chadster Posted September 27, 2015 Share Posted September 27, 2015 Came across this article today on the former CEO of the Texas State Fair and the guy responsible for the Great American Scream Machine in Georgia. A hefty price tag for a simulated speed boat race, but let's face it, people love Dragster, Xcel, and King Da Ka, so why not a boat that goes 0-62mph in 4 seconds? Forty-two years ago, Errol McKoy set off a thrill ride arms race when he introduced the world’s tallest, fastest, longest wooden roller coaster at Six Flags Over Georgia. “The first year after we introduced the Great American Scream Machine, attendance jumped by 350,000 people,” McKoy says. “Everyone recalibrated their products to do a bigger coaster than ours.” Now the 73-year-old retired CEO of the State Fair of Texas hopes his latest invention will become the latest must-have ride for entertainment parks around the globe. His ride is a drag race on water that takes two 24-passenger speedboats from zero to 62 miles an hour in four seconds. Talk about an adrenaline rush. And McKoy holds patents that could make him a very rich man. The rides will cost about $15 million a pop, McKoy says. His royalty take will be between $750,000 and $1.5 million apiece. All he has to do is sell the first one. “It’s going to take somebody who’s a risk taker and not afraid to step up,” McKoy says. “Once that happens, everybody’s going to want one. Right now everyone’s saying, ‘That’s a lot of technology and a lot of intricate stuff.’ I say, ‘I know. So was the Parachute Drop decades ago.’” Riders will experience the roaring sounds and jostling motion of a real speedboat, while flames shoot from the exhaust pipes and 20-foot water rooster tails spout from the sterns. “Everything is special effect,” McKoy says. “The idea is to create the feel and sound of a massive, 1,500-horsepower supercharged speedboat.” More Reading Here [youtu_be] [/youtu_be] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coaster Hero Posted September 27, 2015 Share Posted September 27, 2015 This looks like a pretty cool concept. I'd like to see one of these in real life, it looks to be both fun to ride and fun to watch Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nickstroberg Posted September 27, 2015 Share Posted September 27, 2015 Wow that seems like it could be pretty fun! But it kinda seems impractical, sadly, I don't really see this ever being built. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Superbatboy Posted September 27, 2015 Share Posted September 27, 2015 Definitely looks like a cool concept, hopefully a park is willing to take a risk and build one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coasterkid124 Posted September 27, 2015 Share Posted September 27, 2015 It's definitely cool, but I cannot see too many parks dishing out 15 million dollars for this. You can get a great coaster for that price. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robbalvey Posted September 27, 2015 Share Posted September 27, 2015 It's definitely cool, but I cannot see too many parks dishing out 15 million dollars for this. You can get a great coaster for that price. But you have to remember - Parks want more rides than just coasters. And not everyone will ride a coaster, but might ride this. If parks were filled with ONLY coaster rides, that's would be really a shame, IMO. But perhaps a really big-budget non-coaster ride that is also VERY thrilling, has a great crowd interaction as well might just be what some parks are looking for. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KBrylczyk Posted September 27, 2015 Share Posted September 27, 2015 Seems like a cool idea but I'm seeing shadows of the S&S dragster attraction that was a complete failure. I only knew of two places that instaled it (Orlando and Lagoon) and both have since been destroyed. I'm not sure if it's because of ridership or high maintenance, though. Then again, with this being a 24 passenger boat as opposed to a one or two seater car could have a major impact on popularity. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robbalvey Posted September 27, 2015 Share Posted September 27, 2015 (edited) Seems like a cool idea but I'm seeing shadows of the S&S dragster attraction that was a complete failure. I only knew of two places that instaled it (Orlando and Lagoon) and both have since been destroyed. I'm not sure if it's because of ridership or high maintenance, though. That Dragster ride at Old Town is still one of the craziest things I've ever ridden! The launch was like Dondonpa where it felt like you were getting hit by a truck from behind. I believe it's failure wasn't because of the ride but because of a few factors: - It was at Old Town where nobody really went. - I never saw a single advertisement for it, anywhere... ever. - The price was insane. - It opened, if I recall correctly, shortly after or right around 9/11 which the entire Orlando market was doing poorly. - Fun Spot purchased that land (I believe) and built their park on that spot. I'm sure the ride was also not well taken care of so by the time Fun Spot came in, I'm sure it wasn't worth salvaging. Edited September 27, 2015 by robbalvey Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CoasterMateo Posted September 27, 2015 Share Posted September 27, 2015 This concept is pretty interesting, It would be quite thrilling. A pipe dream of mine would be something like this but in a natural lake! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rcjp Posted September 27, 2015 Share Posted September 27, 2015 Looks like a fun idea. But I wonder (given that LSMs already use a significant amount of power) how much it would take to accelerate those boats with all the drag from the water. It'd obviously be cool to see someone building on, though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DoinItForTheFame Posted September 27, 2015 Share Posted September 27, 2015 I'm just going to throw this out there, and I don't even know if it is possible, but this is totally something I could see Cedar Point building in the lake that surrounds the park. I don't know if they are allowed to build in the lake, but if they are I could see this going there. Obviously they would have to put up some sort of wave brake to keep the waves out of the area the boats are in... But I could really see this being a good fit for Cedar Point. People would love it, and it could give them another "worlds first." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CP Maverick Posted September 27, 2015 Share Posted September 27, 2015 Cedar Point cannot build in Lake Erie, nor would they want to. The best option for CP is the Lagoon, but access has been limited with the installation of Dinosaurs Alive. It'd be fun to see Geauga Lake install a new thrill ride. They can build in the lake. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DoinItForTheFame Posted September 27, 2015 Share Posted September 27, 2015 Cedar Point cannot build in Lake Erie, nor would they want to. I'm so glad you know exactly what Cedar Point wants to do. I had NO idea we had a member of the Cedar Point development team on the boards. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robbalvey Posted September 27, 2015 Share Posted September 27, 2015 For me personally, I cannot stand things like "lake water" and the gross, disgusting things that live in lakes. So I would love to see a "theme park" version of this built with treated water knowing that whatever water will hit me in the face would be nice and filtered and not contain whatever horrible things are living in lake water. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robbalvey Posted September 27, 2015 Share Posted September 27, 2015 Cedar Point cannot build in Lake Erie, nor would they want to. I'm so glad you know exactly what Cedar Point wants to do. I had NO idea we had a member of the Cedar Point development team on the boards. There is absolutely NO REASON for you to be that rude to someone else on our forum. Banned for one week for being an asshole. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CP Maverick Posted September 27, 2015 Share Posted September 27, 2015 It would be a financial and logistical nightmare. Sandusky Bay is a better option, but you are still dealing with deep ice levels and natural currents. If they build into the lake, or bay, they would create an enclosed lagoon where they could filter and control water levels and currents. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coasterkid124 Posted September 27, 2015 Share Posted September 27, 2015 All of that would just add to the already expensive cost. I would love to try this out. The interactive feature is also pretty cool. Any guesses of the first park to build one? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snovi Posted September 27, 2015 Share Posted September 27, 2015 While interesting, I have a hard time seeing any major park installing an attraction like this... extremely pricey with too many risks for a one-trick pony. Further, I see this being a maintenance nightmare due to the environmental factors the system components would cycle through. If they do happen to get someone brave enough to bite on this, I see it getting bought by a developer type looking to build a one-off tourist attraction. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
I305forever Posted September 27, 2015 Share Posted September 27, 2015 I'm confused about how it is interactive. Do the riders affect the speed somehow? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coasterkid124 Posted September 27, 2015 Share Posted September 27, 2015 I'm confused about how it is interactive. Do the riders affect the speed somehow? All riders have a push button. The boat where the most riders push the button at the same time "wins the race". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnnyknottsville Posted September 27, 2015 Share Posted September 27, 2015 For me personally, I cannot stand things like "lake water" and the gross, disgusting things that live in lakes. So I would love to see a "theme park" version of this built with treated water knowing that whatever water will hit me in the face would be nice and filtered and not contain whatever horrible things are living in lake water. THIS Dang it with CA drought I guess we can cross this state off the list of possible places this concept might have been considered. I also wonder could be turns be incorporated into the layout? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CP Maverick Posted September 27, 2015 Share Posted September 27, 2015 Turns, possibly. They would likely be very wide turns as they are very large "boats" that are on a fixed track under the water. That is why the turntable is designed into the ride, as it is the most efficient way to return the boats to the loading station. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KBrylczyk Posted September 27, 2015 Share Posted September 27, 2015 For me personally, I cannot stand things like "lake water" and the gross, disgusting things that live in lakes. So I would love to see a "theme park" version of this built with treated water knowing that whatever water will hit me in the face would be nice and filtered and not contain whatever horrible things are living in lake water. Wait, wait, wait, weren't you the one praising Nautic Jet at Schlossbeck? The insane attraction that quite literally throws you into "Malaria Lake?" Here's a vid for those who don't know what I'm talking about. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KBrylczyk Posted September 27, 2015 Share Posted September 27, 2015 It'd be fun to see Geauga Lake install a new thrill ride. They can build in the lake. Ohhhh boy, I've got some bad news for you, buddy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GCI Wooden Posted September 27, 2015 Share Posted September 27, 2015 Those 20 foot streams of water coming out the back will look fantastic. I'd love to see this built somewhere. It'd be fun to see Geauga Lake install a new thrill ride. They can build in the lake. Ohhhh boy, I've got some bad news for you, buddy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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