debut at Playland’s Castaway Cove last May, thrilling its riders with a series of twists, dips and loops on a serpentine-like track while traveling at a top speed of 64 mph.

 

The ride propels passengers through a series of breathtaking twists and turns while shooting 125 feet high and plunging earthward at about a 90-degree drop. Riders also flip upside down and travel backwards, adding to the thrills.

 

At times, the coaster gives riders the sensation of free-falling, as if plummeting off the side of a cliff. The ground below disappears as the coaster car contorts, zigzags and swerves along the undulating track.

 

After the 2017 summer season, it was discovered that the track’s steel rails were slightly misaligned, causing the bumpy rides. Hartley stressed that riders were never in danger.

 

“There was never a safety issue whatsoever,” he said. “If there was, the ride would have never been open in the first place.”

 

The New Jersey Department of Community Affairs, the state agency that regulates amusement rides, said there was an “alignment issue” between the roller coaster’s car and the magnetic drive system that propels the vehicle. Echoing Hartley’s comments, the DCA said the safety of the roller-coaster “was never in question.”

 

Using a huge crane, work crews dismantled the old track last November. The new track will retain the ride’s eye-catching blue color scheme.

 

Gale Force’s grand opening last May came about a year later than originally scheduled. Hartley noted that the delays were caused by similar problems with the track’s alignment.

 

The roller-coaster is the centerpiece attraction at Playland. Hartley said the coaster cost millions of dollars, but declined to divulge the exact price.

 

Playland, which originally opened in 1959, is one of the Boardwalk’s oldest amusement parks. Visitors are greeted by Playland’s whimsical, giant pirate ship overlooking the Boardwalk between 10th and 11th streets.

GALE2.jpg.7a0413d49685d7d70ac50c79ae91e8a9.jpg

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Its astounding, the relationship between the difficulty/project delay/abject failure rate of S&S Worldwide (and associated projects) and their ability to keep building weird new products. Dating all the way back to Hypersonic XLC and even X at SFMM.

I'd give them failure on Hypersonic, Catapult Coaster, Ring Racer, and Galeforce. X was Arrow and Six Flags undoing, more so Six Flags for forcing them to build something on a much bigger scale than was originally intended. I don't think their failure rate is that high when you look at Intamin's track record of delays, re-profiles, extended downtime, short life spans, etc;

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Its astounding, the relationship between the difficulty/project delay/abject failure rate of S&S Worldwide (and associated projects) and their ability to keep building weird new products. Dating all the way back to Hypersonic XLC and even X at SFMM.

I mean, I still have a whole lot of respect for S&S - they're at the very least being a decent company that cares about their clients by eating the cost of the re-manufactured track.

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I understand that new rides will sometimes have technical issues, but has there ever been any ride in the past where they've gone through the steps of replacing virtually every piece of track on the ride? I know of issues like SoB removing the loop several years in or Maverick having one inversion removed before opening, but nothing on this scale. My mind is drawing a blank.

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  • 3 weeks later...

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