The Knott's Berry Farm (KBF) Discussion Thread

[805Andrew]

Wow, lots of work getting done on Ghostrider. Looks like its going to be really good when its done. I can't wait to ride good Ghostrider again.

[OldJJman]

I'm going to be really curious to hear from people that rode Ghostrider in the first few years of operation, when it was one of the best coasters on the planet. Hoping for a return to its former glory...

 

dt

 

Trust me, I will checking it out very thoroughly, and scrutinizing it as best as I can. I seriously doubt that the helix, (v1.0 with the dip in the middle) will ever reappear, as that element itself was doing some serious damage to the structure that first year.

 

But, by the looks of the pictures, with more banking in specific outbound curves (towards Beach Blvd.), it may have not only smoother transitions, but carry more speed on that final run before the helix.

 

I'm looking forward to it. It used to be my #1 coaster. Now it doesn't even crack my top 100 wooden coasters.

 

We'll see.

[Guy T. Koepp]

I'm going to be really curious to hear from people that rode Ghostrider in the first few years of operation, when it was one of the best coasters on the planet. Hoping for a return to its former glory...

 

dt

But, by the looks of the pictures, with more banking in specific outbound curves (towards Beach Blvd.), it may have not only smoother transitions, but carry more speed on that final run before the helix.

 

I am very much hoping for this!

[Jew]

The main issue was that, because the Haunt Museum didn't exist for the first 40 years of the event, stuff didn't get saved. Stuff either got reused or thrown out. So, when the museum opened, there just wasn't very much to put in it and make it worth going to.

 

Also, putting the Venetians costumes up was a stupid idea. Nobody gave a crap about the Venetians.

 

They save PLENTY of stuff that goes un-used for years before being re-purposed. That's why they had to keep building more warehouse space. Hell, the costume I used my rookie year as a stuffed animal in C3 in 2003 was previously used as bugs bunny in Toon TERRORtory in 1996/1997. It then went on to be used again for Doll Factory. It's probably in warehouse P somewhere waiting to be used again. Some of the clown animatronics inside C3 were Bear-y Tales figures (still had their paw feet!).

 

The stuff they get rid of are generally the off the shelf stuff or easy to replace items (like my asylum costume that they sold to me for $5---just a chefs jacket with the asylum logo patch), but they keep most everything of value.

 

I still suspect the museum will be re-purposed as a store.

[cfc]

^One thing I've learned from backstage tours is that parks are big proponents of "waste not, want not."

[VegasBaby]

Visited Knott's yesterday with some family friends to take advantage of their police/fire/military promotion. I really like how Knott's does this promotion every year and makes it a little more affordable for police/fire/military families to attend the park. I have a lot of friends in these professions and it's fun to get them out to the park. The park wasn't too crowded and the weather was great. All the coasters were only running one train, but it was only a 2-3 train wait for most of them. Riptide and Wipeout were also down in addition to the TMLR and GR. Not sure why Riptide was down as it didn't look like they were doing any work in it. Wipeout was in pieces, so it must be undergoing its annual maintenance. The longest wait was probably Iron Reef and that was about 15-20 minutes (they were running 6 ride vehicles on it). Iron Reef still seems to be popular with the GP even though some on here don't care for it. I think it's a blast myself and ride it 1-2 times every visit. Nothing was done on the former Screamin Swing site, it's still just a bunch of dirt. We did see a lot of workers on GR though and a ton of new wood. Overall it was a great visit and I can't wait to come back when the GR refurb is finished.

[DJeXeL]

Not sure why Riptide was down as it didn't look like they were doing any work in it.

 

Because it's Riptide. That's why. I personally think Riptide is on borrowed time at this point.

[dippindotsguy8]

Not sure why Riptide was down as it didn't look like they were doing any work in it.

 

Because it's Riptide. That's why. I personally think every Cedar Fair topspin is on borrowed time at this point.

 

Fixed

 

But for real, I feel like every one I see is in some state of partial deconstruction or at least closed.

[Dom497]

Riptide at Wonderland is almost never down

[Paradox]

Riptide at Wonderland is almost never down

Isn't Wonderland's topspin a Mondial?

[thrillseeker4552]

It's surprising to hear that Riptide is down already. They finally got it back up and running back in September after a long hiatus, so it's only been 4 months. I love the ride but it really seems to cost Knott's quite a bit.

[Jew]

It's been a disaster since the beginning...

[IamDolfin]

Removed.

Edited August 30, 2018 by IamDolfin

[DJeXeL]

It's been a disaster since the beginning...

 

Yes it has and Huss even threw their hands up and said "we have no idea how to fix it."

[DoubleDown]

Well let's be honest it's no shocker that it'd be a pain in the ass to maintain. Just look at the way the ride operates and moves and it's obvious to see that there'd be tremendous amounts of wear and tear on the ride resulting in lots of replaced parts and downtime, especially after hitting a decade old.

 

That spot for flats just can't seem to get a break!

 

Gosh I remember when Hammerhead was there. I think I liked that ride better as a matter of fact.

[Wingwright]

Well let's be honest it's no shocker that it'd be a pain in the A$$ to maintain. Just look at the way the ride operates and moves and it's obvious to see that there'd be tremendous amounts of wear and tear on the ride resulting in lots of replaced parts and downtime, especially after hitting a decade old.

 

That spot for flats just can't seem to get a break!

 

Gosh I remember when Hammerhead was there. I think I liked that ride better as a matter of fact.

 

I preferred Hammerhead, without a doubt.

[DJeXeL]

I agree, Hammerhead was a great attraction. Restraints were mildly uncomfortable however a good ride nonetheless. One of the Zamperla installation technicians I spoke to when PE was being built said "I hate when my boss sells a "Rotoshake" which is the off-the-shelf name from Zamperla.

[VegasBaby]

I agree, Hammerhead was a great attraction. Restraints were mildly uncomfortable however a good ride nonetheless. One of the Zamperla installation technicians I spoke to when PE was being built said "I hate when my boss sells a "Rotoshake" which is the off-the-shelf name from Zamperla.

 

I'd love to see Knott's finally replace Riptide with something that works. I think an Air Race or a Disk'O would be a great replacement for Riptide. And while they're at it, a Star Flyer would fit perfectly in the old Windseeker spot!

Edited January 29, 2016 by VegasBaby

[Meghna]

Riptide at Wonderland is almost never down

 

After some program fixes, the one at VF is in pretty decent shape. I wonder if they gave KBF the same adjustments? They really helped us go from faulting at least one a day to once a week at most.

[edgeboy]

I was actually literally the second GP person to ever ride Riptide. By chance, I happened to be in the park as they were finishing up the ride. I remember watching workmen actually drill the wood planks for the queue right in front of me! There were a lot of executives hanging around, so I stayed. They rode it once, then opened it up to the GP. I was in line already as the executives rode.

 

Not necessarily my favorite flat by any means, but it's just pretty cool to say you were literally the first to ride anything.

[CedarFlags]

Hammerhead was so great! I was really glad to see it get recognized in Iron Reef.

[Meghna]

I was actually literally the second GP person to ever ride Riptide. By chance, I happened to be in the park as they were finishing up the ride. I remember watching workmen actually drill the wood planks for the queue right in front of me! There were a lot of executives hanging around, so I stayed. They rode it once, then opened it up to the GP. I was in line already as the executives rode.

 

Not necessarily my favorite flat by any means, but it's just pretty cool to say you were literally the first to ride anything.

 

Mmmm yes, the days when commissioning wasn't that big of a deal. Those were the days.

[Garet]

Well let's be honest it's no shocker that it'd be a pain in the A$$ to maintain. Just look at the way the ride operates and moves and it's obvious to see that there'd be tremendous amounts of wear and tear on the ride resulting in lots of replaced parts and downtime, especially after hitting a decade old.

 

Everland's is still running pretty much daily 365 days a year minus the odd rehab days with no real problems or extended down time, the top-scan next door seems to be the one that gets the most closed days of the two.

[CedarFlags]

Xcelerator got stuck on the top hat for a couple hours today. It had come down by the time I got there, but I guess the wind and cold and moisture during morning testing got the best of it. A big gust gave it enough of a jolt to knock it off balance so it could come back. I got sent a video Snap Chat, but couldn't save it and the picture doesn't really let you see what's happening.

[Freestyle23]

Xcelerator got stuck on the top hat for a couple hours today. It had come down by the time I got there, but I guess the wind and cold and moisture during morning testing got the best of it. A big gust gave it enough of a jolt to knock it off balance so it could come back. I got sent a video Snap Chat, but couldn't save it and the picture doesn't really let you see what's happening.

 

Interesting. Was it during morning testing or were people on it?