cal1br3tto Posted February 3, 2012 Share Posted February 3, 2012 I preferred the idea of an El Loco or other compact thrill coaster, but spinners can be great fun in their own right. It's just that I've ridden more than my fair share of them, though I have yet to ride a Maurer. My favorites are by, well, Zamperla and Reverchon. It would've been so convenient for SFDK to send their spinner over here.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sfmman2000 Posted February 7, 2012 Share Posted February 7, 2012 Also, it's not that a spinner can't be fun, but the idea of it feels gimmicky. I also would prefer a more extreme/small footprint-style ride. But I suppose their thinking is that they want the ride to be as popular as possible, so why not build something the whole family can enjoy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cal1br3tto Posted February 7, 2012 Share Posted February 7, 2012 ^Except for people who don't like spinning. Though I guess enough people do like it since the rides are so popular. Random: I totally thought Giant Dipper was a triple out-and-back, not a double. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XYZ Posted February 7, 2012 Share Posted February 7, 2012 ^Except for people who don't like spinning. Though I guess enough people do like it since the rides are so popular. Random: I totally thought Giant Dipper was a triple out-and-back, not a double. Pandemonium in SFDK always has really long lines, it's more because of capacity over everything else that makes a short line have a long duration. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoCalCoasters Posted February 7, 2012 Share Posted February 7, 2012 ^Yep, for one, Maurers spinner WAY more than Gerstlauers do, also, most of the layouts for MS's are much better as well. Actually, If you balance Gerstlauer Spinners correctly, you can still get an absolutely insane ride. I have yet to ride a Maurer Spinner, so I can't touch for them, but my very last ride on Pandamonium with two heavy-set teenagers on one side and no one on the other was incredible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrewoplis Posted February 8, 2012 Share Posted February 8, 2012 ^Yep, for one, Maurers spin WAY more than Gerstlauers do, also, most of the layouts for MS's are much better as well. Actually, If you balance Gerstlauer Spinners correctly, you can still get an absolutely insane ride. I have yet to ride a Maurer Spinner, so I can't touch for them, but my very last ride on Pandamonium with two heavy-set teenagers on one side and no one on the other was incredible. But the thing is, you don't need to balance the car correctly to get an insane ride on a Maurer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robman Posted March 4, 2012 Share Posted March 4, 2012 Well yesterday I started my 2012 season at the Boardwalk and I have some construction and referb pictures. To start out with the weather was perfect in Santa Cruz, almost felt like summer! Something that was even better than the weather, the lines were very short! I was able to get three rides in a row on the Dipper which is running smoother than ever. Im still debating on posting a full trip report, in the mean time I have all of the pictures posted on my facebook if anyone is interested. To start with a picture of the Giant Dipper! Double Shot is in its annual referb. Loggers Revenge with was down, possibly referb too. Ferris Wheel was naked. Here is the former location of Crazy Surf. It just seems to be prep work at the moment for the new ride. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sfmman2000 Posted March 4, 2012 Share Posted March 4, 2012 ^Thanks for the report! I'm looking forward to Crazy Surf's replacement. Nice to hear that Giant Dipper is running smooth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XYZ Posted March 5, 2012 Share Posted March 5, 2012 I was in SCBB back in January and Crazy Surf's location hasn't changed at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cal1br3tto Posted March 5, 2012 Share Posted March 5, 2012 I'm also happy to hear my beloved Dipper is doing well, though that's partly because I seem to be about the only person who has found it rough! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sfmman2000 Posted March 5, 2012 Share Posted March 5, 2012 For me, the roughness of Giant Dipper depends on a couple factors, and is highly variable. First, when the train was last refurbished (new chassis, wheels, etc) can greatly affect quality and roughness of your ride. If the park is running both trains, try them both (in the same seat) and compare the difference. I believe the trains are on opposite refurb cycles, and both are refurbished annually, so one train is generally running faster, and one quite a but slower, due to the new, stiff chassis. This aspect may effect the ride's roughness. Also, choosing the correct seat is a major factor in getting a smooth ride. There are six cars, and the front two seats of every car provide a smoother ride (and more leg room). For some reason, the rear seats of every car are quite a bit more bumpy than the fronts. I always make a point to sit in the front seat of a (preferably the last!) car. The only reasons I would ever sit in the back of a car is if I wanted the very back row of the train, or, strangely, due to the tighter position of one's leg in back, the sensation of airtime is a touch greater. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darklingscribe Posted March 5, 2012 Share Posted March 5, 2012 Also, choosing the correct seat is a major factor in getting a smooth ride. There are six cars, and the front two seats of every car provide a smoother ride (and more leg room). For some reason, the rear seats of every car are quite a bit more bumpy than the fronts... I alway put this effect down to the back seats of each car being directly over the wheels. The front seats of any car are usually directly in the middle of the car's chassis and I think because of this the chassis acts as a shock absorber as is flexes during the ride, but if you are riding directly above the wheels then the car absorbs less and you are more or less feeling what the wheels are doing directly. I can think of another possible explanation, but my physics vocabulary is sorely lacking. This is how I'm visualizing it in my head. If you hand a video camera and tell a guy to run with it you'll get a shaky image, but if you strap the camera to the middle of a 2x4 and then have two guys run with it, each holding opposite ends of the 2x4, the image will appear to have a lot less shake in it. I don't know what this effect is called, but it probably has to do with leverage and how certain movements coming down the 2x4 to the camera cancel each other out as they meet. I also think this effect might also explain why the front seat of a coaster car feels a little bit smoother than the seat right above the wheels. Sometimes I really wish I took engineering in college. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mechanic Posted March 5, 2012 Share Posted March 5, 2012 ^ It's a wheel seat vs a non wheel seat. Those terms are commonly use to describe what you are trying to explain. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cal1br3tto Posted March 6, 2012 Share Posted March 6, 2012 Yeah, I rarely gave much thought about where to sit on Giant Dipper. I've heard the front's great, though, so I'll have to catch it some day. I think I had some middle seat rides that felt tamer than ones further back, as one would expect on many coasters, but at least that was somewhat counteracted by the ride running faster as the day progressed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottBrown Posted March 6, 2012 Share Posted March 6, 2012 ^ yes the last row on Giant Dipper gradually gets more wild as the day progresses and by closing it can get insane Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angry_Gumball Posted March 6, 2012 Share Posted March 6, 2012 I guess I've never paid attention to whether if the Dipper had its rough moments or not when riding it. My last rides were back in 2009. I was probably more so amazed at how well it was running considering how old it was to even think about picking which row was best. I tend to sit towards the rear of the train anyway for a more out of control feeling... (or for a faster ride as the GP say). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mechanic Posted March 6, 2012 Share Posted March 6, 2012 I seem to remember getting the best pops of air in the first row of the second car when we were doing marathon ERT the Friday night before WCB a couple years ago. It's a great ride no matter where you sit though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
molemaster43 Posted March 6, 2012 Share Posted March 6, 2012 I've wanted to ride the Dipper for a while now and I really hope I can go to California someday and hit a bunch of parks. This is a priority. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rollercoaster Rider Posted March 6, 2012 Share Posted March 6, 2012 I'm finally getting to ride Giant Dipper. Was Planned for 2009 as my 200th Coaster I'm at 269 Now. Won't Be A Signicifant Coaster but'll be a pretty cool ride. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sfmman2000 Posted March 6, 2012 Share Posted March 6, 2012 I seem to remember getting the best pops of air in the first row of the second car when we were doing marathon ERT the Friday night before WCB a couple years ago. It's a great ride no matter where you sit though. I agree -- if "pops" of air are what you're after, you'll get them by sitting towards the front of the train. As well as insane laterals that slam you against the side of the car on the not-very-well-banked fan turns. But -- if you are looking for the "stomach-in-your-throat" feeling of getting pulled down the drops, the back cars provide that much more than the front. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cal1br3tto Posted March 6, 2012 Share Posted March 6, 2012 ^I remember some of the turns having both airtime and laterals combined! Seems fairly unusual. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XYZ Posted March 6, 2012 Share Posted March 6, 2012 It's a great ride no matter where you sit though. Not really, the Giant Dipper is REALLY painful in the wheel seats. I classify the wheel seats on the Giant Dipper giving the roughest ride on a wooden coaster in NorCal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chickenbowl Posted March 6, 2012 Share Posted March 6, 2012 It's a great ride no matter where you sit though. Not really, the Giant Dipper is REALLY painful in the wheel seats. I classify the wheel seats on the Giant Dipper giving the roughest ride on a wooden coaster in NorCal. I'm going to disagree with you there. I've had no painful ride on the coaster in any seat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rolercstrluvr Posted March 6, 2012 Share Posted March 6, 2012 Yeah, id never say I had a painful ride on the Giant Dipper ever. Maybe uncomfortable in some spots but definitely not painful, I always re-ride it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cal1br3tto Posted March 7, 2012 Share Posted March 7, 2012 After a day of riding Giant Dipper, I found that my, erm, bra clasp was pushed in by the seatback, and one of the little jack cover thingies on my phone was pushed out of place. I also ended up with several painful bruises on my back. It's possible that the ride wasn't truly "rough," but I wouldn't classify it as anywhere near "violent" or "aggressive". Without the intense airtime, I'd consider the ride mild or tame, though as it is those terms don't do it justice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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