Why haven't we seen another Intamin Prefab wooden coaster?

[njn63]

Mitch Hawker Poll 2012 results:
El Toro - 1st
T Express - 2nd
Balder - 6th
Collossos - 10th

Seems pretty obvious that the Intamin Prefabs are probably the best wooden coasters on earth. Why have we only seen 1 built in the US (and 4 total)? I'm sure there is an obvious answer I'm missing but considering El Toro cost 12 million to build it doesn't seem cost prohibitive for a large chain (especially when Wing Coasters are going up everywhere).

 

[Intricks]

Re: Why haven't we seen another Intamin Prefab wooden coaste

You can also get a basic steel coaster for around that same pricetag from Intamin, so why bother with something that requires a LOT of maintenance?

 

[Antinos]

Re: Why haven't we seen another Intamin Prefab wooden coaste

I'm too lazy to look up numbers, but the jump in cost from a regular wooden coaster to a plug n play is pretty significant. Even The Voyage was a relatively cheap installation, costing only $8,500,000. Another reason is that the only marketable aspect of a plug n play is its ability to withstand higher forces. Although Iron Horse and Topper track is more expensive than regular wood, RMC can market its bat **** crazy elements, giving them an edge over Intamin. Looking at the layouts of RMC coasters, they are fairly short though.

 

[Edward M]

Re: Why haven't we seen another Intamin Prefab wooden coaste

Two Ms, Money and Maintenance.

 

[sparky2u]

Re: Why haven't we seen another Intamin Prefab wooden coaste

The cost of maintenance for this type of woodie maybe cheaper now-days, How often does a section need to be replaced..?

If Thorpe Park are going to build a woodie in the next couple of years I hope they go for a Intamin Prefab with an Out n Back / Twister style layout.

 

[SaiyanHajime]

Re: Why haven't we seen another Intamin Prefab wooden coaste

The reason MOST parks buy wood is that it is cheaper than steel. In the case of the prefab, it's about the same.

It's that simple.

 

[andrus]

Re: Why haven't we seen another Intamin Prefab wooden coaste

I'm too lazy to look up numbers, but the jump in cost from a regular wooden coaster to a plug n play is pretty significant. Even The Voyage was a relatively cheap installation, costing only $8,500,000. Another reason is that the only marketable aspect of a plug n play is its ability to withstand higher forces. Although Iron Horse and Topper track is more expensive than regular wood, RMC can market its bat **** crazy elements, giving them an edge over Intamin. Looking at the layouts of RMC coasters, they are fairly short though.

I couldn't find any capacity numbers for RMC, but 850 riders per hour seems to be a pretty standard figure for GCI. GG seem to be a bit higher, around 1000 riders per hour. While Intamin plug n plays often have a capacity around 1500 riders per hour, significantly higher than the others! So Intamin are indeed more expensive, but you would also get a coaster with higher capacity comparable to a steel coaster of the same size. Hence Intamin should be the obvious choice for bigger parks looking into the possibility of getting a woodie?

 

[Gazza]

Re: Why haven't we seen another Intamin Prefab wooden coaste

^Capacity has nothing to do with the way the track is constructed. It's a function of train size and dispatch interval.

 

[Jason Voorhees]

Re: Why haven't we seen another Intamin Prefab wooden coaste

Money and Maintenance!

 

[andrus]

Re: Why haven't we seen another Intamin Prefab wooden coaste

^Capacity has nothing to do with the way the track is constructed. It's a function of train size and dispatch interval.

Did I mention that capacity has anything to do with with the way the track is constructed? No. I was solely implying that Intamin woodies have a significantly better capacity than most other woodies. Hence I find it a bit strange that not more big parks have invested in a prefab. If they're looking in to buying a woodie Intamin sure has to be the obvious choice (but apparently isn't).

 

[Gazza]

Re: Why haven't we seen another Intamin Prefab wooden coaste

^Capacity has nothing to do with the way the track is constructed. It's a function of train size and dispatch interval.

Did I mention that capacity has anything to do with with the way the track is constructed? No. I was solely implying that Intamin woodies have a significantly better capacity than most other woodies. Hence I find it a bit strange that not more big parks have invested in a prefab. If they're looking in to buying a woodie Intamin sure has to be the obvious choice (but apparently isn't).

There's high and low capacity woodies from every manufacturer, you can't be selective.
Intamin have only done a few, at big parks, so naturally those parks would have specified a minimum hourly capacity matter who they got to build it in the end.

 

[njn63]

Re: Why haven't we seen another Intamin Prefab wooden coaste

The money up front I don't really see as an obstacle for the major chains. It'd be about 1/2 the cost of a similarly rated wing coaster and those are going up all over the place. X-Flight cost 15 million and it'll never be a top 10 coaster... but you could have a top 10 wooden coaster for that money.

Maintenance I'd be curious to see how different. I know it's higher but I have no idea what scale we're talking.

I guess I'm just amazed that Six Flags put up El Toro and it has received pretty much unanimous reviews for it being a top coaster... so they (and everyone else) decided to never build anything like it again.

 

[rtotheizzo17]

Re: Why haven't we seen another Intamin Prefab wooden coaste

The money up front I don't really see as an obstacle for the major chains. It'd be about 1/2 the cost of a similarly rated wing coaster and those are going up all over the place. X-Flight cost 15 million and it'll never be a top 10 coaster... but you could have a top 10 wooden coaster for that money.

Maintenance I'd be curious to see how different. I know it's higher but I have no idea what scale we're talking.

I guess I'm just amazed that Six Flags put up El Toro and it has received pretty much unanimous reviews for it being a top coaster... so they (and everyone else) decided to never build anything like it again.

The general public doesn't have a top 10 list. Parks don't build to a niche market in coaster enthusiasts. They build to what is most unique and attention getting to their market.

The average person probably won't care that El Toro is #1 or #2, to them that is just another wooden coaster that they have been riding their whole life. But tell them you are building a coaster where you ride on the "wings" of the train and they go :drinking:

When I lived out in Cali Magic Mountain actually had guest complaints that their new coaster (Terminator) was just Psyclone with new paint and a new theme. Some people just see all rides as the same.

 

[CoburnJason54]

Re: Why haven't we seen another Intamin Prefab wooden coaste

I don't get why we don't see more. If I am correct Pre fabs are cheaper than the usual record breaker B&M coaster being built today (Gatekeeper, Banshee). I've ridden El Toro, and it is my favorite wooden coaster, and I always thought the layout was basic and seems packed into a small space, and I wonder how good a ride would be with more room to be built so it could have a longer layout. These pre fabs are so smooth aswell, and it appeals to a wider group of people. Also I do believe the height requirement is shorter, I could be wrong, but El Toro has a short height requirement for what it is. I hope to see more, because Intamin never does anything wrong.

 

[jolash]

Re: Why haven't we seen another Intamin Prefab wooden coaste

...because Intamin never does anything wrong.

And the award for Most Laughable Statement goes to....

 

[rtotheizzo17]

Re: Why haven't we seen another Intamin Prefab wooden coaste

I don't get why we don't see more. If I am correct Pre fabs are cheaper than the usual record breaker B&M coaster being built today (Gatekeeper, Banshee). I've ridden El Toro, and it is my favorite wooden coaster, and I always thought the layout was basic and seems packed into a small space, and I wonder how good a ride would be with more room to be built so it could have a longer layout. These pre fabs are so smooth aswell, and it appeals to a wider group of people. Also I do believe the height requirement is shorter, I could be wrong, but El Toro has a short height requirement for what it is. I hope to see more, because Intamin never does anything wrong.

Other than reliability, capacity, safety... right?

 

[CoburnJason54]

Re: Why haven't we seen another Intamin Prefab wooden coaste

I don't get why we don't see more. If I am correct Pre fabs are cheaper than the usual record breaker B&M coaster being built today (Gatekeeper, Banshee). I've ridden El Toro, and it is my favorite wooden coaster, and I always thought the layout was basic and seems packed into a small space, and I wonder how good a ride would be with more room to be built so it could have a longer layout. These pre fabs are so smooth aswell, and it appeals to a wider group of people. Also I do believe the height requirement is shorter, I could be wrong, but El Toro has a short height requirement for what it is. I hope to see more, because Intamin never does anything wrong.

Other than reliability, capacity, safety... right?

When I said this I meant designing a layout and creating a good ride. I know it has many rides that constantly break (Kingda Ka, Top Thrill Dragster, El Toro). I also know they are bad at capacity (Fahrenheit, Kingda Ka, Maverick). I was saying when the rides work and you are on it, they are the most enjoyable ride, if that makes sense. If it was between a working B&M or a working Intamin it would be a no brainer.

 

[rtotheizzo17]

Re: Why haven't we seen another Intamin Prefab wooden coaste

^They are hit or miss for me. For every Maverick (in my top 10 steel) there is a Cheetah Hunt (one of the most boring coasters in the country).

 

[jolash]

Re: Why haven't we seen another Intamin Prefab wooden coaste

Yeah I definitely wouldn't agree to that. I may love TTD and Maverick, but Fahrenheit and Millennium Force are among my least favorite rides.

 

[bmac]

Re: Why haven't we seen another Intamin Prefab wooden coaste

When building a roller coaster there are 3 factors that every park looks for before pulling the trigger on a new coaster.

Is it cheap?
Is it reliable?
Is it easy to maintain?

Now pick two of those three.