Vortex at CGA to get floorless conversion?

I was just reading this news article about how Cedar Fair has been doing lately, and in the section that talks about Mantis' conversion into Rougarou, I noticed something very interesting at the end of this paragraph:

The park's general manager, Jason McClure, described the transformation as like ???trading in a box truck for a Corvette.??? He added, ???You're still on the turnpike, but it's a completely different experience,??? McClure said. Witherow said Cedar Fair plans to do the same with other aging coasters in its portfolio, including one next year at its park near San Francisco.

If this is true, then it sounds like Vortex, the B&M standup coaster at California's Great America, will probably be transformed into a floorless coaster in 2016. Thoughts?


Link to article: http://www.crainscleveland.com/article/ ... g-the-ride

Yep, it's happening. From what I hear, new trains, paint job and an added (mystery) feature built by B&M.


Hahaha...jojo roll...

[TTD03]

Yay! Official topic!
This is very exciting!
But another Standup coaster off the map. And why couldn't they give Rougarou another element

[Paradox]

You guys are all wrong.

Ghostrider at Knott's is getting an RMC treatment with floorless suspended trains. Also 4D Aquatrax.

Assuming that this ends up happening, I hope that they could somehow add one or two more elements to the ride because Vortex in its current state is a fairly short ride with only two inversions.

I think the barrel roll might go at the end before the brakes if they add anything.

Unless, of course, they do something as substantial as adding a god damn barrel roll, this is a case where I really could not care less if this ride was floorless or stand-up haha.

hhmm...not sure how I feel about turning a small compact stand-up coaster into a floorless coaster. I really don't think Vortex as a sit down floorless ride will have the intensity and excitement CF seems to be hyping it up to have, really, comparing it to trading a box truck in for a corvette, more like trading in an old box truck for a well, newer box truck with a retractable roof in the cab. Psycho Mouse with floorless trains, however, would be a lot of fun.

[Coasterkidmwm]

Why bother on this ride?

^ Nice, cheap investment that CGA can promote as a new "experience", while the rest of us laugh at it.

Converting old coasters is one area SF stomps all over CF.

[Metazoanhaddock]

true dat

Converting old coasters into the latest styles... They need to, at least, keep good stand-up coasters. No one wants to see Georgia Scorcher become a Floorless - it still does look surprisingly fun!

[Paradox]

How's Riddler at SFMM? I don't know if I should ride it or not.

spacemountainfan619 wrote:

hhmm...not sure how I feel about turning a small compact stand-up coaster into a floorless coaster. I really don't think Vortex as a sit down floorless ride will have the intensity and excitement CF seems to be hyping it up to have, really, comparing it to trading a box truck in for a corvette, more like trading in an old box truck for a well, newer box truck with a retractable roof in the cab. Psycho Mouse with floorless trains, however, would be a lot of fun.

lol

Coasterkidmwm wrote:

Why bother on this ride?

I think Matt i trying to tone down the rough rides. I definitely think Vortex has stronger jarring sections than Mantis did especially that neck-snapping turn before the brakes. My whle thing with this coaster being converted, even if its getting a new element, is that it's basically a kiddie stand-up now. It was state-of-the-art when it was built but now it seems small. And if converted it will be the tiniest floorless in America. And second to Daemon at Tivoli in world status. Which I think may even be taller.... Anyhoo, my point is Scream and Medusa. Unless they run it backward or spinning, MEH.


As far as RR, I don't think it suffered the same issue hat caused the Mantis conversion. It doesn't
have such aggressive transitions and last time I rode it (two years ago) it was aging fairly gracefully

EDIT: Also Six Flags doesn't care how uncomfortable or hurt you get as long as its not enough to sue

^

Manic Monte wrote:

Converting old coasters is one area SF stomps all over CF.

Damn isn't that the sad truth

[TTD03]

GerstlCrazy wrote:

Unless, of course, they do something as substantial as adding a god damn barrel roll, this is a case where I really could not care less if this ride was floorless or stand-up haha.

I think a stand up with a barrel roll would actually be better and more unique lol.

[Coasterkidmwm]

TTD03 wrote:

GerstlCrazy wrote:

Unless, of course, they do something as substantial as adding a god damn barrel roll, this is a case where I really could not care less if this ride was floorless or stand-up haha.

I think a stand up with a barrel roll would actually be better and more unique lol.

You want to go from falling into the restraints to falling on to the bike seat?

I personally think it would be better if they converted Vortex to a sit-down coaster since there's a floorless coaster only an hour away at Discovery Kingdom, though floorless Vortex seems like the most likely option.

^^You can't have children after an experience like that lol

TTD03 wrote:

GerstlCrazy wrote:

Unless, of course, they do something as substantial as adding a god damn barrel roll, this is a case where I really could not care less if this ride was floorless or stand-up haha.

I think a stand up with a barrel roll would actually be better and more unique lol.

That sounds like the worst thing that could ever happen to the amusement industry... just take a minute to yourself to think about how horrible that would actually be in person.

I think Vortex as a floorless would be a rather good coaster. While it likely won't be as good as Medusa, I did once ride Vortex multiple times on an empty train and it gave a forceful and enjoyable experience. So, if these floorless trains can create a much smoother and much more enjoyable ride, like my rides on an empty train, it would become a very good coaster.

Paradox wrote:

How's Riddler at SFMM? I don't know if I should ride it or not.

Riddler is my favorite of the stand-ups I've been on, with CGA's Vortex, Green Lantern, and Mantis being the other stand-ups I have been on. I recommend riding in the middle rows as they have little headbanging and have some good hangtime on the dive loops.

[Dirk_Ermen]

I'm having a bit of mixed feelings with this. In one way I think it's too bad that another stand-up coaster would disappear.
But on the other hand I think the ride would gain some popularity again. (At least in the time when I rode it there was hardly any queue compared to the other rides.)

CGA is my home park. I'm a bit mixed on this. First off, I am all for having a much more comfortable ride on Vortex. Honestly, the standing up doesn't do much for me, I find it more uncomfortable than anything. Vortex has some snappy transitions and standing up isn't the best position to be when you're whipping your way through that compact course. So sitting down in more conventional seating would make this a much more comfortable experience.

When I ride Vortex, to avoid smashing my ears I tend to keep the "bike seat" lower, meaning my shoulders are getting pinned by the restraints. I come off with sore shoulders but at least my head isn't getting pulverized. The worst part of the ride for me is that corkscrew.

Flipside...I'm confused as to why they'd put all that money into such a short ride. Unless they did some extension (barrel roll, bonus helix in old Triple Play area?) it would seem like an expensive thing do do, kind of like putting in a powerful new engine in your old rust bucket....and would be pointless since there's already a much larger and superior floorless an hour away at SFDK...nothing really to compete the possible new stand up with, can't even compare it to Medusa.

Meanwhile, images below shows new paint already happening on Vortex, I took these a couple weeks ago.

GerstlCrazy wrote:

TTD03 wrote:

GerstlCrazy wrote:

Unless, of course, they do something as substantial as adding a god damn barrel roll, this is a case where I really could not care less if this ride was floorless or stand-up haha.

I think a stand up with a barrel roll would actually be better and more unique lol.

That sounds like the worst thing that could ever happen to the amusement industry... just take a minute to yourself to think about how horrible that would actually be in person.

Shockwave at Drayton has a zero-G roll. How is that for those that have done it?