Tiger Island Refurbishment - Dreamworld 2016

[pin142]

Guessing the lower water level for Wipeout is due to the issues it seems to be having recently.

[New display name]

On 3 April 2016 at 8:03 AM, AlexB said:

Could there be something about night time operation - cooler track, cooler wheels that might indicate less speed \ more friction?

if the track \ wheels have cooled down, they could contract, ever so slightly which would leave more space for the train to 'hop' ?

i'm no engineer - just speculating...

I think it's because the power into the park at night is less after the sun goes down.

[Theme Park Girl]

1 hour ago, pin142 said:

Guessing the lower water level for Wipeout is due to the issues it seems to be having recently.

I reckon you're right, as from observation the circuitry appears to be on the front underside of it, behind those little panels it has, and yeah, can only be accessed underneath by mechanics when the water is drained out.

I'm starting to worry a bit for the Wipeout... I know rides break down regularly, especially when under heavy use during school holidays, but Wipeout seems to be showing its age and doing it a heck of a lot lately. I really hope its not on its way out 

[Reanimated35]

26 minutes ago, OceanGirl said:

really hope its not on its way out 

Realistically it's been on it's way out for years. I'd say it still has some life in it, but my bet's on it being gone by 2020. 

[Theme Park Girl]

That makes me sad. Isn't it only one of two of its kind left? The other being the Huracane overseas? 

[themagician]

It definitely would be sad if it went, but I'd hope if they removed it, they'd replace it with a similar ride type. But I don't know the likely hood of that.

[Reanimated35]

According to google, there's one in Six Flags, Mexico and one somewhere in Russia.

[Theme Park Girl]

Oh ok, I didn't know about the one in Russia! I think I read somewhere that the super flips aren't so uncommon, but the ones with the bent arm design are. 

And yeah @themagician, I guess its just business that when rides reach their expiry date, they have to be removed/replaced. But it doesn't help when you grow up with some of them, you kinda grow emotionally attached  In this case the Wipeout was the second ever thrill ride I ever went on, directly after the Thunderbolt. I pretty much jumped straight from one onto the other  And I have always been fond of its distinct 'screaming' sound whilst it's in motion 

Might be a good time for all of us to grab some good snapshots of it whilst its still around for us to do so....

[T-bone]

I think Pin may be onto something with the reason for the lower water level. It was significantly higher than that on Saturday.

Talking about wipeout, the ride is seriously looking bad considering it only just went through a major overhaul. Next time you are there, have a look at the wave, there's quite a few bubbles potentially caused by a water leak in the structure, I also noticed a few rust spots in the rides structure, which ain't good considering I could spot them from the midway. It's little but I also noticed the stickers they used for the logo on the surfboards are falling off. Considering it only just came out of annual maintenance/ refresh, it's quite concerning that these things are issues.

The park has shown they love the wipeout, and with decent TLC it will last for a long time, but let's face it, when push comes to shove they'd prefer to spend money on new attractions instead of old attractions they can't market. The latest refresh has given the ride some extra time, but I predict by 2025 it will be gone if not earlier. 

[Theme Park Girl]

We've noticed the rust, too. My 11yr old pointed a bigger spot out the other day, halfway up the right arm above the joint. It looked like had some distinct black writing around it, so I'm guessing mechanics must be monitoring its progress in case it gets worse.

[Reanimated35]

1 minute ago, OceanGirl said:

We've noticed the rust, too. My 11yr old pointed a bigger spot out the other day, halfway up the right arm above the joint. It looked like had some distinct black writing around it, so I'm guessing mechanics must be monitoring its progress in case it gets worse.

This one? 

[Theme Park Girl]

Lol yep, that one! 

[XxMrYoshixX]

10 hours ago, reanimated35 said:

According to google, there's one in Six Flags, Mexico and one somewhere in Russia.

Russia? I thought there was only Wipeout and the one in Six Flags Mexico.

Quote

Realistically it's been on it's way out for years. I'd say it still has some life in it, but my bet's on it being gone by 2020. 

I agree, it would really be sad to see it go but there comes a time when all rides need to be retired, unfortunately. DW has already done the investment on giving Wipeout a full overhaul two years ago and I doubt they will repeat it, given how much they have spent over the last 23 years on maintenance. This is just my "devil's advocate" speculation, Wipeout may last longer than 2020.

Edited April 6, 2016 by XxMrYoshixX

[DaptoFunlandGuy]

Ok - now that the forums are back up i'll try typing this up for the 6th time!

So according to Wiki - there are Waikiki Wave Super Flips (WWSF) in:

• Dreamworld
• SF Mexico
• Space World Japan

There are also 2 listed as defunct:

• Flamingland UK
• Kentucky Kingdom USA

No info in any of the regular publications but google does bring up a result for one in russia - there is a screenshot of a video, and the ride is definitely a top spin, but unable to determine if it is actually a WWSF - there is a comment on the page that says it is, but theres also a comment that says there's one in Vienna (which is just a plain old travelling top spin).

Clearly they seem to be maintenance intensive, but here's hoping the parks see the value in keeping it running and will continue to keep it alive. Hopefully it doesn't go the way of Sea Viper and get closed down shortly after a massive revamp.

[Ashley]

Currently according to DWs maintenance schedule the Wipeout is only currently running 10:30 to 3:30 weekdays which is quite strange for one of the Big 9, seeing as well all other rides in Ocean Parade operate 10:00 to 5:00 delay, as it is one of DWs Big 9 thrill rides they might be a bit more lenient about closing the ride.

What do you think would make a perfect replacement for the ride if it does close sooner rather then later.

[rappa]

The one at flamingO land certainly wasn't a Super Flip. The gondola did not flip independently. 

[Gary86]

Theme Park Social Network started a rumor that Dreamworld are reopening the paddle steamer this year. I think not!

[Jay Jay The Jet Plane]

@Gary86

completely agree with you, the boat has been demolished, he isn't the best place to get information about the parks, I find a rock to give me good information than him...

Edited April 7, 2016 by The_Ninja_59

[Ashley]

I think paddle wheeler has the odds as the Skylink Chairlift re-opening, it's demolished an less he can give some evidence about that him and I have nothing to day to each other.

[Reanimated35]

Should we all go call him out and see how quickly we get blocked? 

[Zanstabar]

7 minutes ago, reanimated35 said:

Should we all go call him out and see how quickly we get blocked? 

That seems like a challenge

[Reanimated35]

Looks like the post has been deleted? 

[WipeoutDreamworldFan]

During the final stages of Wipeouts major overhaul I was talking to a member of the engineering team and the Wipeouts overhaul was to get AT LEAST an extra 10 years out of it, Vekoma came out to do an audit and inspection and replaced major parts. So expect it to be here till 2024 . The Wipeout is just having a bad week at the moment, i'm sure they will fix it and it will be back to normal soon. 

[themagician]

22 minutes ago, reanimated35 said:

Looks like the post has been deleted? 

That's what I thought, but then I clicked on the photos section on his page, and if you scroll down, you'll see it.

[DaptoFunlandGuy]

13 hours ago, djrappa said:

The one at flamingO land certainly wasn't a Super Flip. The gondola did not flip independently. 

Yes yes - i missed the O - to be fair, I typed it correctly at least 4 times, and was rushing that post before a meeting.

Looking at this video - it is a spitting image of wipeout, sans surfboards, and it does look like independent gondola flip to me: