The Rattler

I am fascinated with megawoodies as many of you probably already know (ala my contributions to the Hercules posts). The Rattler at Fiesta Texas has interested me because I've been reading all the reports of injuries and lawsuits that the ride has encountered over its 11 year existance. It also interests me how many times this ride has been reprofiled. I think this ride beats Michael Jackson out for number of facelifts. I heard this ride, in particular the steep, record-breaking 179ft first drop was quite impressive in its early years. Can anyone who has ridden it before all the facelifts and after all the reprofiles give an account of what it was like prior to the facelifts and what kind of ride it gives now after all the changes. I have heard it is quite a lackluster ride as it stands now. Also, what all was changed from the original design? Quite ironic that when a ride delivers a fast, powerful ride it was must tamed down, yet when it is tamed down people then complain that its boring. I guess you can never please the GP. Dinn nor the Rollercoaster Corp. of America successfully conquered the megawoodie, do you think anyone ever will? *** Edited 12/22/2003 3:31:19 AM UTC by DorneyDante***

By roller Coaster Corp of America , do you mean SOB? In that case , they did fine. It's Premier's trains that kill the thing.

And anyway , Intamin will conquer the megawoodie.

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The comment about Michael Jackson? Ooh....Bad tact.

Dinn didn't? *cough*TexasGiant*cough* 'Course, that wasn't completely their design...

The Rattler was amazing when it opened. The first drop made the hair stand up on the back of your neck and had the best "pit of your stomach" feeling of any coaster I've ever ridden. The layout was just amazing how after the big drop, you swoop back into the drop then up to the top of the quarry where the triple helix is. The first reprofile just made the drop feel a bit slower, not THAT much of a difference.

Now, the first drop on the Rattler seems as if it's more of a midcourse drop or something around the lines. It doesn't feel like you drop much at all. Also they slow you down through the helix and took the head choppers out. After the helix, you now come to a complete stop right before dropping into the quarry (which some people actually like better).

I personally do not think that the second reprofile was necessary. I do believe, however, that the first was. But most of the lawsuits that came after the first reprofile were just either psychosomatic, or were just hopping on the "Rattler hurt me" bandwagon. In San Antonio, the Rattler recieved tons of bad publicity and pretty much generated fear and paranoia in the GP. In most senses, that's what killed the Rattler. *** Edited 12/22/2003 5:53:37 AM UTC by one sided soldier***

wow, this picture http://www.rcdb.com/installationgallery56.htm?Picture=1 looks amazing.

I rode it after all the reprofilings and this ride was the worst (yes, they have a boomerang) at SFFT. This overtrimmed, rough, monster is visually-impressive, but is a terrible ride. They should really tear it down and build a GCII.

I've only had the misfortune of riding The Rattler in 2000 and 2002, and there was at least one reprofile done in that two-year space. But even in 2000, I caught a glimpse of the ride's former glory when cresting the second hill when it was still a drop-and-twist. Now, it just twists... very gradually. And even those elements are a far cry from the original, apparently. It's one of the few rides on my "do not ride" list (along with another megawoodie).

My fiancee, who can't really tolerate anything rougher than a B&M, rode The Rattler in its original state and claims it was fantastic.

... I'd agree that Intamin probably has conquered the megawoodie, but I wonder if there will be any demand for it in the U.S., where there's a relative abundance of wooden rides. Woodies wax and wane in popularity, and the extreme steel rides seem to be the "in" thing for now. *** Edited 12/22/2003 4:03:18 PM UTC by Olsor***

Hope this helps!

http://members.aol.com/rides911/rattler.htm

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one sided soldier said:
I personally do not think that the second reprofile was necessary.

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I love it when I read comments like that on these boards. As if the park would spend thousands of dollars and countless hours on modifications to a ride that are "not necessary".

Thanx for the link. Interesting to know that the original design proposed a 150 ft 1st drop, but in in order to top Mean Streak's (which was under construction at this time) statistics, they increased the 1st drop height to 169ft which ultimately increased forces throughout the entire ride, which may be the root of all the reprofiles/problems. *** Edited 12/22/2003 5:33:17 PM UTC by DorneyDante***

She is something amazing to look at. I hope to ride it one day! Glad you liked the link.

As an admitted 'megawoodie' fan (both SoB and Herc are top-10 woodies for me), I can honestly say the Rattler is the worst piece of wack-trash I've had the (dis)pleasure of riding. It *would* be simply crummy but that spawn-of-Satan torsion-chamber they call a triple helix is (in the words of Simon Cowell) "Simply Dreadful!"

I think there are some things that can be done to "save" it, but the amount of work that (I think) is needed would be better served by just building something like Lighting Racer. I mean really, what would be cooler than a racer/dueler along/through the cliff wall?

lata, jeremy

What's cooler than cool?

ICE COLD!

As 2Hostyl says, the triple helix sucks. If it were just a regular helix, it would probably be okay, but it goes up and down while traveling at a very slow speed . Ride the back seat at your own peril. It hurts, real bad. There are some bright moments however. The first drop into the left-banked turn rocks, as does the drop off the midcourse brake into the quarry. Take your one ride for the credit and go next door and ride the far superior "Road Runner Express" minetrain.

SOB is a wonderful work of art. I find it brutal pain full as I did with Hercules. I however, haven't ridden rattler but I would even though everyone has put it down. I want to ride it! Road trip anyone?

The rattler has its perks, but overall, its definitely a lackluster ride.

After leaving the chain and then flying around the first hill and down the drop the ride really feels like it's going to be amazing. Airtime on the first drop, insane laterals, and its running like a bat out of hell. Then, everything just stops. Youre on the 1st set of trim brakes that are just before the helix!

This helix is the biggest waste of this rides' time. It does the first two rounds of the helix very slowly, going up and down, and is quite shaky. Towards the end it picks up a bit, but because of the brakes from the beginning, nothing too exciting to write home about.

After the helix, you come to a complete stop on the midcourse, and this is where the ride gets cool again. A swooping drop down into the quarry gives a great sensation, and at night, the tunnel through the quarry has some interesting lighting effects, or on some of my previous visits, no lights at all! After the tunnel, it's a bunch of uneventful swoops and dives until you slam into the brakes, shaking the structure.

Overall, Rattler is not the ride it looks to be. It makes for great pictures, and can be entertaining at night (btw, the structure is lit up by giant blacklights) but you'll probably coming off not really wanting to get back on. I would have loved to ride this ride back in its first season to experience that helix at a higher speed, it's an interesting idea that has serious flaws in this particular ride.

Krytpon, I completly agree....the ride isn't that bad, minus the triple helix. Although, that is a big minus-it starts out slow and rough, and just gets worse and worse as it goes. However...I think the first drop, the second banked drop and the drop into the tunnel are all great....I mean, really, if they just got some articulated trains and completely reworked the helix section-it'd be a great ride.