Wooden Corkscrew thoughts.

Well, I found Son of Beast infinitely rougher than Viper, but you probably shouldn't listen to me because I actually like Viper. But honestly, this is a horrible comparison, as each is 'rough' for entirely different reasons.

My one ride on Son of Beast was the single most excruciating experience I've ever had while riding a coaster. Brain-jarring is a perfect description, and I mean brain-jarring in the literal sense.

But don't take my word that SoB is a lousy experience. See for yourself, seriously.

I too thought it was terrible, but it was because my knees were banging into the seat in front of me. Shorter riders don't have this problem and therefore might think it is less painfull.

There is a current thread talking about SOB and the trains. *** Edited 4/8/2004 5:53:25 AM UTC by Word***

Down is the new up.

I don't mind Viper either.

I guess you need to define 'rough'. I rode SOB for the first time this past Saturday. The section from the station to the lift is probably the smoothest wood I've ever ridden.

Most of the layout wasn't 'rough' but the train shuffled ridiculously through turns and even front to back over the hills.

Let someone twice your size grab you by the shoulders, make yourself limp, then let them shake you vigorously for 3 minutes and you have SOB: The home game.

If the trains didn't have that jerky shuffle thing going on, the ride might be ok.

Just my experience from one ride on a cold April night.

coasterimage - lordgonchar

Are you serious Vater? Anything rougher than Viper should serve is torture devices for prisoners of war!

*** Edited 4/8/2004 5:54:16 AM UTC by Antuan***

Fate is the path of least resistance.

Wooden with a steel supporting structure for the corkscrew might be okay, but they'd probably make it a one-trick pony :/

Overbanked turns are more realistic imo.

Miltonmx said:
When CCI was building Medusa at Six Flags México, I have the chance to speak with Dennis the owner of the defunct company.

Is that supposed to be Denise Dinn? Or were you going for the obscure "Possible exits are NORTH, SOUTH, and DENNIS." reference?

Later,
EV

SoB's worst trait is the trains. I end up with bruised legs from the sides of the lap bars each time I ride (and yet, I keep riding.)

To touch on the NORTH, SOUTH, or DENNIS comment, supposedly there is a way to win that.

So I guess everyone pretty much agrees it's a bad idea. If the rumors end up being true, will definitely be interesting to see how this thing turns out.

The one steel coaster element I would like to see on a woodie though would be a verticle drop. A launched woodie with a verticle drop like Hypersonic would be even better! (just longer with more hills). Or a lauched woodie with a reverse Top Hat like Xcelerator would rock! Forget the inversions on woodies, just bring on more ejector air and I'll be happy.

I guess I'm really strange. I've always thought of the loop as the worst part of SOB. It's boring and breaks the pace of the ride. SOB is somewhat rough, but not as bad a a number of other woodies I've ridden, such as Mean Streak and Hercules.

Technically, it should be possible to build a wooden corkscrew. Personally I wouldn't be in a rush to ride it, and I wouldn't want to be the guy who had to maintain it.

Echo Victor: Yes I spoke with Denise Dinn.... Sorry about writing wrong her name.

coasterdude318: I don´t remember exactly.... but the Top 10 roller coasters TV program of the 2000 year, showed that SOB was the #1 coaster sharing the position with The Beast.

Miltonmx www.montanarusa.com Mexican Coaster Fan

My thoughts on SoB run right with Jim. The loop was my least favorite part, and I thought with a more open train design and without the loop, SoB would be a decent ride.

Wooden corkscrew seems like something just to set one coaster apart from another, nothing real earth-shattering. But, you also have to consider that many people will ride anything that doesn't go upside down, no matter what it does, but won't touch a coaster with an inversion with a ten foot pole. I think you're alienating too much of your audience by building a wooden coaster with an inversion because most GP would rather ride a steel monster 90% of the time anyway.

Brett, Resident Launch Whore Anti-Enthusiast (the undiplomatic one)

I think the corkscrew or any other inversion could be done too. It all mainly falls back on what a park wants and what the coaster company feels comfortable building. Nothing will happen until a park wants to build a woodie with more inversions. It could be a year or two or never until we see it. It just depends on what a park wants.

I personally don't want to see inversions on a wood coaster. Save them for B&M's and Intamins. For wood just give me a GCII like Thunderhead, Ozark Wildcat, and Lightning Racer and I'll be happy.

As for SOB I'd say even though the ride in general may not be a big success, I think the loop was. After all it wasn't removed.

Miltonmx said:
coasterdude318: I don´t remember exactly.... but the Top 10 roller coasters TV program of the 2000 year, showed that SOB was the #1 coaster sharing the position with The Beast.

Actually it was Top 10 Coasters 2002. SOB was ranked #2 I believe and Beast was ranked #1. I don't know how SOB could ever get rated that high on any poll. Hell, in that particular show/poll it was actually ranked ahead of RAVEN!! Raven came in at #5. I don't know how the GP view SOB though.

I don't want to say that we'll never see it happen, because people said that about a wooden loop, and then ate their words.

If it is done, hopefully the trains on the coaster would be more comfortable than the Premier Rides ones on SOB. And of course they would have to be lapbar only and not OTSRs. Could you imagine riding any woodie with shoulder harnesses?

Another thing. I love arrows that take their corkscrews rather slow, like Anaconda at PKD, because, for me, they tend to have less headbanging the slower they go, and I enjoy hanging a little in the seat. But I would hate that feeling if it were a woody. I feel a wooden corkscrew should be taken like SOB's loop, very fast and smooth!

Now engineering this type of element, that is another question. *** Edited 4/8/2004 6:16:46 PM UTC by go with gravity***

Kingda Ka: The only coaster that felt faster than the advertised speed! To me at least.

Antuan said:
Are you serious Vater? Anything rougher than Viper should serve is torture devices for prisoners of war!

I am serious, but like I said, Viper and SoB are two totally different types of 'rough.' Viper actually rode smooth, but the transitions jerk you around a bit. But again, that didn't bother me in the least like it does most other enthusiasts. SoB was just as Gonch described, although I think SoB - The Home Game might be a tad more fun.

However, I feel strongly about the loop being the best part of the ride, and not just because I found it the most tolerable part of the ride. Jim Fisher said the loop ruined the pacing of the rest of the ride--well, I somehow managed to look beyond the splintered cranium I received and I was able to see that SoB was one of the worst-paced coasters in existence, complete with a total lack of variety in its elements. They should call it Son of Seventeen Oversized Bumbling Helices.

I'm still repressing thoughts of my only ride on SoB. I don't remember anything about the pacing or elements of the ride because I was suffering from the brain bruising I was enduring for 3 minutes.

On topic, the idea of a wooden corkscrew doesn't sound bad in itself, if it's contained in a well-paced, reasonably smooth ride.

HoliWood Nights May 26-27!(http://www.dynamichomeconcepts.com)

coasterbruh said back on page 1:

...w/ all the bad things some say about SOB, how is ridership?? does it always have a line. Cause i would think the GP would eat up the idea...

I was wondering the same thing. The one and only time I rode it was near the begining of it's opening season, and the line was a little over an hour. I am going back to the park this May and am going to give SOB another chance. So do people like SOB enough to create a long line or not? If it is as rough as some people say, I would think that the line would be a lot shorter than the other rides. It would please me greatly to find out an anwser to coasterbruh's question.

I agree with the loop being the best part of the ride, when I rode it anyways. It gave me a welcome change from being jared and rattled. SOB was the only ride I felt was going to seriously hurt me. I was scared that it was going rupture a disk in my back or something. I've heard that it is a little smother now, so SOB-here I come.

SOB Is popular with the people. In that respect it is very successful.

I like SOB.

It's intense.

It's amazingly fun.

It's a long ride.

I like SOB.

-----------
:)

Scream Machine said:

Actually it was Top 10 Coasters 2002. SOB was ranked #2 I believe and Beast was ranked #1.

Oh, those Discovery Channel "polls" are a joke. I've never seen SOB rated highly in any other poll. It was probably the lowest-ranked new wooden coaster ever on Mitch Hawker's poll (which is the only one I put any stock in at all).

-Nate