robbalvey Posted August 24, 2013 Share Posted August 24, 2013 (edited) Theme Park Review was invited out to the opening of Daytona Beach Boardwalk's new Sand Blaster roller coaster! This was a special event as the Florida Governor, Rick Scott, was also going to be there to cut the ribbon. We hung out with our friends from Orlando Attractions Magazine and had a fun day at this little park in Daytona, and with the new roller coaster, Boardwalk Amusements hopes to bring some new tourism into the area in future seasons. To give you a little bit of history on the ride, it's had many different homes and many might remember it as the "Zyklon" from Del Grossos Amusement Park in Tipton, PA. Most recently, it was in Delaware at Blue Diamond Park and now it's found a home right on the water in Daytona Beach! Here's some photos & video from our visit... (Additional photos & video by Jack Crouse, Banks Lee, and Matt Roseboom) Hooray! We've made it to Daytona Beach! No NASCAR for us today... just a roller coaster! We made it to the Boardwalk. This place seems to be known as the "Daytona Boadwalk", "Boardwalk Amusements", and "Joyland" and I think asking for either of those will get yo here! Oh, no! The park is closed... Thankfully we have our pass to let us in the private event! Anyone like a slice of cake? File this under "Clever catering use for a roller coaster vehicle!" Yep. Florida Governor Rick Scott was there to open the ride! Here comes the Governor shaking hands and saying hello to members of the media and people from the Daytona community. FL Governor Rick Scott introduces ride op Cody "Daytona Boardwalk has created jobs, memories, & tourism in Florida." "1... 2... 3... SAND BLASTER IS OPEN!" The park did a really nice job refurbishing this ride. Banks Lee and Robb Alvey about to take their first ride! Those dudes need a little push out of the station! What goes up... Here's a shot for the lift hill enthusiasts... The view from the top of the coaster is BEAUTIFUL! And here we go down the first drop! OMG!!! YES!!! It does THIS to you!!!! Those of you who might remember the Zyklon from Del Grossos would know that this is one of the very few (perhaps even the only) model of this kind that runs THREE cars, so the backseat offers some really good airtime on the first drop! Here's a look at the ride. Basic figure 8 style layout, but FUN! And FUN is what it's all about! With this photo... Banks wins the internet! A look at the ride from the back seat! The ride was originally built to be portable, but we hope it stays in Daytona for many years to come! You can see the coaster from a good couple of miles approaching Daytona Beach! The ride crew having a great time! (We see you Jack & Matt!) And did we mention the view? Sand Blaster gets thumbs up from us! Come out to Daytona, hang out on the beach, and check out the rides! Edited August 24, 2013 by robbalvey Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sspaz1000 Posted August 24, 2013 Share Posted August 24, 2013 Great report. Looks like another reason to get to Florida Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cfc Posted August 24, 2013 Share Posted August 24, 2013 I've always kind of liked these ol' Zyklons--glad this one has a new home. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thri!!er Posted August 24, 2013 Share Posted August 24, 2013 Thanks for the efforts, Robb - I like the trains, they have really charm... Thanks once again, for video and photos! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
firewalk13 Posted August 24, 2013 Share Posted August 24, 2013 Nice report Robb! Looks like a good ride, backseat airtime, ocean views, mmm... I'm happy to see this coaster having a bright new future. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DenDen Posted August 24, 2013 Share Posted August 24, 2013 Another credit in Florida, YAY! Gov. Scott sure does make things "special". If you live in Florida, you know... LMAO! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swimace Posted August 24, 2013 Share Posted August 24, 2013 Thanks for the update Robb! I was hoping to go get my credit sometime in the next couple weeks. I didn't realize that it was literally right next to the beach. Very nice! The tie-ins with Attractions Magazine though... Ehhh???... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robbalvey Posted August 24, 2013 Author Share Posted August 24, 2013 The tie-ins with Attractions Magazine though... Ehhh???... Yeah, they are friends of ours. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jew Posted August 24, 2013 Share Posted August 24, 2013 Hooray for more credits! Always good to see smaller parks expanding. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nrthwnd Posted August 24, 2013 Share Posted August 24, 2013 I guess I've not noticed it before with these types of coasters (portable and non-) but I really like the light standards at the top curve of each side of Sand Blaster. Very cool design. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FreeFaller Posted August 24, 2013 Share Posted August 24, 2013 Nice report! Glad to see that there are smaller parks in your area which are able to keep their business! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simon8899 Posted August 25, 2013 Share Posted August 25, 2013 Honestly I haven't seen a new Zyklon coaster since the mid-80s - and that's a good thing. These coasters are not very good and the early-70s design is so outdated.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GayCoasterGuy Posted August 25, 2013 Share Posted August 25, 2013 Nothing like a good mom & pop refurb job! The coaster looks great, especially the red-white-blue train. The coaster at Wonderland in Texas (I think it's the same model?) used to run the 3 car train as well: Looks like they renamed it Mouse Trap? Unique anyway... but those drops in the back seat: *snap*! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eddie200330 Posted August 25, 2013 Share Posted August 25, 2013 When this operated at DelGrosso's they braked it pretty hard coming out of the second helix. It just kinda crawled around the last curve and into the station. Nice to see it flying straight to the finish!!! And yes, the backseat airtime whip was amazing! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GO MUFC!!! Posted August 26, 2013 Share Posted August 26, 2013 Hilarious video Robb, it looks like a really nice little coaster. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timberskara Posted August 26, 2013 Share Posted August 26, 2013 Fun and thorough coverage (as always), TPR! Thanks for sharing. When I was there earlier in the month they were doing a lot of painting, landscaping and other general improvements to the area and it looks like the hard work paid off. The coaster definitely surprised me and was a lot of fun, very smooth and the staff were really excited about it. Kudos to the Daytona Fun Parks family for bringing this great addition to the Boardwalk. I will be back! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoCo Posted August 26, 2013 Share Posted August 26, 2013 Hah, I've never seen a multi-car train running on this type of ride; look great! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coasterbill Posted August 27, 2013 Share Posted August 27, 2013 I rode this when it was at Blue Diamond Park and I really enjoyed it (we were on the way to Rehoboth beach and stumbled upon the place by accident). It's nice to see it finally has a new home. It's been sitting in that field for years since Blue Diamond Park closed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alpengeist04 Posted August 27, 2013 Share Posted August 27, 2013 When this operated at DelGrosso's they braked it pretty hard coming out of the second helix. It just kinda crawled around the last curve and into the station. Nice to see it flying straight to the finish!!! And yes, the backseat airtime whip was amazing! I was on it this past Saturday and it was braked at the end, which definitely made it crawl around the last curve. ...Even with that, it's still a fun little coaster. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eddie200330 Posted August 28, 2013 Share Posted August 28, 2013 When this operated at DelGrosso's they braked it pretty hard coming out of the second helix. It just kinda crawled around the last curve and into the station. Nice to see it flying straight to the finish!!! And yes, the backseat airtime whip was amazing! I was on it this past Saturday and it was braked at the end, which definitely made it crawl around the last curve. ...Even with that, it's still a fun little coaster. I really liked Robb's video and how it flew into the station......I guess that wasn't a very good idea. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hilltopper39 Posted August 28, 2013 Share Posted August 28, 2013 I may try to head down there this weekend and get the credit. This thing looks a little quicker than other Zyklon models, and great view of the ocean! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jackdude101 Posted October 10, 2013 Share Posted October 10, 2013 Does anyone happen to know the "true" age of Sand Blaster? The Roller Coaster Database estimates that it first operated in the first park in which it was located in 1971 or 1972, but I haven't found anything more specific than that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jackdude101 Posted October 10, 2013 Share Posted October 10, 2013 ^^^Nevermind, I believe I found the answer here: http://www.ultimaterollercoaster.com/forums/roller-coasters-theme-parks/102658 It casually mentions that Sand Blaster (Super Italian Bobs at the time) opened for the first time at a park in Chicago named Adventureland Park in 1969. That means that this roller coaster is about 44 years old, and do you know what that means? It means that Sand Blaster is officially THE OLDEST OPERATING ROLLER COASTER IN FLORIDA (in a fixed location)! The next oldest is Space Mountain at Magic Kingdom, which soft opened on 15 December 1974. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gisco Posted October 11, 2013 Share Posted October 11, 2013 Somehow I missed this thread when it was first posted. Like the fact that there is even more to do in Florida besides Disney. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cfc Posted October 15, 2013 Share Posted October 15, 2013 Missed this one last weekend--no way or time to get to Daytona. Guess I'll snag this credit one of these days, although it won't break my heart to miss it. Then again, I did ride in a bus all the way from Melbourne to Merimbula to ride a Zyklon during TPR's Australia Trip. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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