Windjammer Surf Racers
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Windjammer Surf Racers | ||
| Location | Knott's Berry Farm | |
|---|---|---|
| Park section | The Boardwalk | |
| Type | Steel - Wild Mouse | |
| Status | Operated | |
| Opened | March 26, 1997 | |
| Manufacturer | TOGO | |
| Designer | TOGO | |
| Lift/launch system | Chain lift | |
| Height | 69 ft (21 m) | 69 ft (21 m) |
| Drop | 54 ft (16.5 m) | 31 ft (9.4 m) |
| Length | 1851 ft (564.2 m) | 1839 ft (560.5 m) |
| Max speed | 40 mph (64.4 km/h) | 40 mph (64.4 km/h) |
| Inversions | 1 | 1 |
| Duration | 1:30 | 1:30 |
| Max Vertical Angle | 42° | 42° |
| Max G force | 2.3 | 2.3 |
| Capacity | 1400 riders per hour | |
| Cost | $6,200,000 | |
| Height Restriction | 48 in (121.9 cm) | |
| Windjammer Surf Racers at RCDB Pictures of Windjammer Surf Racers at RCDB |
||
|
|
||
Windjammer Surf Racers, also known as Jammer, was a roller coaster at Knott's Berry Farm in Buena Park, California. The ride was known to be a mechanical nightmare, and the park's resulting lawsuit against the manufacturer, TOGO, eventually caused the demise of the company.
Contents |
[edit] The ride
Windjammer Surf Racers was a unique coaster; it involved small Wild Mouse-like trains running on a full size track. There were two independent tracks (red and yellow) that were constructed parallel to each other, in which the purpose of the ride was to pit both tracks in a race against each other.
The coaster's rider load/unloading platform did not have an airgate system to keep queuing guests clear from advancing vehicles within the station.
The ride was dressed as a tribute to the fabled Southern California beach culture, complete with towering palms trees, beach sand, a miniature lagoon, a scaled-down lifeguard watch tower, and other beach-worthy props. The on-ride photograph sales booth was built into the side of a scaled-down replica of a yacht.
[edit] Lawsuit
Windjammer Surf Racers did not run frequently because it was plagued with mechanical problems. Just a few weeks into operation, several parts had to be replaced. Knott's Berry Farm spent about $2 million on repairs and inspections alone. Because of these problems, Knott's filed suit against TOGO seeking $17 million in damages, claiming that TOGO poorly designed and engineered the coaster which prevented successful operation during its three years. They reported problems such as misaligned tracks, defective safety restraints, and wrinkles in the main frame of the trains. The park also claimed that the ride's design flaws prevented operation during medium winds, sometimes stalling even during slight breezes, which is embarrassing due to the name of the ride. [1]
The ride remained closed during the lawsuit as evidence. When Knott's was unable to complete a sale of the ride, it was dismantled in July 2001. In November of 2003, the jury rejected Knott's lawsuit in favor of TOGO International.
The land formerly occupied by Windjammer Surf Racers now contains Xcelerator.
A list of some of the problems that plagued the attraction:
- Several incidents in which wind speeds as low as 5 mph would slow vehicles down enough to a point where they would stall in certain track sections of the ride.
- The ride closed frequently due to mechanical problems.
- Manufacturing defects such as wrinkles in the mainframe of the vehicles, misaligned tracks, and faulty wheel assemblies.
- Safety harnesses replaced weeks into operation due to quality issues.
[edit] References
- ^ Windjammer Surf Racers. Thrill Network. Retrieved on 2007-12-28.
