The Whole arguement of whether hyperwoodies are "too rough" or "too expensive" is menial and generally ignored by the parks that have them. It would appear that as long as you keep your limbs and your life on a ride, they'll build it, and as long the parks wil build 'em, people will ride 'em. as to the question of whether PKI will profit from SOB, it's my impression that the GP will flock like sheep to any record-breaker. SOB holds quite a few, so I'd say it's drawing a crowd plenty big enough to keep paramount happy.
PKI was smart for the same reason they built the Beast...I believe the SOB records will hold for a long time, kinda like the Beast's records becuase they are such different and not trendy coasters.
It's true that the GP will flock to a record-breaker. If a coaster has no staying power, though, it will be hard for a park to recoup their expenditures on the ride. A coaster that is novel (i.e. Magnum in 1989) and also pleases will enhance gate receipts for several years. But, if the SOB is really beating the hell out of people (I haven't been on it), PKI will experience a relatively shorter flurry of enhanced gate receipts, after which the novelty will have worn off and they'll have miles of board-feet of wood to maintain.
Does the GP want to keep riding massive wooden coasters (after they satisfy their initial curiousity)? You can generally get on to Mean Streak with less than a 10 minute wait these days. Notably, in the 9 years since Mean Streak has been built, only 2 taller woodies (SOB and Rattler) and two woodies with longer drops (SOB and Hercules) have been built. Compare this to the frenzy of hyper steelies being built every year since 1989. It isn't exactly cause and effect, but maybe the lack of giant woodies reflects the unwillingness of the average person to put their body through what will, likely, be a somewhat abusive experience.
I'm going to PKI on August 9th, so then, I will have a better opinion about hyperwoodies (that is, if SOB is open and I can ride it). Right now, I'd say sure, they should be built, as long as parks are willing to put up with the "teething" problems large wooden coasters have in their first few years. There have been many retracking projects on the Rattler and Mean Streak, and already on SOB too. But, parks know records bring in people, so for that reason, they will continue to build these monsters and put up with the headaches of later having to change them. In the end, I think SOB will draw more people (and therefore, money) to PKI than it cost to build and maintain it.
As for me, if I can get on SOB, where do you reccommend I sit for the best ride?
MooreOn-
I recomend you sit in the First Car Second Seat. That gives the best ride of all. i was just there today and it was smooth compared to the very front, the back, and the middle. Good News they are running a constant 2 trains on SOB. The third train is no longer in the docking station... you don't even see it anywhere. wonder if they are only going to run two trains on it.
Should hyperwoodies be built? I would have to say yes, but let's work out the kinks. Jeff has stated that Villian is outstanding for a smaller woodie (small, I mean 130 ft. compared to 200 ft.). I just rode Wildcat and Lightening Racer at Hershey. Wildcat was great and the hill is only 125 feet. It wasn't rough and it never let up making it a classic in my book. I'm scared to try SOB, but will do it the first chance I get. Let's see how Sonny does in its second season. The Beast only got better after the first year...
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There's nothing like a woodie...
The thing is, PKI has 10-20 years to gain something from SOB. People act like they are going to tear it down at the end of the year. My question is, in 20 years, will SOB be ridable? My goodness, give the coaster a few years before you damn it.
Good call simcoaster!!! The way I see it, the GP does not like a rough ride at all. All woodies are a little rough and I know of people that hate even smooth woodies. I know people that think the Magnum and Gemini are too rough. I don't think that the GP apprieciates woodies in any way shape or form.
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DOWN WITH TRIM BRAKES!
