The end of Paddlewheel at Cedar Point

Large groups of folks showing up at Kinzel's house dressed as boat captains telling corny jokes and singing songs would help too.

Pagoda Gift Shop said:
Here's a plan for saving Paddlewheel.

1. Make large flags and banners of dinosaurs with X's through them and other propaganda.
2. Visit the park on September 5th the last day of PWE.
   
3. Smuggle the flags and a megaphone into the park in a baby stroller.
4. Pay off PWE captain before your ride.
   
5. Hijack boat and put up flags. Float around lagoon shouting about "charm" and "families" and "Buck Skinner".
6. Hold boat for ransom until CP changes their plans.

Wouldnt this make it the Pirate Ride then?

What would it take to pay off a PWE captain?

Just get some sultry girl to lure him away from the boat and then steal the boat - so it's more of an issue to pay off a girl than the PWE captain.

a buck an ear?

I'm not sure what the asking price would be. Do the captains work any other ride? If not, they might not care as much about getting fired.

The trick is to find the captain that is the most angry about PWE being removed.

Red Cross is doing a Final Ride auction.

http://www.firelandsredcross.org/

Dick Kinzel will pilot the last boat.

It's nice they're doing this (the auction, not closing PWE). It helps to replace the auction Red Cross lost at the beginning of the season when Windseeker didn't open on time.

Jason Hammond said:
Red Cross is doing a Final Ride auction.

Dick Kinzel will pilot the last boat.

And there's the opening for anyone who wants to cause a commotion over this. Think about it.

Does that just seem too easy? Does someone want Kinzel to go out with a real understanding of how park guests feel about some of his choices?

Just when I had accepted the loss of PWE and moved on with things, a statement like this comes along...

"Dick Kinzel will pilot the last boat."

Now my panties are in a bunch all over again. I hope he misses the turn at Shoot-the-Rapids and takes out that ride too while simultaneously ensuring multiple lawsuits against him in the process. ;)

Of the three seasons that I worked there, Dick Kinzel was at the ride exactly zero times. Unless he gets some practice in, he may go down in Cedar Point history as not only the guy who destroyed the ride, but also the worst Paddlewheel captain of all time.

You can't just read the ride manual and do it. There is a lot more to it than that.

Someone please film this.

It's poetic.

I don't imagine he'll actually be at the helm.

It would be amazing if they invited all previous PWE captains to drive and spiel on the last day. Of course, the park and the former employees would need to do lots of paperwork. That would only happen in my wildest dreams.

If the channel is like it was during the Western Cruise days, there would be a good likelyhood of running up on a sand bar. Used to happen frequently early in the season with green skippers.

I'm going to guess that the present boats do not have as much draw as the Western Cruise boats did. They are certainly lighter, and they appear to be modified pontoon boat frames ( the pontoons are integrated into a conventionally shaped hull rather than a catamaran).

Of course,they run them so fast that they would just hydroplane right over any sandbar...

--Dave Althoff, Jr.

RideMan said:I got a ride on Mean Streak today with the first drop trims off. It is amazing how much better the first half of that ride is when it goes just a little bit faster! in particular that long drop after the cruise around the lift hill, just inboard of the third drop...that thing hides some serious airtime!

I got a few of these rides while working on it in 2005 and they were just as good as you described. I'm glad someone else has seen what she can do and knows what she could do.

Got my last trip in today, and left a nice comment for the crew, past and present. Good times!