Boomerang watching? - CoasterBuzz

I don't know why, but I REALLY like Sidewinder at Hershey and slightly dislike any of the others at other parks. I guess it is because it was my first boomerang and I always have a good time on it.

I will agree that a boomerang would fit nicely into KW. I'm sure if they wanted one, they would find a spot for it.

BATWING FAN SFA said: You want to see a flat ride that draws a crowd of onlookers whenever it starts up? well just come to SFA & stand anywhere near iron eagle,or ride it for that matter & right as it starts up there's always a crowd of onlookers watching & sometimes willing to ride by the time the next group is being loaded.

They're probably amazed people can handle such a terrible, painful ride. ;) Seriously, I don't know why people would be so infatuated with such a ride. I don't think anyone at KCS ever seems too impressed with it.

As for Top Spins over Nemesis or Air, I'm sure that has more to do with the capacity of the rides than the fact that one is more interesting, thrilling, or popular than another.

-Nate

I rode my first boomerang at Knott's in the very last seat because I find loops and inversions are always better in the last or first car because of the fact that you are being pulled through the inversion, going into the cobra roll, infact the first half of the cobra roll I was like "Why is everyone hating this" then BAM! It hits me! The headrest! Then I hit it again and again and again, going through the cobra roll backwards I almost blacked out and it wasn't of g forces, it was from the severe beating my back of the head recieved. No wonder knott's is so careful with all their rides, a fat women falls out and they jump on your lap bars, but over 2 million people beatin to a pulp and they don't care. Something is wrong here..... Tear it down and put in a wild mouse.

I don't beleive that Boomerangs are cheap, I think they are like $5 million, I saw this number a couple of times on RCDB. For a steel ride it is, but when you think about it for the same price you could buy Legend and Raven! Hello! Only an idiot would buy a stinkin boomerang. Correction only money hungry idiots would buy a boomerang because lord forbid you get a GOOD RIDE that pleases the general public. Boomerangs have the general public draw to them, but for us that know better the metal would be put to better use rusting away in a backlot.

And how many of "us that know better" are there? A couple thousand? C'mon. How many people on this board actually think they know how to run a park?

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Be polite and ignore the idiots. - rollergator
You must be this dumb to ride Viper. -SFGAdv.

coasterkid16 said:

Correction only money hungry idiots would buy a boomerang because lord forbid you get a GOOD RIDE that pleases the general public. Boomerangs have the general public draw to them, but for us that know better the metal would be put to better use rusting away in a backlot.

You answered your own question. The majority of people like these rides, and are impressed by their 6 rapid-fire inversions, and the fact that it goes backwards.

Just a reminder- parks aren't built for enthusiasts. Its the other people that spend all of the money there.

BATWING FAN SFA said:

You want to see a flat ride that draws a crowd of onlookers whenever it starts up? well just come to SFA & stand anywhere near iron eagle,or ride it for that matter & right as it starts up there's always a crowd of onlookers watching & sometimes willing to ride by the time the next group is being loaded.
As for boomerangs t I have yet to ride a standard model,I came close to riding Tidal wave at Ocean city's boardwalk back in 95 though.

Cliffhanger at Canada's Wonderland. Always a crowd watching everyone getting drenched, and then that same crowd is riding later on

I have more to add to the whole Boomerang watching phenomenon.

Everytime I visit Knott's Berry Farm, you have hordes of people crowded all around Boomerang watching it and making comments like - "Good lord that's insane.." or "Oh my...it goes backwards!" and yes they have that petrified "I can't believe what I'm seeing terror face expression. And it surprises me how clever these things are because they sell really well, and the general riding public love them. If the Boomerangs weren't popular, there wouldn't be so many of them.

And this is Southern California too. Not some park in the middle of Kansas. You have Magic Mountain, Disneyland, Cailfornia Adventure in the same market area...

phantoms_revenge_rules said:

I think kennywood should get a boomerange. Any variety would do the park good, even a standard model. I know a unique place for it, that would be on top of Exterminator. Just joking, no need to make the last statement into a big arguement.

Please no! I like boomgerang coasters, but Kennywood doesn't deserve one. It's an excellent park with a good amount of flat rides and coasters. If they wanted a clone it sould be at least a inverted impluse coaster, batman: the ride or the top gun clone at great america. At least those coasters take up some small room. alot of People still come to kennywood even though they don't have the lastest technology in their park. Taste their potato patch fries with chicken strips and the funnel cakes with ice cream/strawberries. just thinking about that makes me wish I knew the recipe.

*** This post was edited by Derrick Whitsett on 12/8/2002. ***

Been on all three US Invertigos, and the experience IMO is a million times better than the standard Boomerang...I'm *really* surprised those didn't become more popular. Guess it has to do with the fact that everyone and their sister already HAS a standard sit-down Boomerang and/or an inverted. It SEEMS as though the cost difference between those two shouldn't be that much. Of course, the GIB's *are* more expensive, but I seriously doubt anyone's interested in those anymore due to their "issues"...mostly worked out now it seems, but still have temperature sensitivity AND the bad rep they *earned*...the old-fashioned way...;). Anyone got anything RELIABLE in terms of current pricing of the three models?

Boomerangs are fun. I enjoy riding them, even if they are all pretty much the same. I like Invertigos a little more though, just more fun.

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AkA somewhatchewy
"We are alone. We are not alone. Either way the thoughts are stagering."

It doesn't really matter whether people like them or not, they will still be watched. (Hey, People used to watch Shock Wave all the time!) Boomerangs are visually appealing for two reasons: They are easy to follow, yet somewhat complex due to the backwards element, and they are usualy free from scenery on at least one side, allowing the entire ride to be observed (easily) from at least one single vantage point. Also, the whole "Oh my God, will it go off the end!?" thing helps! by the way, I've only been on one boomerang (Great America's Deja Vu), and the only issues I have with it are reliability and capacity. The ride itself is amazing!

I've got to get to SFMM so I, too, like Gator, can have ridden all three DVs. They're actually my 3rd favorite steel.

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http://www.rockandrollconfidential.com

If you want to ride a very smooth boomerangcoaster, take a ride on Cobra in Six Flags Belgium! It's so smooth and not shaky at all, you don't believe it's a Vekoma! And it's also placed on a very nice and beautiful place in the park. It's themed with a Arabic palace, wich was a dark ride till it was closed at the end of the 2001 season!

rollergator said:
Been on all three US Invertigos, and the experience IMO is a million times better than the standard Boomerang...I'm *really* surprised those didn't become more popular. Guess it has to do with the fact that everyone and their sister already HAS a standard sit-down Boomerang and/or an inverted. It SEEMS as though the cost difference between those two shouldn't be that much. Of course, the GIB's *are* more expensive, but I seriously doubt anyone's interested in those anymore due to their "issues"...mostly worked out now it seems, but still have temperature sensitivity AND the bad rep they *earned*...the old-fashioned way.... Anyone got anything RELIABLE in terms of current pricing of the three models?

I totally agree with you. i've been on invertigo at SFA and it's so much better than the standard boomerang. Seeing as it seems to have roughly the same footprint, IF they cost roughly the same the invertigo seems the obvious choice between the 2.

Mark W. Baruth said:
I've got to get to SFMM so I, too, like Gator, can have ridden all three DVs. They're actually my 3rd favorite steel.
Yeah, I've got to get to SFoG so I can see all three DVs SBNO... I saw the other two in such a state last year... along with Goliath... :(
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A day is a drop of water in the ocean of eternity. A week is seven drops.

Has anyone ever witnessed a park guest, who was standing and watching a Boomerang operate, walk away and then return and watch it operate some more?

Moosh [wait for it....]

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[still waiting....]

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Boomerang coaster, boomerang guest, eh, Moosh?

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« adix@nedesigns.com »

I just think it's stupid when people are looking at it for a half hour, decide to go on it, look at the line (longer ones) and return and say they're not going on until they put another train on.

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http://coasterplace.web1000.com

*** This post was edited by Code823 on 12/9/2002. ***