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Analysis of Wave Breaker: The Rescue Coaster, New for 2017 at SeaWorld San Antonio
For all of you coaster fans out there upset about Intamin's coaster drought in the United States, you no longer have to be jealous of China's splurge of coasters from the company. Asia and Europe have been paramount for the Switzerland-based roller coaster manufacturer. More than twenty new roller coasters from Intamin have opened, or are planned to open this year, in Asia and Europe alone since 2012. The United States used to be the biggest money maker for the company. However, that changed after the opening of Skyrush at Hersheypark (pictured below) in May 2012, because Intamin hasn't built a coaster in North America since.
Skyrush at Hersheypark (Courtesy of Jeremy Thompson)
Major competitor Bolliger & Mabillard (B&M) quickly swooped in and built nine brand-new record-breaking steel coasters under Intamin's feet, the most notable being Fury 325 at Carowinds. Four of these nine coasters built are Wing Coasters, B&M's newest coaster model that has had high demand in the coaster industry recently. Eight installations have been built so far, including the four in America, and three more are under construction. All of these installations under construction are being built at Chinese amusement parks, and two of the three are scheduled to open this year.
Even though B&M has had a monopoly in the American coaster industry, Intamin is finally back in business in "The Land of Opportunity." The coaster bringing Intamin back into the American market will be Wave Breaker: The Rescue Coaster, coming to SeaWorld San Antonio in 2017. Wave Breaker will be only the second motorbike coaster in North America, and it will be the first Intamin model in the states. The only other motorbike coaster in the U.S. is a Zamperla installation, Pony Express at Knott's Berry Farm, which opened in 2008.
Wave Breaker will be feature a sixty-one-foot tall camelback hill (the highest point of the ride), preceded by a launch out of the coaster's station. Wave Breaker will reach speeds of 44 mph, making it one of the slower motorbike coasters, and will have 2,600 feet of track.
Wave Breaker: The Rescue Coaster Concept Art (Courtesy of SeaWorld San Antonio)
There really is no known or proven reason as to why Intamin coasters weren't built in North America for almost five years, but one of the most common beliefs is it is due to Intamin's unreliable rides. The coaster most infamous for its unreliability from the company is Top Thrill Dragster at Cedar Point. It is commonly closed, temporarily or indefinitely, due to minor/major weather or a malfunctioning/broken part. Many other Intamin coasters have similar issues, but unreliability isn't the only possible reason to blame. Intamin also is one of the most expensive manufacturers, and many parks don't pay the kind of money Intamin asks for as often as they used to, due to many new coaster manufacturers providing cheaper, and sometimes better, coasters.
Wave Breaker is going to cost $18,000,000, which makes it one of the most expensive coasters opening in 2017. The two most anticipated coasters opening next year, Mystic Timbers at Kings Island and InvadR at Busch Gardens Williamsburg, are estimated to cost nearly half of that hefty price tag. Intamin is known for charging parks a lot for their coasters. Many may argue that aforementioned competitor B&M's coasters are more expensive than Intamin's almost all of the time. However, B&M is arguably the best and most reliable coaster manufacturer in business. And, with B&M, the common conception is that you get what you pay for. For example, a park may hand over twenty-five million dollars for an Inverted Coaster, but by no means did a cent of that price tag go to waste.
Intamin is also considered one of the best coaster manufacturers, but many will argue that Intamin has lost its ground due to not being as innovative as its competitors in recent years. B&M has introduced several coaster models within the last ten years, while Intamin has kept to what it is best at, and has introduced a few new models, but none as innovative or as popular as B&M's.
The motorbike model is one of the rarest coaster models you'll find that Intamin offers, so us Americans are lucky to finally have one built here. I will say, even though all of the installations of this model built so far are tame in comparison to almost all other coaster models from Intamin, Wave Breaker looks to be one of the best family coasters in the world. I think SeaWorld San Antonio made a smart decision about what manufacturer to go with. Intamin is definitely a great company, and the jet ski trains look great. Wave Breaker will be a great example of why SeaWorld is a leader in the amusement park industry.
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