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. 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. Multiple manufacturers have introduced new elements to the rapids ride concept: a vertical lift system, shoot the chute-style drops, and a unique whirlpool feature.
River rapids rides feature circular rafts with 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 hold 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. Some rapids rides such as Thunder Canyon at Cedar Point, drain the ride every night after closing and put new water in it the next morning.
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 Tampa Bay), 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
- Congo Rapids — Six Flags Great Adventure
- Congo River Rapids — Busch Gardens Tampa Bay
- Disaster Canyon — Elitch Gardens
- Fury of The Nile — Worlds of Fun
- Grand Rapids — Michigan's Adventure
- Grizzly River Run — Disney California Adventure Park
- Grizzly Run — Darien Lake
- Kali River Rapids — Disney's Animal Kingdom
- Lost River of the Ozarks — Silver Dollar City
- The Penguin's Blizzard River — Kentucky Kingdom (SBNO)
- Popeye and Bluto's Bilge-Rat Barges — Universal Orlando Resort
- Rio Bravo - Hopi Hari
- Rio Loco — SeaWorld San Antonio
- Rio Salvaje — Six Flags Mexico
- Raging Rapids — Kennywood
- Raging Rapids in Boulder Canyon — Holiday World & Splashin' Safari
- Raging River — Adventureland, The Great Escape & Splashwater Kingdom
- Rattlesnake Rapids − Lagoon Amusement Park
- Renegade Rapids — Frontier City, Six Flags America
- Rip Roarin' Rapids — Carowinds, California's Great America
- Roaring Rapids — Six Flags Great America, Six Flags Magic Mountain, Six Flags Over Texas
- Roman Rapids — Busch Gardens Williamsburg
- Shipwreck Rapids — SeaWorld San Diego
- Smoky Mountain River Rampage — Dollywood
- Tasmanian River Rapids — Wild Adventures
- The Gully Washer — Six Flags Fiesta Texas
- Thunder Canyon — Cedar Point, Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom, Silverwood Theme Park, Valleyfair
- Thunder River — Six Flags Over Georgia, Six Flags St. Louis
- White Water Canyon — Canada's Wonderland, Kings Dominion, Kings Island
- White Water Safari — Six Flags Discovery Kingdom
Eurasia
- Alpin-Rafting — Ravensburger Spieleland, Germany
- Amazone Express — Everland, South Korea
- Aqua Ride — Yokohama Sea Paradise, Japan
- Arung Jeram — Dunia Fantasi, Taman Impian Jaya Ancol, Jakarta, Indonesia
- Bengal Rapid River - Bellewaerde, Belgium
- Congo River Rapids — Alton Towers, United Kingdom
- Crocodile Rapids - Etnaland, Italy
- Descent du Styx — Parc Asterix, France
- Donner Fluss — Holiday Park, Germany
- El Rio — Bobbejaanland, Belgium
- El Rio Grande — Walibi Holland, Netherlands
- Fjord Rafting - Europa Park, Germany
- Forsränningen, Fyris river - Uppsala, Sweden
- Grand Canyon Rapids — PortAventura, Spain
- Hurjakuru — Linnanmäki, Finland
- Japan Rhine - Kiso River, Gifu and Aichi Prefectures, Japan
- Jungle Adventure — Lotte World, South Korea
- Jungle Rapids — Gardaland, Italy
- Jurassic Park Rapids Adventure - Universal Studios Singapore, Singapore
- Koskiseikkailu — Särkänniemi, Finland
- Kållerado — Liseberg, Sweden
- L'Oxygénarium — Parc Astérix, France
- Mangiabiglie — Miragica, Italy
- Mountain Rafting — Heide Park, Germany
- Mystery River — Movie Park, Germany
- Piraña — Efteling, Netherlands
- Rainforest Expedition - Ocean Park Hong Kong, Hong Kong
- Rio Bravo — Mirabilandia, Italy
- Rio Grande Rapids - Enchanted Kingdom, Philippines
- Radja River — 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 — Erlebnispark Tripsdrill, Germany
- Wild River Rafting — West Midland Safari Park, United Kingdom
Oceania
External links
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