KCRag Forum

Is this place ran by a guy playing Rollercoaster Tycoon?

mistervinix wrote:So the Verruckt's opening has been delayed again. When this thing finally does start running, any guess as to how often it will break down? And leave would-be riders stranded at the top of all those stairs? In 95-degree humid July heat?

By the time it opens, it seems 95 degree heat may not be a problem but riders may need to trade in the inner tubes for luges.

[quote="By the time it opens, it seems 95 degree heat may not be a problem but riders may need to trade in the inner tubes for luges."[/quote]

I seem to recall that Schlitterbahn - when the KCK park was first announced - claimed they had some ideas for year-round rides. I'm not holding my breath for any of those to materialize.

Kinda funny how they denied they were having issues with the test dummys flying off the slide, then openly admitted to it yesterday...

I hate lies like that.

Why does the ride need that extra hill? I think that extra hill is the one causing the problems, i think people would have enjoyed the ride with one large drop and claim they were on the worlds tallest ride.

brewcrew1000 wrote:Why does the ride need that extra hill? I think that extra hill is the one causing the problems, i think people would have enjoyed the ride with one large drop and claim they were on the worlds tallest ride.

math and cost

if you hit the bottom going 60-70mph it's going to take a certain amount of friction or gravity to slow you down. the greater the speed the more of this it takes.

they could 1. design a super long end zone, likely many times the length of the actual slide, 2. they could do what OOF did and have it level out over and over to decrease the max speed which means less end zone needed (there's sidewalk street view in google maps), 3. they could put a splashdown zone to absorb energy, which you have to decrease the speed when you hit the end as at some point it would kill people from the whiplash force produced like with a car accident, or 4. you can build a hill like a roller coaster and let gravity and increased upward drag help out, with each new hill.

guess which one they picked. a combination of 1 and 4.

they probably are still tweaking this combination and the raft inflation to account for variable weights of riders. like the exact amount of water, drain location and such all play a part too. like you need enough water if a boat is 150lb heavier that the one before so it floats and doesn't stop halfway up the hill or scrape and cause damage. you can't have rafts bumping the edge as that could cause them to flip over so that means the right amount of water to keep them even in the trough and people shift during rides so even the raft design matters a ton.

there's a TON of math involved in getting it right.

I was just at Schlitterbahn yesterday and they were still actively working on the ride. I was really surprised at how short the end zone was for such a long slide.

Also caught part of the Travel Channel show on the building of the ride - they showed the test where the raft and sandbags flew off the slide. The company ended up replacing the second hill, which reduced the incline from something like a 44% grade to 20-something percent...at the cost of over a million dollars.

brewcrew1000 wrote:Why does the ride need that extra hill? I think that extra hill is the one causing the problems, i think people would have enjoyed the ride with one large drop and claim they were on the worlds tallest ride.

The owner of Schlitterbahn parks said that he wanted it to be a ride crazier than any other, since really it's only a few feet taller than the next tallest water slide, and the hill was the way to do that. Nothing to do with the landing area size or what not. Just to give you a weightless feeling that no other slide does, right after a huge free fall. They're having so many problems with the math on it because riders can come in all shapes and sizes, and that to get the weightless feeling you have to get slightly airborne..but not fly off. That's a much different equation for a 60lb kid than a 300lb person.

He also said they choose the KCK waterpark because it's the only one that has no building height restrictions.

The name of this needs to be Wasserrutsche Tod, not Verruckt.

Now they may be part of "Village East":

http://www.bizjournals.com/kansascity/n ... bonds.html

It's high time that area starts looking like something other than an abandoned construction zone.

mistervinix wrote:Now they may be part of "Village East":

http://www.bizjournals.com/kansascity/n ... bonds.html

It's high time that area starts looking like something other than an abandoned construction zone.

Kansas is in financial distress and they are now setting up another Star bonds issue?

$300 million dollars worth.

Why not? Brownback's going to be out of office, so he doesn't have to worry about the repercussions.

kboish wrote:$300 million dollars worth.

And one suspects Schlitterbahn will never expand without this...

Predictable.

If I read that correctly one of the potential specified uses is automotive plaza...subsidized by taxpayers.

kcjak wrote:If I read that correctly one of the potential specified uses is automotive plaza...subsidized by taxpayers.

Actually I think they are planning 2 car dealerships to be funded by taxpayers

Here's the official document detailing the plans for the area.

http://www.wycokck.org/WorkArea/Downloa ... x?id=40097 (WARNING: automatically downloads)

Up to 7 dealerships.

I think it's safe to say that the "Vacation Village" vision of Schlitterbahn is dead. A 150-room hotel, car dealerships and a convenience store don't scream "vacation" to me.

At least the land will finally be developed.

mistervinix wrote:I think it's safe to say that the "Vacation Village" vision of Schlitterbahn is dead. A 150-room hotel, car dealerships and a convenience store don't scream "vacation" to me.

At least the land will finally be developed.

Other than the new slide, I don't see this park keeping the Schlitterbahn name unless they follow through with later phases. The park just seems incomplete or thrown together. It doesn't have the same quality aesthetically or attractions wise as the Texas parks.