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Playland's Castaway Cove | GaleForce | S&S Triple Launched

Chris Brown

Mr CoasterForce 2016
Re: Playland's Castaway Cove | GaleForce | S&S Triple Launch

Was going to say it looks like its launching a little too fast. At the moment it looks like there will be some crazy ejector airtime coming off the first element into the first drop. Contrary to peoples opinions i like the look of this ride and think comparing it to models like the sky rocket II is underselling it a little. This is a lot longer with a lot more too it I'd argue.
 

Pink Cadillac

Giga Poster
Re: Playland's Castaway Cove | GaleForce | S&S Triple Launch

It is really bumpy? The POV makes it look so. Looks insane atm and considering its footprint I think it looks great!
 

Jarrett

Most Obnoxious Member 2016
Re: Playland's Castaway Cove | GaleForce | S&S Triple Launch

HOLY CRAP!!!!

I love it! A shuttle coaster based on aggression instead of inversions, the things brilliant! Ugh, this pisses me off even more that it spited me but I'll get it next year on Mid Atlantic so I can wait.

But if these are usually as bad as I hear they are, I might dread this once I do IB later this season...
 

ECG

East Coast(er) General
Staff member
Administrator
Re: Playland's Castaway Cove | GaleForce | S&S Triple Launch

^It's nothing like an EL Loco and I don't understand why people keep comparing it to one.
CanobieFan said:
Although it looks like the Miler is far from complete. Do they have any sort of estimation on when that will be complete. Or were they just waiting for Gale to get finished testing before putting the remaining track for that in?
They're waiting for the rest of the track to arrive, so nothing to do with GaleForce. They're hoping to continue Wild Waves construction next, which should go fairly fast. However the trains are still not ready and then there's the two lift hill chains, brakes, sensors and other electrical that has to be done before testing can begin. I would say end of July or beginning of August at the earliest.
Like Whirlwind, the SBF/Visa Spinner that opened Memorial Day weekend, GaleForce will open as soon as it's ready. So you might have to settle for two new credz instead of three.
 

Hyde

Matt SR
Staff member
Moderator
Social Media Team
Re: Playland's Castaway Cove | GaleForce | S&S Triple Launch

Haha love the ridiculous speed at which those transitions are taken.
 

ECG

East Coast(er) General
Staff member
Administrator
I was supposed to be on the road to Columbus today in preparation for covering Friday's USA-Mexico World Cup Qualifier, but I received a call from the owner of Castaway Cove asking if I would be able to come ride the GaleForce to check out the modifications they made since I was last at the park earlier this summer. So I pushed back the trip to Ohio until tomorrow and headed for the Jersey Shore.
I arrived early since rain was forecast from mid-morning through the evening and the first thing I noticed was that the Wild Waves track was finally completed.
galeforcefull.jpg

Upon entering the park I also noticed the station paneling that was being added.
galeforcestation.jpg

After entering the station I was greeted by Toby, S&S General Manager and senior track specialist. We spent about 30 minutes talking about the various issues they were having with the prototype that delayed the opening. There were numerous minor track issues that had to be fixed and one that couldn't be corrected through the various techniques he specializes in without damaging the track. Imperfections in the 30 foot piece of track that leads back into the station meant it was slightly off and the car wasn't lining up properly with the dual launch stators. So they're replacing that section of track and it's currently being manufactured at the plant in Italy.
After sending the car around a couple of times, he asked if I was ready to give it a go - understanding that the last bit of track wouldn't be smooth due to the notches he had made in four locations to get it to line up correctly.
I took two rides, one in the front right and one in the front left seat, so that I could see the difference between the two.
galeforcetrain.jpg

When the car first leaves the station and then rolls back through and halfway up the rear section of track, it feels just like a Premier Sky Rocket II. However, when it comes back trough the station for that third launch it's much more forceful. The dual stators really kick and it feels like the car accelerates more like a hydraulic launch than a LSM. I would say that the car hits 60+ mph in less than three seconds!
Before you know it you're 125 feet up and twisting up onto the tophat, which at first feels very much like the one on Kingda Ka or Top Thrill Dragster as you get a chance to view most of Ocean City, the inlet and the far Jersey shoreline.
galeforcetophatright.jpg

But before you can look around, BAM! you're dropping. And although the drop is beyond vertical, it doesn't feel like other ones I've experienced on El Locos, EuroFighters, Fahrenheit, Maverick, etc. I don't know quite how to explain it, but on all those you can really feel the car/train as it crests the top and heads into the beyond vertical position. On this one it feels more like a freefall drop tower (for lack of a better example) and I mean that in a good way.
It's like... oh look, pretty.. Wham! You're racing toward the ground!
galeforcetophatleft.jpg

I do mean racing. By the time the car starts to pull out of the dive it's once again hitting 60+ mph!
Now comes the strange bit. there's this unique element at the top of the second tophat that I still can't quite get my head around. It reminds me of a Norwegian Loop, but it feels different as you twist out, up, sideways and up again as you drop down.
galeforcehalf.jpg

Both times I rode I was so mesmerized by the element I failed to look up at the view of the boardwalk and beach. It's like "What the heck is this?" as you stare down at the track twisting ahead of you and disappearing under the car.
galeforcestation2.jpg

Once again the car zooms back up to speed down and up into a dive loop. Without loosing much speed it's down into another (smaller) valley and into another dive loop which leads over the piece of track that needs to be replaced into the station, where the car comes to a quick halt.
Why S&S call this a launched El Loco is beyond me. It's nothing like an El Loco, launch or not.
What it is I can't tell you exactly, because it certainly isn't a Sky Rocket III either. What I can tell you is that it's got a fantastic launch, a great drop and pacing, as well as a fun element that is best experienced in the left seat - even though I think I enjoyed the ride overall better in the right one. Yeah, I know. That doesn't really make sense, but I need to ride it more to be sure. And it is very re-rideable, but unfortunately they don't want to run it more due the damaged section of track, so that will have to wait until it's replaced.
I should also mention that there's a slight pop of airtime on the first tophat just before the car drops and I didn't feel any hangtime during the ride. The restraints and seats are also very comfy. You don't really even notice the restraints TBH.
Obviously the ride was much too fast the last time I was here and filmed the POV. So fast that you really couldn't feel anything I just described and you came off the coaster feeling a bit ill. Now they have it dialed in perfectly, even though the park owner is concerned that it still might be a bit too fast for younger family members that might want to ride. I told him that wasn't the case and hopefully they have it running as is when it opens next spring.
wildwavestrain.jpg

I also inquired about Wild Waves (the E&F Miler family coaster surrounding GaleForce) and was told that the train was just put on the track yesterday. Testing should begin any day now.
Feel free to ask any questions and I'll do my best to answer them.
Thanks for reading.
 
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GuyWithAStick

Captain Basic
Sounds like a great coaster! Hopefully the public likes it.

Btw, is Wild Waves going to get painted? The raw steel looks like turd.
 

Hixee

Flojector
Staff member
Administrator
Moderator
Social Media Team
Thanks for the update Jerry! It's good to hear they're getting closer to having this rid ready - it looks bonkers. I think it's probably a good thing that they've dialled the laucnh back a bit, as from your previous videos/reports it looked and sounded like it was just a bit too much. An interesting concept with a (relatively) tiny footprint, I wonder if we'll see many more popping up?

I kinda think it's a bit of a shame they've wrapped that other coaster round the outside to be honest. It seems to detract slightly from the web of track on GaleForce, but I suppose space is so much of an issue they have to compromise somewhere...
 

peep

CF Legend
Btw, is Wild Waves going to get painted? The raw steel looks like turd.
This. So much. It looks absolutely gross at the moment. Kinda ruins the whole look of Gale Force for me.

Glad to hear it rides really well, so many odd features. Hopefully I'll get over to ride it at some point once it opens.
 

CanobieFan

Strata Poster
Oops, keep forgetting this is a thing. I had been looking forward to it so much over the summer but it was closed when I visited. Hopefully I'll get the chance next year to ride.
 

Pokemaniac

Mountain monkey
Staff member
Administrator
Moderator
Btw, is Wild Waves going to get painted? The raw steel looks like turd.

Considering that this park lies literally on the Atlantic shore, I'm kind of surprised it isn't already. Exposed metal + salt + water usually adds up to massive corrosion (at least in the presence of oxygen). If this thing wants to survive more than one winter, it is really going to need some corrosion protection, and paint is the cheapest and most reliable way to do so.
 

ECG

East Coast(er) General
Staff member
Administrator
^The steel is galvanized and is 100% weather proof for the lifetime of the coaster, so metal + salt + water will not add up to any corrosion in this case.

Wild Waves was supposed to be painted white, but that didn't happen due to time restraints.
With Memorial Day and the start of summer fast approaching, the park wanted to get the coasters (especially GaleForce) open ASAP. However, fabrication of the track and structure took longer than expected and Fred Miler told the park he would need an additional two weeks, which wouldn't leave time to have it painted.
Construction was at the point with GaleForce that they needed at least a portion of Wild Waves' structure to be erected due to the way it wraps around, before the GaleForce work could continue. So they had no choice but to have Miler ship everything as is and skip the painting process.
It's not what the park wanted, but it's what they're going to have to live with. They cannot paint it now because that would require the entire thing to be sandblasted beforehand and state laws would make that impossible without taking it apart and shipping it to the company they use for the painting to have it done.
The park had already paid the company for the paint job, so rather than asking for them for a refund, they're going to use that credit for paint updates that GaleForce will need over time.
 
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ECG

East Coast(er) General
Staff member
Administrator
The new section of track arrived and has been put into place, replacing the defective one. Testing will begin as soon as new, larger running wheels arrive.
Miler has also completed the engineering on Wild Waves and will be submitting plans to New Jersey in two weeks, but it will take a while before the state completes their vigorous inspection process.

GaleForce-track-1.jpg


GaleForce-track-2.jpg


GaleForce-track-3.jpg


GaleForce-track-4.jpg
 

Hixee

Flojector
Staff member
Administrator
Moderator
Social Media Team
Miler has also completed the engineering on Wild Waves and will be submitting plans to New Jersey in two weeks, but it will take a while before the state completes their vigorous inspection process.
I've met several planning officers, and vigorous is not a word I'd use to describe most of them. ;)

Thanks for the update, it's good to see progress being made.
 

ECG

East Coast(er) General
Staff member
Administrator
I've met several planning officers, and vigorous is not a word I'd use to describe most of them. ;)
I was referring the inspections themselves, not the planning officers. :p
New Jersey has really stepped up its inspections after "Superstorm Sandy". However, they haven't increased the inspection staff. So it's taking much longer for all New Jersey parks to get their operating permits certified or renewed.
 

Intricks

Strata Poster
Werent 2 of these bought at the same time withthis being one of them and the other just kind of disappearing?
 

Superbatboy

Roller Poster
Werent 2 of these bought at the same time withthis being one of them and the other just kind of disappearing?
I remember that rumor floating around at the time of the ride's announcement. It was also weird how Six Flags filed a trademark for the name "Gale Force 7" around the same time, that also kind of just disappeared.
 

Lofty

CF Legend
I thought it was just this one that was officially announced, but there were rumours that another party were interested in purchasing one.
 
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