Question about B&M "big boy" seats

With all of the B&M trains with special seats that can handle larger riders, why don't they just make the whole train with "big boy" seats? Sorry if this has been asked before, but this has been bugging me for a while, and I really can't think of a logical answer.

Maybe this is really obvious and I'm just missing something.

"Big boy" seats are just that - seats for guests larger than the average everyday joe. Having all the seats that large means guests that would normally be considered "average-sized" may be restricted from riding due to the seat/restraint setup as well as the comfort issue.

I suspect it's because then "little boys" wouldn't be able to fit safely, and the height requirements would have to be increased. They generally design for the average-sized rider.

------------------
Ask about my references

But don't average sized people ride in the bigger seats all the time? It must be perfectly safe for an average or even smaller sized person to ride in them...so why not just make the "big boy" seat the standard design?

The 'Big Boy' seats are just the regular seats with a longer belt, and 'little' people ride in them all the time.

I can't think of one good reason that B&M just doesn't put longer belts on each restraint so that everyone can ride everywhere.

Where's Hostyl when you need him?

That was my thought exactly, chris. Thanks. Why have just a few specific seats for big people to ride in, when its perfectly safe for normal people to ride in them, too?

I was thinking that there was some easy, logical reason for this, but maybe it was just something that B&M never thought of. Maybe its a matter of a park requesting it.

My understanding of "big boy" seats was that the bucket seat was deeper than normal. Having a longer seat belt doesn't seem like it would help get a restraint down any further. If a person of girth sits in a normal seat, the harness still has to click down to a certain, safe point. But I could be talking out my buttocks.

------------------
Ask about my references

Not sure of the specifics... but I think I agree with Olsor. I have ridden in "Big Boy" seats before, and there is definatley something different the way they sit... before the OTSR is dropped. As said... the OTSR still has to close to a click down to a safe level... the longer belt has little to do with that.

------------------
Half of the people surveyed agree, half disagree and another half are unsure.

Well I guess that makes sense, but there still isn't anything prohibitting 'little' people from sitting in the 'big' seats is there? Why not make them all the same?

Do all B&M's have the big boy seats? If not, which ones do?

Good point, Chris. The only thing I can think of is that the "big boy" seats aren't dramatically larger, and might only serve to help out people who just barely don't fit into the regular seats. But then that begs the intial question... why not make them all that size? Now I'm stumped. Can we get a hold of Claude and Walter?

------------------
Ask about my references

Just speculating here, but could multiple heavy riders' weight affect the ride? I noticed that Talon's big boy seats are in the middle of the coaster... could it be that having a group of large individuals in the front or back might produce different effects than the designers want? Or if a group of heavy riders filled the train, could it increase the speed and g-forces in some areas, or cause a rollback in others? If so, it would make sense to only have them in the middle, where it would have the least effect on the coaster, as well as limiting them so that you don't have as great a possible large weight change from one train to another.

Also, ive noticed on montu that some seats have two saftey belts. I could be wrong, but i remember seeing two belts on some seats.

------------------
http://nedesigns.com

AGD: You're not wrong. Oblivoin and Nemesis have "Big Boy" seats fitted with two belts, as opposed to the one belt on the standard seats. The "Big Boy" seat is in the middle of the ride cars. I'd speculate that this relates to the issue of weight distribution. i.e. in trains that seat more than two across, you don't want to suspend the largest mass outside of the direct support provided by the coaster's track.

Cheers.

I sat in one of the big seats yesterday on oblivion, and it made no difference for me. I wonder whether the part that locks the restraint down can lock higher up than the other seats, as i couldn't see any obvious difference in the size of the seats. Only having this on a few seats would be slightly cheaper to produce, and also, i think the weight distribution would come into account.

------------------
This Season:
Flights on Air: 1 - Escapes From Nemesis: 3 Drops into Oblivion: 1 - Spins On Maelstrom: 3
Drops on Apocalypse, Sit-Down: 1, Stand-Up: 1, Stand-Up Floorless: 5 - Survival on Shockwave: 2
*** This post was edited by ms696969 8/30/2003 10:18:00 AM ***

I do not think there is any difference in either the seat or the actual OTSR/ The only difference I can tell is the fact that the big boy seats have two safety belts that come from the sides, rather than the one in the middle. This allows for the secondary safety system (being the belt) to lock in a higher position, which will then accomidate a larger person.

I'm a guy who "fits" in a normal seat, but is much more comfortable in the big boy seat. I can pretty much assure that the actual seat is the same. Only the additional belt and the placement of them makes the difference.

------------------
SCREAM with me... in 2003!

The Chance/Morgan Revolution has big boy seats on the outsides of each group of four seats (at leaast Hershey's does). I'm not sure what the difference is, except maybe a wider seat.
------------------
If someone makes a post and you post-quote it right beneath it, you're wasting bandwidth. Think before you press the button.

onceler said:
Do all B&M's have the big boy seats? If not, which ones do?

Well, Raptor and most, if not all of the Batmans do not have Big Boy Seats.

I'm almost positive that Talon, Montu, Dueling Dragons, Kumba, Great Bear, & Hulk all have them. They are almost always in the 4th or 5th rows (the 2 middle seats). I don't pay as much attention to them anymore now that hubby lost enough weight to fit in the 'regular' seats :)

Alpengeist and Medusa (W) have them, but I am pretty sure the PGA B&Ms do not have them. (Can a stand-up even have them? Hrmmm)

------------------
-Parker
www.SFMWZone.com

I'm a big guy and I use these seats whenever possible. I've found that some coasters have bb-seats in rows 3,4,5,and 6, like Alpie, Wildfire, and Superman Krypton Coaster. The B:TR clones at SFSL, SFOT, and Great White at SWSA have them in 2 rows (3 and 6, I think).

The signs on Alpie plainly state that these seats are for people with a chest size over 52". I happen to wear a 52" coat and a regular seat may or may not require 3 hands to get it buckled, so I'd say that's pretty accurate.

I can't remember exactly where I found it, but it's my understanding that: The OTSR must click a certain number of times before they achieve a specified saftey factor. The restraint is safe without the belt, but the belt acts as a sizing device to insure the desired safety factor. A single belt may not be strong enough to hold a large person if the OTSR fails, but 2 will, so you don't have to close a Big-Boy restraint as far to achieve the same safety factor.

Anybody got more or better info?