River rafting ride

A river rafting ride (also commonly referred to as a "river rapids ride") is an amusement ride that simulates whitewater rafting.

History

The river rapids ride concept was proposed by Bill Crandall (General Manager of AstroWorld in Houston) and developed by Intamin AG. AstroWorld introduced the world's first rapids ride, " Thunder River", in 1980 and popularized a concept which can now be found at most major amusement parks. Despite being an incredibly popular attraction, AstroWorld's " Thunder River" (being a prototype) was initially plagued by issues that were corrected in the first few seasons of operation. The boat bumpers were re-designed, portions of the wide river channel were narrowed or barricaded to prevent boats from bottle-necking or getting caught in a backflow, and a planned whirlpool-effect was scrapped.

Construction

Many modern rapids rides feature a much narrower river channel as well as smaller (6-seats as opposed to 12-seats) boats. Some are heavily themed while others may present a natural setting for added realism. Intamin has recently introduced new elements to the rapids ride concept: a vertical lift system, chute-the-chutes style drops, and a unique whirlpool feature.

River rapids rides feature circular rafts comprised of two main components: the fiberglass body in which passengers are seated and the rubber ring upon which the body is secured. The rubber ring provides buoyancy as well as shock absorption for when rafts collide with an obstacle during the course of the ride. Most rafts will occupy between six and twelve passengers, seated in groups of two or three depending on the manufacturer of the ride. Riders face toward center of the boat and are usually secured by a lap belt. Some rafts feature a circular metal bar in the middle of the raft; this gives passengers a place to grip or brace their feet. The floor of the raft body is generally above water level to allow drainage. Most parks require riders to be 36 inches or taller.

Ride layout

After leaving the station, the raft will enter relatively calm waters. After travelling a safe distance (usually 5-15 metres), the raft will enter more turbulent waters. Usually rapids are made by the amusement park having large cylinder tubes underneath the water. The bigger the tube, the bigger the rapids. Along with the rapids, there are often waterfalls

Finally, there may be pressurized water jets. An automated system will spray gushes of water through a tube, or spray gun at the raft as it passes by. Some parks (for instance, Busch Gardens Africa), have quarter-operated squirt guns so that passersby can shoot at riders.

Partial list of river rapids rides

Americas

*Bigfoot Rapids — Knott's Berry Farm
*Blizzard River — Six Flags New England
*Canyon River Rapids — Hersheypark (1987-2008)
*Congo Rapids — Six Flags Great Adventure
*Congo River Rapids — Busch Gardens Africa
*Disaster Canyon — Elitch Gardens
*Fury of The Nile — Worlds of Fun
*Grand Rapids — Michigan's Adventure
*Grizzly River Run — Disney's California Adventure
*Grizzly Run — Darien Lake and Geauga Lake
*Gully Washer — Six Flags Fiesta Texas
*Kali River Rapids — Disney's Animal Kingdom
*Lost River of the Ozarks — Silver Dollar City
*The Penguin's Blizzard River — Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom
*Popeye and Bluto's Bilge-Rat Barges — Universal Orlando Resort
*Rio Loco — SeaWorld San Antonio
*Raging Rapids — Kennywood and Martin's Fantasy Island
*Raging Rapids in Boulder Canyon — Holiday World
*Raging River — The Great Escape & Splashwater Kingdom
*Renegade Rapids — Frontier City and Six Flags America
*Rip Roarin' Rapids — Carowinds
*Rip Roaring Rapids — Great America (California)
*Roaring Rapids — Six Flags Great America, Six Flags Magic Mountain and Six Flags Over Texas
*Roman Rapids — Busch Gardens Europe
*Shipwreck Rapids — SeaWorld San Diego
*Smoky Mountain River Rampage — Dollywood
*Tasmanian River Rapids — Wild Adventures
*Thunder Canyon — Cedar Point, Dorney Park Silverwood Theme Park and Valleyfair
*Thunder River — Six Flags AstroWorld (1980-2006), Six Flags Over Georgia and Six Flags St. Louis
*Wild River Gorge — Alabama Adventure
*White Water Canyon — Kings Dominion, Kings Island and Canada's Wonderland
*White Water Safari — Six Flags Discovery Kingdom

Europe and Asia

*Alpin-Rafting — Ravensburger Spieleland, Germany
*Aqua Ride — Yokohama Sea Paradise, Japan
*Arung Jeram — Dunia Fantasi, Taman Impian Jaya Ancol, Jakarta, Indonesia
*Congo River Rapids — Alton Towers, United Kingdom
*Descent du Styx — Parc Asterix, France
*Donner Fluss — Holiday Park, Germany
*El Rio — Bobbejaanland, Belgium
*El Rio Grande — Walibi World, Netherlands
*Forsranningen, Fyris river - Uppsala, Sweden
*Grand Canyon Rapids — PortAventura, Spain
*Hurjakuru — Linnanmäki , Finland
*Jungle Rapids — Gardaland , Italy
*Koskiseikkailu — Särkänniemi, Finland
*Kållerado — Liseberg, Sweden
*L’Oxygénarium — Parc Astérix, France
*Mountain Rafting — Heide Park, Germany
*Mystery River — Movie Park, Germany
*Piraña — Efteling, Netherlands
*Rio Bravo — Mirabilandia , Italy
*Radja Rapids — Walibi Belgium, Belgium
*River Quest — Phantasialand, Germany
*Rumba Rapids — Thorpe Park, United Kingdom
*Splash Canyon — Drayton Manor Park, United Kingdom
*Viking's River Splash — Legoland Windsor, United Kingdom
*Waschgzuber Rafting — Tripsdrill, Germany
*Wild River Rafting — West Midland Safari Park, United Kingdom

External links

Ride manufacturers

* [http://www.intaminworldwide.com/iag/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=13&Itemid=33 Intamin AG]
* [http://www.hopkinsrides.com/ O.D. Hopkins]