Knott's Berry Farm removing Boomerang roller coaster

The enthusiast community has collaborated to release the following statement:

"Meh."

Heading to Michigan's Adventure? It's nowhere near the oldest Boomerang.

That's a very popular rumor right now. No real indication from anywhere just yet though.

So Boomerang holds the distinction of being, what, the most prolific production-model coaster in the history of the planet? That's the thing that makes you say "meh". But wait til that last Boomerang is standing and watch the enthusiasts chain themselves to the ride to prevent it's demolition.

It'd be in the top few, certainly – but the Reverchon/Zamperla Spinning Coaster is much more common. RCDB has 57 of them and that's not counting the huge number that travel.

RCMAC said:
That's the thing that makes you say "meh".

The "meh" is more from the migraines, methinks. I don't see many enthusiasts. complaining about spinning mice because they're fun rides despite being a dime a dozen.

Actually, I'd take a Boomerang over spinning mehce. I think that with a good train design, Boomerangs are actually pretty fun.

However, it might stem from the fact that Hersheypark was the park I visited most growing up and during those early conquest years, Sidewinder was the most intimidating coaster I knew. Those vertical spikes seemed to go up forever. It just sat there at the top of the park's hill and as I'd climb the hill of the trailblazer, I'd just stare at them jutting upwards and swear to myself (and my family) that I'd never ride it. I don't think I rode it until 2001, a year after I worked my way up to the seemingly less scary Great Bear. I guess I've always had a bit of a soft spot for them given that it was a source of pride for me to finally conquer one.

I had a similar experience as a kid with the one at Geauga Lake. The whole backward thing freaked me out - and it was a big deal the first time I rode it. I remember being terrified slowly climbing that steep backward lift.

They are also a great spectator ride with the small size and backward gimmick.

Karl Bacon of Arrow Development once said the test version of the Corkscrew was more exciting than the actual ride, because they didn't build a full circuit. Instead, they pulled the train backward up an incline to the top with a crane or a winch, and then the passengers would have to wait until the thing let go, which of course seemed like an eternity. The first time I rode a Boomerang (the Knott's one), I thought - they built the test ride for the Corkscrew!

I had always imagined the Knott's installation was the first - but there was a lot less information about what was going on elsewhere back then than there is today.

I haven't ridden one in a while, kind of like I don't ride every Scrambler or Tilt-a-Whirl I see. I hope there's something good on the way.

The one at Morey's Piers is really good too. It seems to run smoother than a lot of other one's I've been on. The setting is nice too.

I think boomerangs can be fun if they run smoothly and are taken care of well enough to not be too rough.

PhantomTails said:
The "meh" is more from the migraines, methinks. I don't see many enthusiasts. complaining about spinning mice because they're fun rides despite being a dime a dozen.

There are two versions of the Boomerang in Europe with lap bars. Those are actually pretty good. Picture here:

http://www.bannister.org/coasters/trips/2016/0508.htm

Noo! Now what coaster is going to be in drug commercials?

I'll admit to liking the "Face-off" or "Invertigo" models, and loving the "Deja-Vu" Giant Inverted Boomerangs. (GIB) I found that the Invertigo's are very forceful and it's fun to choose which direction to face and interact with the people across from you. And the GIB's are very intimidating and absolutely insane in the front row. Both still contain more headbanging than I'd like, but I'm willing to look past it for the otherwise good ride.

However, I have yet to find and "original" Boomerang that I don't despise. No matter what the train, they feel poorly engineered and usually leave me with a tinge of nausea due to the unnatural movements that they put the body through. (Insert "heartline" joke here.)

Lapbars? This might be the only time where I say "No thanks." Given their tendency to valley in the middle of the Cobra Roll, I'd hate to be in the front or back car of the train, at that angle, when that happens.

Another boomerang gone, good riddance.

That is the only coaster I have ever ridden that made me nauseous. I rode it once at Hershey, first and last time.

Actually if I recall it is the only coaster I rated one star, even kiddy coasters get two stars, one star is reserved for the bottom of the barrel, that nasty garbage water rotting pile of a coaster. Exactly what Sidewinder is to me. :)

Well, think of it this way. It's a coaster that inverts six times in fairly rapid succession, frontwards and backwards no less, which is a feat most full circuit loopers don't accomplish even with a much larger footprint. When Kentucky Kingdom installed Vampire in 1990 it was the first version to appear in North America, and it was quite a sensation.

I don't find them to be all that heinous, but I agree that some are "better" (more comfortable) than others. I suppose it would be interesting to count up how many different Boomerangs I've been on, but I'm way too busy for all that. I can safely say I've climbed aboard every one I've ever come across just for credit, if nothing else, including Knott's. I remember thinking that one wasn't half bad.

Are we sure it's not just being relocated? As mentioned above, MiA does seem like a good fit for this ride. (I wish I was joking, but I'm not.)

Yup. Put me in the group that despises these things. As a kid I could marathon on Vampire at KK all day, but one ride on any of them today puts me in the nausea danger zone. I think it's the combo of upside down and backwards that I just can't handle these days, so I don't bother with any of them, not even for a new credit.

Is this going to refuel the 15 year old+ KBF is getting a hyper rumor mill?

I just don't think any of them are good, but of the ones I've ridden I will say that Knott's and Morey's have the best of the bunch.

I really did enjoy the Invertigo version, though.

RCMAC said:

When Kentucky Kingdom installed Vampire in 1990 it was the first version to appear in North America

Unless I'm completely missing something, this is not accurate. Six Boomerangs opened in North America prior to Vampire.

Oh.
I really meant the first one in Kentucky.