Floorless Coaster
{{Short description|Type of roller coaster}}
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{{Infobox attraction model
| name = Floorless Roller Coaster
| logo =
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| image = Dominator (Kings Dominion) 13 Descente finale (crop).jpg
| imaged imensions =
| caption = Dominator at Kings Dominion
| status = in production
| first_produced = 1999
| No. of installations = 14
| manufacturer = Bolliger & Mabillard
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| vehicle_type = Floorless seats located above the track
| vehicles = 6-8-car Floorless Coaster trains
| riders_per_vehicle =
| rows =
| riders_per_row = 4
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| duration =
| restraint = Over-the-shoulder harness
| custom_label_1 = Produced
| custom_value_1 = 1999–present
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| rcdb_number = 6713
}}
A Floorless Coaster is a type of steel roller coaster manufactured by Bolliger & Mabillard where riders sit with no floor underneath them, allowing their feet to swing freely just above the track. Development of the Floorless Coaster model began between 1995 and 1996 with Medusa at Six Flags Great Adventure, which opened on April 2, 1999, as world's first Floorless Roller Coaster. Floorless Roller Coasters typically feature between three and seven inversions in the layout of the coaster.
Since 2007, Bolliger & Mabillard have used floorless trains on their Dive Coasters, such as Griffon and SheiKra. Though they contain floorless trains, the coasters are still not considered Floorless Coasters, as the company classifies them as another model. Maurer Söhne has designed their own version of the Floorless Coaster, a variant of their X-Car model called X-Car Floorless, but currently do not have any installations.
History
Image:Medusa East.jpg's cobra roll at Six Flags Great Adventure]]
According to Walter Bolliger, development of the Floorless Coaster began between 1995 and 1996.{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aBQ7tfjlMfE&feature=relmfu |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211212/aBQ7tfjlMfE| archive-date=2021-12-12 |url-status=live|title=IAAPA 2011 Trade Show Part 4 Theme Park Review Fishpipe Water Ride B&M Zamperla |work=Theme Park Review|publisher=YouTube |date=November 16, 2012 |access-date=July 20, 2012}}{{cbignore}} In 1999, the world's first Floorless Coaster opened at Six Flags Great Adventure as Medusa. With the success of Medusa, SeaWorld, Cedar Fair, Six Flags, and independent parks, Janfusun Fancyworld, Parque Warner Madrid, Tivoli Gardens, and Ocean Park Hong Kong have built other coasters of this model at their parks. B&M has built 13 Floorless Coasters from the ground up, with Dominator at Kings Dominion being the only one relocated to another park.{{Cite RCDB|coaster_name=Roller Coaster Search Results|location=Floorless Coaster|access-date=July 20, 2012|url=http://www.rcdb.com/r.htm?ot=2&ml=6713&page=1&order=10}} They have also converted three of their stand-up roller coasters to Floorless Coasters: Rougarou at Cedar Point, Patriot at California's Great America, and Firebird at Six Flags America.
Design
Image:Hydra the Revenge (Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom) 02.JPG's first drop at Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom]]
The design of a Floorless Coaster has one main difference from traditional steel roller coasters around the world: there is no floor under the seats.{{cite news|last=Niles|first=Robert|title=Scream leaves you dangling|url=https://www.latimes.com/la-wk-niles14nov14-story.html|access-date=July 21, 2012|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|date=November 14, 2002}} While a train is parked in the station, a floor is used only for loading and unloading purposes. Because the front row has nothing in front of it to stop riders from walking over the edge of the station, a gate is placed in front of the train to prevent this from happening. Once all the over-the-shoulder restraints are locked, the floor separates into several pieces and retracts underneath the station. The gate then opens, allowing the train to move forward. When the train returns to the station, the floor is brought back up and the gate is closed for the next group of riders to load and unload.{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h0vA0rxIuOs |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211212/h0vA0rxIuOs| archive-date=2021-12-12 |url-status=live|title=Dominator at Kings Dominion |publisher=woodencoasterfan (YouTube) |date=September 4, 2012 |access-date=July 20, 2012}}{{cbignore}} Aside from the station, Floorless Coasters have similar layouts to B&M's sit-down coasters.{{Cite RCDB|coaster_name=Roller Coaster Search Results|location=Sitting Coaster|access-date=July 20, 2012|url=http://rcdb.com/r.htm?ot=2&mo=8315}}
Installations
Image:Kraken (SeaWorld Orlando) 01.jpg's trains going through a corkscrew at SeaWorld Orlando in Orlando, Florida.]]
Bolliger & Mabillard has built thirteen Floorless Coasters from the ground up, with three additional that were converted from stand-up roller coasters. The roller coasters are listed in order of opening dates.
Note: Although some Dive Coasters (such as SheiKra, Griffon, Valravn and Yukon Striker) feature floorless trains, they are not considered Floorless Coasters.{{Cite RCDB|coaster_name=SheiKra|location=Busch Gardens Tampa Bay|rcdb_number=2662|access-date=July 21, 2012}}{{Cite RCDB|coaster_name=Griffon|location=Busch Gardens Williamsburg|rcdb_number=3631|access-date=July 21, 2012}}
Similar rides
Maurer Söhne, a German roller coaster and steel manufacturer, has developed their own version of the Floorless Coaster called the X-Car Floorless. The car is the same as the original X-Car with the only difference being that there is no floor during the ride.{{cite web |url=http://www.maurer-rides.com/x-coaster/floorless/ |title=X-Car Floorless |publisher=Maurer Söhne |access-date=March 1, 2012 |archive-date=July 14, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110714050533/http://www.maurer-rides.com/x-coaster/floorless/ |url-status=dead }}{{cite web |url=http://www.maurer-rides.com/x-coaster/x-car/ |title=X-Car |publisher=Maurer Söhne |access-date=July 21, 2012 |archive-date=July 12, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120712011115/http://www.maurer-rides.com/x-coaster/x-car/ |url-status=dead }} As of 2019, no X-Car Floorless roller coasters have been manufactured.
See also
- Dive Coaster, a type of roller coaster also designed by Bolliger & Mabillard, that feature floorless trains on some models.
Notes
{{Notelist|refs=
{{efn|name=fn1|Converted from a stand-up roller coaster to a floorless coaster}}}}
References
{{Reflist|30em}}
External links
{{commons category|Floorless roller coasters}}
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20060825055856/http://www.bolliger-mabillard.com/products/floorless_en.aspx Bolliger & Mabillard's Floorless Coaster]
{{Bolliger & Mabillard}}
{{Rollercoaster tracks}}
Category:Roller coasters manufactured by Bolliger & Mabillard