Six Flags Over Georgia | Georgia Goldrusher | Intamin Ultra Surf | 2025

[Dan Nguyen]

In all honesty, I really like the new theme and the name change. The old name sounded pretty generic and the old logo looked pretty amateur so I'm glad they actually put more effort into making the logo a bit more professional. Maybe we'll get some decent theming to go with it.

You could easily make it into a panning for gold theme and it works pretty well.

 

[Cheri30]

Usually a lurker, but I think one reason may be the damage to the original paint. This is my home park, and there were huge gashes in the paint on at least one support column that were visible from guest walkways, presumably from being shipped and stored and whatever else happened to it during the time it was originally slated to go to another park overseas. It was very, very noticeable. The thought of it opening like that made me cringe, and it looks like maybe corporate felt the same way. If they acknowledged they needed to repaint it anyway (partially or fully), why not go ahead and theme it to match the coaster next door, the Dahlonega Mine Train? Reaction in the local Six Flags online community has been pretty negative, but I think it’s a fantastic change. Nice to see them put importance on theming, and not just one ride but the area it’s in.

 

[rollercoaster.jpg]

The renaming seems like a plus to me! It'd be great if they strip out the cheap DC Friends and Bugs Bunny themeing to make one cohesive western area stretching all the way to the mine train entrance.

When I visited SFOG in 2023, I was kind of shocked to see the concrete from Splashwater Falls left to rot in such a visible and prominent location. And left that way for five years!

I think SFOG and SFGAdv are the ugliest parks in the chain. But I'm hopefully we'll see positive changes coming from (the former) CF's focus on placemaking and beautification.

 

[roomraider]

This ride was 2nd hand although it was never built at it's original location. Always seemed to me SF took the cheap option and didn't bother repainting it to better fit the area and then shoehorned in the name to fit the colours.

Hopefully with the merger and CF we will have a little less of that cheap as possible mentality

 

[MountedShooter]

Usually a lurker, but I think one reason may be the damage to the original paint. This is my home park, and there were huge gashes in the paint on at least one support column that were visible from guest walkways, presumably from being shipped and stored and whatever else happened to it during the time it was originally slated to go to another park overseas. It was very, very noticeable. The thought of it opening like that made me cringe, and it looks like maybe corporate felt the same way. If they acknowledged they needed to repaint it anyway (partially or fully), why not go ahead and theme it to match the coaster next door, the Dahlonega Mine Train? Reaction in the local Six Flags online community has been pretty negative, but I think it’s a fantastic change. Nice to see them put importance on theming, and not just one ride but the area it’s in.

Hi neighbor,

I kinda like the retheme and never really liked the Georgia Surfer theme. I'm also happy it wasn't a retheme of the Dahlonega. Most of the people on the Georgia Coaster Connection Discord seem pleased with the retheme.

 

[ECG]

We received the media day event invites today. It's nice to see things finally going to plan for a change. Gotta book a trip to Atlanta now...

 

[Niles]

We have a POV

 

[CanobieFan]

You can really get a good sense of the spinning action on that!!

 

[CloudRuben]

It sure looks like a fun ride, but I don't really get the concept. It looks like one of those half-pipe rides with a surprisingly weak launch (meh), an air-time hill (fun!) and some straight track (meh). There are a lot of odd choices here for me.
The splash zone in particular looks just sad to me. I did not follow the construction, but I was interested in the final product and see how it compares. The small pond, a big concrete trench and small fountains... Oof. It makes it seem like a far inferior version of the Mack powersplash. The Mack version is so much more impressive to look at in every way! And it has a turntable to improve the capacity!

I would have left out the splash-zone completely and just let it do it's own thing. Remove the straight track and the splash and focus on the spinning seats. That to me is its main selling point. It honestly looks fun!

 

[Nick13]

Yeah I also thought this was going to have an actual splashdown, similar to the Mack powersplash. But it's basically another Surfrider model with some fountains?!

 

[Gavin]

Yeah, wtf is that splash thing? I haven't kept up to date with this at all, but I thought it was supposed to be more like the Mack things? Is that why it's taken so long to get it finished? Having to change the splashdown to that ugly little trough and a wet fart of a fountain?

Looks s**te!

 

[Matt N]

I don’t think it was ever meant to be like the Mack ones. My impression was that the splashdown was always meant to be more of a “fake” one like Shambhala’s.

 

[CloudRuben]

It's not exactly the splashdown or 'Interactive water features (optional)' they use to promote the ride on their website . So yes, it was always meant to be a 'fake' splashdown. This still looks pretty sad in comparison.
I am also surprised by the mention of the 'Strongest LSM launch on the market with integrated water cooling' or the 'Iconic structure'

Like I said, it looks like a decently fun ride and it is probably a good addition to the park. It is perfectly fine Still it is somewhat disappointing and some questionable decisions were made here. Mostly with regards to the ride design by Intamin in my opinion.

 

[ECG]

... It looks like one of those half-pipe rides with a surprisingly weak launch...

You can really get a good sense of the spinning action on that!!

Another screw up. Something Six Flags could have done without.
I don't understand how Intamin took so long to discover that using the "spin fins" from their half pipe coasters doesn't create the power needed to spin these bigger models. I know this is the first of its kind, but it was supposed to open last year and has been standing there for months, so they had time to do more than enough testing. I didn't join Scott in the ridercam video because I couldn't have kept my mouth shut about the failure.
Intamin is supposed to deliver larger fins in the next 30 days to get the seats spinning, but those won't affect the launch. Scott will return to the park to film our POV after the new fins are installed, in addition to a new Goliath POV with its teal-grey paint job. I'll join him and post an update here.

Yeah, wtf is that splash thing? I haven't kept up to date with this at all, but I thought it was supposed to be more like the Mack things? Is that why it's taken so long to get it finished? Having to change the splashdown to that ugly little trough and a wet fart of a fountain?

Looks s**te!

The splash thing will remain as is, unfortunately. It'll break in a year or two anyway.

 

[rollercoaster.jpg]

It's seeming less likely this ride will repair the working relationship between (legacy) Cedar Fair and Intamin like some hoped

My gut instinct is the wimpy water effects were a Six Flags cost-cutting measure. I can't imagine anyone involved thought four spray nozzles would create the effect in the ride animations.

 

[MLDesigns]

Obviously haven't done it myself, but I don't see the strength of the launch being much to complain over. It doesn't even look weak. Interesting that they're planning (by your word) to beef that up though.

The spinning, or lack thereof, is pretty hilarious though. These "spin fins" mounted to the track are definitely there to induce the spinning, just like the S&S Free Spins, but somehow they just don't work?

In some off-ride clips, you can see them interacting with this vertically mounted 'drum' assembly, which is supposed to make the spin. Perhaps they just need to be taller to interact more? Or maybe there's a 'spin brake' up inside that vehicle that's heavily limiting the spin? Who knows. Definitely needs to spin more than current, though.

 

[ECG]

Obviously haven't done it myself, but I don't see the strength of the launch being much to complain over. It doesn't even look weak. Interesting that they're planning (by your word) to beef that up though.

I checked back with the SF employee who told me about the issue and they thought that LSMs were "spin fins". (Not all employees know coaster parts, no matter how high up the chain they are.) I corrected my post above.

Here's Scott's ride. At the time he didn't know that the fins were the issue for the lack of spinning.

 

[emoo]

That pov music is so dramatic. Would have been a better radio ad.

 

[CrashCoaster]

Aren't the fins supposed to induce spinning rather than prevent it?

 

[ECG]

Aren't the fins supposed to induce spinning rather than prevent it?

Correct. The current fins on the ride are fine for halfpipe (Surfrider) models with only six seat spinning gondolas (if that's an appropriate term). However, the two spinning gondolas on the Ultra Surf have 10 seats and require taller fins to get the gondola to start spinning, as @MLDesigns pointed out above. Intamin has ordered the taller fins, which should arrive in about 30 days, to replace the current ones.