Gravity Group Too Radical?

[jolash]

News - (12/17/07) I haven’t found any photos yet, but I’ve been told that construction crews are crawling all over the Boardwalk Bullet these days, taking sections of the ride down to rebuild it. Now I had heard over the summer that there were solid plans in place to do just this over the winter due to the rushed construction timetable. However, other sources tell me that the rougher portions of the ride have apparently caused a few individuals to file “whiplash” lawsuits so sections of the ride will be tamed down a bit when it reopens.

Voyage replaced over 1000 feet of track in its first months of operation as well.

This brings up a good question.

While The Gravity Group has obviously radical, wild, and breathtaking designs, is it just too much? Maybe these guys should get into the steel coaster world instead?

[Thrill Reconnoiter]

Almost all Boardwalk Bullet's error is Martin & Vleminchx's fault, because they knew from initial construction it was going to need more work... Hades hasn't had any major work that I'm aware of and Voyage's track work this off season was planned from the initial track work repair.

Maybe if someone who knew how to do real track work, like the guys at GCII, then we wouldn't be hearing so much.

[MaverickManJZ]

Don't know, but if I get an interview with one of the guys I'll be sure to ask.

[p0tat0]

GG is doing an awesome job. Being radical brings awesome change for us :)

[Dan]

Sure, but it also brings awesomely large bills to the parks when the ride needs to be retracked every few years after their warranty expires.

[Mike T]

^ Thats why all four of those guys at the Gravity Group have degrees in some form of engineering. It's not like they draw stuff up in MS Paint and call it a day. Forces are measured to determine stresses on the track and supports, as well as the impact they are going to have on the riders. In the instance of Board Walk bullet, if you want to place blame on somebody, it should be placed in the hands of Martin & Vleminckx for their poor constructing efforts. Thats why the ride is closed as we speak, getting re-tracked only after 4 months of operation. As for Voyage, its been noted several times that Will Koch new completely the commitment that he would have to take in order to keep his mega woodie in pristine condition. He asked for an all out monster of a roller coaster, and thats what he received. Hades is still going strong, having been open for 3 years now. There isn't much said about that ride, because it doesn't necessarily have those problems that Boardwalk Bullet and Voyage do. Plus, a large amount of their extreme track segments isn't exposed to weather elements. Sure that wood expands and contracts as it gets colder, but its not getting snowed/rained on either.

You guys have to remember that other than the design process, Gravity Group leaves the rest of the construction efforts of their rides up to the park. That was one of the big things that they stressed that made them different than say... GCI.

[sheikra182]

You guys have to remember that other than the design process, Gravity Group leaves the rest of the construction efforts of their rides up to the park. That was one of the big things that they stressed that made them different than say... GCI.
What is that suppose to mean? Are you trying to infer that GCI does the same rides every time or something? Please explain more. Because if you do mean that GCI is making the same rides, time after time then you are definetly wrong. How about you go look at Ozark Wildcat and compare it to some of there newer rides being built. If you see, there is not one comparision except for the trains. Ozark has a wild and crazy drop just like any other GCI, but it is not the same. Sure it has curves and crossovers. But does GCI compact it all together the same way each time? No, they do not. Renegade and Troy are excellent examples. Yes, they do crossover. But it is more spread out and is not compacted like the other rides they have built. But you also may be infering that the parks have no input on the design. If that's the case.....Once again your wrong. I am sure that the parks that just got marvelous GCI's did have input on there layout and more than "We want it to be ___Ft tall and to go through the station".

[Michael]

^ He meant that they supervise and are more involved in the construction and installation of the ride.

[Jake]

What is that suppose to mean? Are you trying to infer that GCI does the same rides every time or something? Please explain more. Because if you do mean that GCI is making the same rides, time after time then you are definetly wrong. How about you go look at Ozark Wildcat and compare it to some of there newer rides being built. If you see, there is not one comparision except for the trains. Ozark has a wild and crazy drop just like any other GCI, but it is not the same. Sure it has curves and crossovers. But does GCI compact it all together the same way each time? No, they do not. Renegade and Troy are excellent examples. Yes, they do crossover. But it is more spread out and is not compacted like the other rides they have built. But you also may be infering that the parks have no input on the design. If that's the case.....Once again your wrong. I am sure that the parks that just got marvelous GCI's did have input on there layout and more than "We want it to be ___Ft tall and to go through the station".

He was commenting that other then design the coaster, Gravity Group doesn't do anything else. So any problem with the trackwork of a Gravity Group coaster can not be blamed on the Gravity Group.

[Jake]

I almost think it's a good thing that they don't. Because just because they designed it doesn't mean they necessarily know how to construct it well. Plus, now they can't be held responsible for poor trackwork, and it offers a potentially lower cost to parks.

[Mike T]

I personally believe that it has more to do with the firm being so small, rather than them neglecting to take that responsibility. Right now, its pretty apparent that the firm's popularity is starting to overtake the amount of rides that they can pump out in one season. Their frequency is going to start rising even more, and eventually I don't see how they are going to be able to meet the demands of the consumer with 4 guys designing these mega roller coasters. I think their lack of man power is what is deferring them from being involved in the construction process. But the good news about this is that eventually if the company continues to grow, there is always the possibility that they will take the way of GCII and start offering this service. That way, the company can better monitor how the ride is being constructed, whether or not things need to be changed, etc etc. This can also expand into the development of their own rolling stock (which could put PTC out of business). But enough of the babbling... its all wishful thinking.

Look at it this way, if Intamin can create wooden roller coasters that dive 180 feet, travel 75 mph, and ride the upstops on the majority of the camelbacks, all while providing a butter smooth ride, I think there are many things that can be done to improve the products of The Gravity Group, its just a matter of time before it'll happen.

[Dan]

I personally believe that it has more to do with the firm being so small, rather than them neglecting to take that responsibility. Right now, its pretty apparent that the firm's popularity is starting to overtake the amount of rides that they can pump out in one season. Their frequency is going to start rising even more, and eventually I don't see how they are going to be able to meet the demands of the consumer with 4 guys designing these mega roller coasters. I think their lack of man power is what is deferring them from being involved in the construction process. But the good news about this is that eventually if the company continues to grow, there is always the possibility that they will take the way of GCII and start offering this service. That way, the company can better monitor how the ride is being constructed, whether or not things need to be changed, etc etc. This can also expand into the development of their own rolling stock (which could put PTC out of business). But enough of the babbling... its all wishful thinking.
I think it's really cool that such a popular and great company is run by just four people, but really, they need to expand at some point...and the sooner the better. They've shown us they know how to design a ride. A company who designs layouts as well as the Gravity Group does can surely do a fine job with trains. To supervise construction they'd need one or two professionals to oversee the work being done to build the ride(s) going up each year. It's not rocket science (or even layout design). The company provides in a niche of a niche (layout design < coasters < other stuff), and they could do just a bit more than that and become a much more successful and overall better company.

[Steelinwood]

The Boardwalk bullet is very compact, it will be cool to see how long this will really take!

[Sam]

^ Why did this thread that hasn't seen action in 10 months need to be bumped?

[ArrowOwnzU]

I still don't see whats wrong with bumping an old thread. If it dies again then it dies again, if it gets new life then so be it. Who cares?

[Jake]

^ Agreed. There's nothing wrong with bringing back an old thread if you have something valuable to add.

[Dan]

^ Agreed. There's nothing wrong with bringing back an old thread if you have something valuable to add.What about if there's nothing valuable to add? I personally can't even understand the new comment.

[ArrowOwnzU]

I agree with you on that, but otherwise there's nothing wrong with it. I mean, if someone makes a new thread and there's already an existing one then they get yelled at for not using the search. And if they revive an older thread then they get yelled at for bumping an old thread. Damned if you do, damned if you don't.

[Steelinwood]

I don't think that they are radical, I think that they are trying to be the best, to hard!

[Fergusonat]

Gravity Group is revolutionizing the wooden coaster medium. You can say they're a bit on the "radical" side, but that's what you have to do in order to be revolutionary...

[Atem122]

The Gravity Group isnt too radical, they're a breath of fresh air for the wooden coaster business. They've brought more to the table for woodies in 5 years than any other companies have since the invention of wooden coasters. And it really isnt their fault m&v sucks, I suggest they cut their ties though because that may lead to less problems

[Michael]

The proposal for a launched woodie crossed the line in my opinion, but of course in all actuality it's probably just a publicity stunt rather than an announcment.

I guess we'll just have to see if Gravity Group really did it this time...

[G-Force!]

Well, I say if a loop was possible on a woodie (SoB, even though different company) why not a launch? I'm optimistic that it could be done if done right.

[Gemini78]

A loop on a wooden coaster has been possible since the 1920s (seriously, they tried it), but each time it hasn't been fully successful. In the 20s it didn't work because it was a perfect circle instead of the teardrop shape we have today. With SoB, the trains were too heavy and ripping the structure apart. If you have ridden the ride with the new G-trains, you can really feel just how light the new trains are compared to the old Premier trains.

My point? A loop is possible, but it has never been practical or sustainable, and I feel the same way about the launched wooden coaster idea.