GCI: Are Their Days Over?

[saweetdude05]

Having only been on 2 GCI's (Apocalypse and Gwazi), I have to say that Apocalypse is a great ride! Really fast, good moments of air time and laterals, and just an all around fun ride. It's short, but sweet. It is no where near the smoothest ride in the park, but it definitely isn't the worst and I would have no problem doing multiple rides.

[SharkTums]

KT has Hershey's Wildcat at the very bottom of her somewhat impressive coaster list. Even riding in the very front row it was quite rough last summer. I feel like for the most part they are not aging well unless a park really takes care of them.

 

As for GCI being over, they're certainly going through a big transition right now and it will be interesting to see if they get a project in the US again soon.

[rctneil]

I think i've been quite lucky in regards to GCI rides as i've ridden a lot of them in the first few years after they've opened.

 

Last one I rode was Wodan at Europa Park near the end of last year and it was running superbly. Excellent ride and the roar it makes is fantastic. Not sure when Thunderbird was built but that seemed to be running nicely at Power Park too.

 

I've enjoyed all the GCI's i've ridden but as I said i've ridden most of them really early on so need to try some of them out again now, now that they have aged a bit.

[cfc]

Wildcat has, indeed, not aged well, but Lightning Racer is still great. But, as others have said, I think a lot depends on how much a park is willing to spend on maintaining wooden coaster.

 

Is GCI over? I think it's a bit early to write their obituary, but, as Elissa said, times are changing, and GCI will have to adapt.

 

Yes, Wildcat has become a bit "McNasty."

Edited May 28, 2015 by cfc

[Shavethewhales]

The writing was on the wall when a bunch of GCI's primary engineers and staff left to form their own company last year.

 

I LOVE GCII's, don't get me wrong, but the wooden coaster industry has been disrupted and steel tracked wooden supported coasters will always win over the traditional design. All wooden coasters take a lot of maintenance that parks have always struggled to keep up with on both a cost and technical knowledge standpoint. You can hardly compete with a product that gets rid of a lot of that burden. The few clients out there who do want traditional coasters will be taken by TGG, who seem to have a skilled international sales platform.

 

What I'd like is for GCII to come up with their own new advancement in track technology. RMC can't have patented every conceivable method of building up a stiffer track section. GCII's layouts and trains are unique and fill a certain niche in my mind, but if they cost too much to keep up they'll be little more than memories soon. Unfortunately, I'm not sure GCII has the money or skill left in the company to make a new product line at this point.

 

They will go down as industry legends at the very least. Anyone who had an opportunity to ride a GCII creation in it's prime got to experience something special.

[DanM64]

I just rode Wildcat yesterday and thought it was actually smoother than when I last rode a few years ago. They did re-track a few spots in the offseason, though.

[VF15]

Like others have said, I think it all depends on how well the parks maintain their coasters. Renegade jackhammered me a lot in 2013, but they've done some retracking on it over the past two offseasons which has resulted in a much smoother and more enjoyable ride. Perhaps the GCIs that are notorious for roughness could be also be improved with some retracking.

Edited May 28, 2015 by VF15

[RCjunkie]

Renegade started to run rough during it's fifth season in 2012. In 2013 it got much rougher and started to have jack-hammer roughness in some places even causing a mild headache at times. Before 2014 they did some retracking which made the ride good again. Then this last off season they did even more re-tracking for 2015 and it is running very good now just like in 2007-2010. This seems to echo what everyone else is experiencing. GCI's rides seem to decline early and without some love in re-tracking right away they seem to go bad. I don't know enough about coaster maintenance to know if it is sustainable for parks to re-track them year after year or if that will cause them to shy away from purchasing GCI's in the future. 3-4 years ago I would have said no to this question right away but now I think it is a real good question as time goes by.

 

It should be interesting over the next 5 years to see these CGI's come of age at 10 years and see how they are running: Thunderbird (2016), Kentucky Rumbler(2016), Troy (2017), Renegade (2017), Evil Knievel/American Thunder (2018), Terminator (2019), Prowler (2019) and El Toro (2019).

[yay101]

What a coincidence, I'm reading this thread and in a month or so I'm going to Hershey Park, so I'm a bit worried now but hoping for the best

 

I have been on Renegade, but that was in 2008-ish when it was fairly new, and it was good back then, but I don't know about now. I don't think they're over over, but they are definitely shadowed by RMC and even The Gravity Group. I wouldn't retire them just yet because they're still doing stuff in China, and they just built Gold Striker two years ago in America, so we will see.

[Comeagain?]

I think it's interesting to point out that the whole reason RMC started developing new kinds of track was because they thought there must be a better way to build wooden track than has been done for decades. Because they were constantly fixing and maintaining the same sections of track over and over.

[grsupercity]

They could easily stay in business just retracking older coasters. What they have done with Timbers and Wildcat at MIA is amazing. Plus they make enjoyable coasters. Renegade is the best coaster at VF, and Gold Striker is prly the best at CGA

[JJLehto]

It really is all about park maintenance, as it's been said Apocalypse at SFMM was brutal after just 5 years, while Lightning Racer at Hershey is still really good. Gotten a little shaky but given how much longer it's been around... Comments in this thread make it seem like other GCIs are holding up well, so really it's on the park.

 

And they make great rides still.

Sure, they aren't the smooth machines of Intamin, or do the insane stuff of RMC but I don't know...I still like a traditional wooden, and even feel a bit of shaking is kind of what makes it a wooden coaster experience. I hope GCI don't go anywhere, nor do I think they will!

[RollerManic]

I can confirm that Evil Knievel (aka American Thunder) is a little bit more jittery now than it was when it opened in 2008, but still delivers an amazing ride. The jitteriness hasn't detracted from any comfort - and the airtime is still the hot sauce of the park. Thunderhead was pretty good too, but I believe I remember it being somewhat rough.

[GCI Wooden]

and even feel a bit of shaking is kind of what makes it a wooden coaster experience.

 

Yeah, at Valleyfair I hear a lot of people say that they want to go on Renegade because they like the shakiness.

[RCjunkie]

^ Shaking in a wooden coaster is welcomed, fun and expected! Jarring or jolting, not so much. At least for me.

[VegasBaby]

I can confirm that Evil Knievel (aka American Thunder) is a little bit more jittery now than it was when it opened in 2008, but still delivers an amazing ride. The jitteriness hasn't detracted from any comfort - and the airtime is still the hot sauce of the park. Thunderhead was pretty good too, but I believe I remember it being somewhat rough.

 

I agree with your comments amount American Thunder. My kids and I rode it last summer and absolutely loved it. The airtime was great and it was pretty smooth for a woodie. We went to SFSTL on a weekday in June and the park wasn't very busy, so we rode AT five or six times in a row right when the park opened with no wait. We rode the Boss later in the day and although it was faster and had bigger drops, it was much rougher and not nearly as much fun. In fact, as soon as we got off the Boss, we headed back to AT for a few more rides. Now I know the Boss is like 8 years older than AT, but the ride experience is so much worse. Hopefully SFSTL continues to maintain AT because I'd hate to see such a great coaster go downhill (like what's happened with the Boss).

[Cyrbuzz]

It is a sad state that these once great rides are not holding up well in their short lifespans. It does remind me of the state of CCI coasters too. However thank God for the arrival of RMC. These guys have given wooden coasters a new lease on life and I think many more refurbs are on the way as these rides get rougher. I'm crossing fingers that Gwazi will get this treatment and I am encouraged that Busch is looking into the possibility. Just think what that would add to their already awesome coaster lineup with Cobra's Curse soon to be part of that lineup.

[ytterbiumanalyst]

I can confirm that Evil Knievel (aka American Thunder) is a little bit more jittery now than it was when it opened in 2008, but still delivers an amazing ride. The jitteriness hasn't detracted from any comfort - and the airtime is still the hot sauce of the park. Thunderhead was pretty good too, but I believe I remember it being somewhat rough.

 

I agree with your comments amount American Thunder. My kids and I rode it last summer and absolutely loved it. The airtime was great and it was pretty smooth for a woodie. We went to SFSTL on a weekday in June and the park wasn't very busy, so we rode AT five or six times in a row right when the park opened with no wait. We rode the Boss later in the day and although it was faster and had bigger drops, it was much rougher and not nearly as much fun. In fact, as soon as we got off the Boss, we headed back to AT for a few more rides. Now I know the Boss is like 8 years older than AT, but the ride experience is so much worse. Hopefully SFSTL continues to maintain AT because I'd hate to see such a great coaster go downhill (like what's happened with the Boss).

RMC did some retracking this offseason, and the Boss is running better this year than it has at any point since its opening season. The first drop, and the drop after the MCBR, are both wonderfully smooth now. I actually rode it four times in a row last time I was there, and I don't think I've ever been able to do that. In the past, it's been a one-and-done, or else I've skipped it entirely.

 

But to the subject at hand, I have yet to encounter a bad GCI. I have a decently high tolerance for a bit of jolting, as I just expect that from a wooden coaster. American Thunder is just that way, and I still consider it very re-rideable. I'll have to see about Kentucky Rumbler this weekend. Beech Bend is close enough to my best route to Holiday World, I plan to swing by there and check it out. Glad to hear several here are saying it still runs well.

[RollerManic]

How well does GCI's retracting hold out? While there isn't a new US GCI this year, Timberwolf @ WOF is getting entirely retracted by them over the next few years. I don't recall that I've ridden any rides they worked on retracting yet.

[FSUFanChris]

Did they do the 5 year reworking of Thunder Road? That didn't work out too well.

[dcxs]

Wodan Timbur Coaster @Europa Park was so rough, it really hurt riding it towards the front! Me and my friend honestly cant believe why any park would invest money in these types of rides. Some of the GP sounded enthusiastic after the ride was over though which I had a very hard time relating too. I guess I can see the something in the wildness of the ride but it wasn't a pleasant experience. They are quite cheap though but id rather see a park wait some years too save up for something more re-rideable.

[chadster]

I've really enjoyed reading everyone's comments and opinions and all have valid points. I'm glad to hear that Renegade has received some TLC, when I was there for Coasting for Kids a few years ago my tylenol wore off after about 45 minutes. That being said it has a great layout as do most of the GCI coasters.

 

Overall from reading everyone's comments it would appear some are still decent while others are not what they use to be. I have to wonder if parks who had more of a traditional out and back woodie and elected to later install a more modern woodie realized the costs on the modern woodie to maintain would be much higher due to the intensity and layouts and thus haven't had the budget to be able to maintain them to the quality level they would like. Still safe rides, no doubt, just not as comfortable as what they could be. I've heard some parks spend 200k+ a year just for the yearly maintenance not including running costs.

[MrSum1_55]

As stated earlier in this thread, GCI's have a tenancy to be very hit-or-miss. Some, like Thunderhead and Lightning Racer, have held up very well for their age. But, Roar (both East and West), Wildcat, Gwazi, and Apocalypse have all aged quite poorly.

 

I am a bit surprised that the global wood coaster market has not been crushed by Intamin or RMC yet. Any design from either of these companies is a near guarantee for good aging, and it actually costs the same or less to buy a coaster from one of these companies. Only time will tell to see if RMC truly does have the market cornered on new wood coaster installations; it could already be said that GCI has lost their status as the #1 wood coaster company judging by number of installations each year.

[A.J.]

I wouldn't say that it's just Great Coasters that might have a problem. The death of the "traditional" wooden coaster is imminent, which makes me incredibly sad. I personally do not and likely will never like what Rocky Mountain has done to wooden coasters (even the Intamins might be pushing it), even though Outlaw Run and Goliath are highly-regarded in our community, and though I'd likely still enjoy them if I took a ride.

 

It's very unfortunate that it seems like the only way for a large park to justify building a new wooden coaster now is to make it as daring and acrobatic as possible. Smaller parks can get away with traditional wooden coasters, as evidenced by the runaway successes of Wooden Warrior, Roar-O-Saurus and the European El Toro. But, I can't help but think that once every major new park in China gets their "me too" wooden coaster, both Great Coasters and Gravity Group / Martin & Vleminckx might be in for some trouble, at least in terms of getting new installations.

 

As for Great Coasters themselves, I haven't been on enough of their coasters to know which ones are good and which ones are bad. When it comes to a bad wooden coaster, it's difficult to figure out where the blame lies - either the manufacturer just not doing a good job, or the park just not keeping with regular maintenance, or the park just deciding that a re-tracking isn't worth the money.

[ytterbiumanalyst]

I think doom prophecies are a little premature. In the 70s, loops were the cool new thing, and it seemed no one could build a coaster unless it had a loop. Schwarzkopf made a killing selling small affordable looping coasters to small parks.

 

Even GCI itself has a similar history. They came around at a time when hyper coasters were all the rage, and sold small but fantastic Woodie to small parks.

 

Wood coasters aren't dead, and small parks aren't out of the game. The game has just changed, as it has so often. Thriving industries foster innovation, and the fact that there are so many innovators right now is a sign of health.