Son of Beast does not get the respect it derserves

A wood coaster is supposed to give a out of control expierence. I watched the travel channel tonight, and it shows the wooden marvel it is. a 218' 80 mph wooden coaster with a mind boggling first helix. it gives a lill airtime throughout the ride, and great laterals and speed. I don't know why people say it is rough? I have marathoned it and its awsome. A lot of people say that coasters anymore does not give enough length, but this one does like its father.

it almost sounds like you have an opinion... kudos!

You must be under 6ft in height also.

Let me guess: You are 48" tall ( or at least have very short, skinny legs) and have not ridden many (if any) truly great wood coasters.

People say it is rough because it *is*. The layout is all curves, and the train can't handle it. And the front and back seat of each car is cantilevered out past the axle, meaning that if you are in the front or back seat of any car, you get shaken side to side continuously as the cars fight their way down the course. And of course you feel every bump in the course because there is no useful cushioning whatsoever in the train.

Son of Beast is a vicious ride that could be made rideable with some expensive modifications, but if that were done, it would go from being a bad ride to being a boring ride.

Son of Beast doesn't get respect because, quite frankly, it doesn't deserve much respect. Which is sad. I had hoped it would be a lot better than it is.

--Dave Althoff, Jr.

Well, I'm WELL under 6ft tall, and I strongly dislike Son of Beast.

Cool logo, though. I can't think of another coaster that I dislike so much yet have so much clothing for. ;)

You may not like it Greg, but at least you still have your knees intact. :)

I think it gets more than warranted! Their first mistake wasn't the trains Dave, they shouldn't have gotten Montel Williams to announce it! ;)

The truth is, Dave is right. WIth the correct set of trains it could be a significantly better (dare I say ridable?) ride? But, trains won't make up for the uninspired layout.

Loop sure is cool, though! Because of the loop it isn't my least favorite wooden coaster. It's in the 90s out of the hundred or so woodies I've ridden. *** Edited 3/15/2005 5:39:34 AM UTC by Peabody***

Chitown & RideMan couldn't have said it any better.

I'm 5-9...hated SOB.

6'2"...loved SOB, and I've been to Holiday World, Kennywood, Knoebels, Hershey, SFA, and KBF which each have at least one great wooden coaster, as well as many other parks that have not so great wooden coasters. Sure it was a little rough, but I thought Son of Beast was a fun ride nonetheless. I mean, it was no worse than several of the other wooden coasters out there, especially if you sit in the right seat. If you want a painful wooden coaster, try Psyclone at SFMM or the back seat of Cyclone at Williams Grove!

It's an OK ride if you do it in a middle seat. Certainly not as cool as the Holiday World rides, or even Beast and Racer, but it's average.

It's funny. While I was busy protecting my knees from massive knots and bruising (being 6ft 2 in.), my 9 year old daughter was having the time of her life and extending her arms in the air during the ride. She actually giggled throughout the course.

Even if I was a shorty like Gregleg and Moosh (sorry guys :) ), I would still not care much for this coaster. It just doesn't ride right. The loop is the only redeeming factor but that is about it.

PKI deserves an *enormous* amount of respect for taking on such an undertaking...I applaud them for the risk they were willing to take...

The ride is *virtually intolerable* in terms of roughness, one of a VERY few rides I would say that about...still, I'll give it a lap EVERY time I visit just because I'm that way and the ride is THAT unique/special. I bet PKI wishes more of their REGULAR guests felt that way....;)

Respect it? Yeah! Mostly fear though...:)

I give you the wrath of SoB. (second reply)

*** Edited 3/15/2005 6:50:10 AM UTC by Neuski***

Chalk up another shorty at 5'-8" who hated it. Not only was it horribly rough (even on the chain lift!), the helicies had me yawning between winces of pain, the brake run started off as the best part of the ride, but since the train came to a near complete stop at the end, that ended quickly, then the loop was probably the most boring part of the ride, and that's saying a lot considering the tedioucy (word?) of the helicies.

SoB is an extremely disappointing use of what was probably a nice looking forest. But hey, it's a nicer looking use than cardboard, so I guess that's it's redeeming factor!

I'm 5'10"-ish and I've ridden it with regret everytime. Each of the 4 or 5 times I've been on it I say why the heck did I even get on that torture machine! Every year though I keep hoping for the best and for change and attempt to ride it again in dismay. I have never ridden anything except for SoB where I am counting the seconds in my head eagerly anticipating the end of the ride. I've sat all over even in the middle and tried to get in seats not directly over an axle and still have an unbelievably painful and just awful experience. This is definately a ride that could scare some people away from ever wanting to ride other coasters again.
*** Edited 3/15/2005 12:29:06 PM UTC by cyberdman***

Ive gone on record saying I don't mind SOB and find it enjoyable at times.

However I have given up on defending it. The ride has issues.

Chuck

I'm 6'2" and had a great time on SOB. Sure it's not one of the best, but I found it to be an above average woodie.

And yes I have ridden Legend, Raven, ST, Phoenix and other "great" woodies.

I always give it a lap...then wonder why...

I only ride SoB if I'm with someone who hasn't been to the park yet. Otherwise, I avoid it like the plague. I'm 5'9" and It hurts me no matter what seat I'm in.