HEy peopel, im doing a research project for my self, and and finding out information about rapid water rides. Like the snow river rampage, DWs Thunder River Rapids etc. I want to know how they fully work, eg: are all rapid water rides use gravity? what are they saftey features? do you drain the water? etc.. All help would be appreciated!

www.intaminworldwide.com

All they show is types of rides, not details.

E-mail Intamin, and see what they say.

They never replied to me...

They never replied to me...

Its probably because you werent actually going to buy the ride. Well, basically its just a big concrete channel that slopes downward (to use gravity). The shape of the bottom of the channel basically creates the rapids, so they make it irregular where they want turbulence. But anyway, what there is is a big dam of water large enough to fill the whole ride, and this is where water is stored when the ride is off. When the ride is started all this water is pumped into the main channel, and massive pumps move the water from the lower end of ride up to the top, this is done at such a rate that the entire channel stays full of water, creating the river. If the pumps failed all the water would simply gather at the bottom end of the ride. In terms of saftey features, the ride keeps track of raft locations on the course with the computer system, and automatic gates can close stopping a raft on the ride. This can be done to ensure the rafts run a safe distance apart. I guess the other saftey features are seatbelts for the riders and security cameras and watch towers looking over the ride. There is also a second alternative. White water west ( www.whitewaterwest.com ) make their own rapids ride. It is essentially a mammoth falls style waterslide, but with a conveyor belt to the top, and rafts that are sealed so you can ride it fully clothed. At the bottom of the ride the rafts enter what is basically a lazy river that makes the rafts drift back to the loading station.

Edited April 13, 200619 yr by Gazza

Ok thanks, thats really helped, if they wanted to drain all the water in a hurrry how long would it take? before people could go in an resure? and compltly dry?

Edited April 13, 200619 yr by Ibot

I believe the water doesn't drain at a very fast rate. Once the pumps are switched off it would make the rapids less turbulent. However if someone was in the water it would be considered a time critical emergency... something which would almost certainly result in a fatality unless action was taken immediately. The trick is to prevent people falling into the water in the first place.

... Note to Six Flags and their capsizing rafts lol! I have noticed however, as dreamworlds one In Particular is a Earlier Model, and the rapids are made by logs to Interupt the water current. You can see that when the ride goes down for maintenence.

BTW: I still don't see how White Water West's rapids keep you dry because wouldn't the splashing at the end wet you? I suppose it might work but their WaterCoaster, (Which is almost identical to Terror Canyon), claims the same thing and look at people after they get off!

What i meant was the fact there arent little holes in the bottom of the raft like on Mammoth Falls, so no water comes into the boat that way, but of course you would still get the odd splash, but not as much as an Intamin rapids ride.

Oh, that's what I thought.