Anyone know what made windseeker break today?

walleyewhacker said:
Does anyone know if this ride will need to be re-inspected by the state after repairs are completed?

It won't need to be re-inspected, the state only does an inspection if a ride accident occurs with a certain level of injury to a rider. This is just mechanical failure that CP has to deal with, not the state.

^I'm not sure about that. I'm pretty sure the state had to come back and inspect Millennium a few years ago when the elevator lift slid out of the trough and was hanging from the hill.

I don't see why the state would come inspect the rides after off season maintanance, but not after a mid-season malfunction.

If they did come back to inspect it, it was probably because they wanted to and not because it was required. I say this because malfunctions happen all of the time and the state does not get involved. At what point do they not come to the park for an inspection after a malfunction? If Magnums lift chain breaks but no one is hurt, why would the state have to come out and inspect the chain once it is fixed?

In cases like this, the State probably asks that Cedar Point documents the incident and maybe even send some pictures of the failed part to the them. Just recently, a kiddie coaster at a small park jumped the track after a weld on a wheel assembly broke, this also caused the car to became unattached from the rest of the train. The coaster rolled back and everyone was evacuated off of it but since there were no injuries, the state just wanted pictures and a full report. This was not in Ohio but that states ride inspection department is very similar to Ohio's.

Ffej said:
There are many reports of the ride frustratingly being down visit after visit on KI Central forums.

I have personally witnessed...

Both anecdotal experiences and especially forum discussion aren't exactly accurate measures of ride performance.

Ffej said:
I'm just surprised that they haven't already frozen operation of the other Windseekers to be safe. That had to be extremely unsettling. I've had no fear induced by Windseeker, but when a giant chain falls off and gets tangled, ripping parts of the ride off, I can only imagine the panic I'd feel.

It sounds as if all the safety mechanisms of the ride performed flawlessly, and that the malfunction of the ride is understood and not catastrophic. Why would they close the other rides in that case?

The ride never passed the smell test with me. If it looks like a lemon and smells like a lemon I suppose there is a chance it could be an orange...but I'm not going to bite into it to find out.

My guess is that the cause of the malfunction at Cedar Point is mind-numbingly obvious, and the mechanical repair to prevent it either simple or unnecessary.

Why do I say this? Because I rode Windseeker at Kings Island on Sunday.

--Dave Althoff, Jr.

djDaemon said:
Both anecdotal experiences and especially forum discussion aren't exactly accurate measures of ride performance.

Forum discussion that the ride has not yet opened for the season for 2 months last year and a month this year while water dummies could be viewed sitting on the ride is plenty accurate to note that the ride has experienced significant downtime.

I agree that the initial downtime was disappointing, but these are prototype rides - as such, problems are expected.

But I don't think it's accurate to suggest these rides weren't worth the relatively modest investment. The initial problems have been corrected (and even the corrections have been improved upon), and the downtime these days seems related primarily to wind. Obviously, the recent malfunction is the exception.

Sure, you've had negative experiences with them and seem generally displeased with the ride experience, but again, that's anecdotal and subjective. And if anecdotal evidence has merit, I've read plenty of reports of positive experiences, so the reception or popularity seems, at worst, mixed.

Has WindSeeker been a smashing success? Certainly not. But I think your assessment is overly negative.

^^ Being down 100% of the time for 2 months is not an anecdote--it is a statistical observation.

What % of the time this year has Windseeker been down? That would be a statistic, not anecdotal testimony.

"The plural of anecdote is not data"

I'm not necessarily being overly negative about the ride. I did say it looks attractive, has an awesome lighting package, and a great view. I personally think of it as a handsome observation tower.

I'm more so questioning why they are continuing to add Windseekers to most CF parks if it hasn't been a smashing success? A ride like MaxAir, which I also feel has been plagued by issues and downtime, is at least a smash hit with the general public. I've seen hour lines at both KI and CP last year, while Windseeker ran with half-full cycles.

Maybe a big issue with everyone is that they should have never marketed it as a thrill ride. It scares off the observation tower audience and disappoints the MaxAir crowd. Anyway, this is what I meant by more hassle than its worth. MaxAir is worth it; Windseeker, not so much.

Edit: By the way, DJ, I know you have problems with motion sickness as I do. Yes, we're all different, but I've found taking 2 Bonine an hour before the park has greatly brought back my ability to ride rides like MaxAir, Raptor, Wicked Twister, etc. this year. Maybe worth a shot.

Maybe a big issue with everyone is that they should have never marketed it as a thrill ride. It scares off the observation tower audience and disappoints the MaxAir crowd. Anyway, this is what I meant by more hassle than its worth. MaxAir is worth it; Windseeker, not so much.

Absolutely not worth it. Considering the stupid thing cost as much as WT(not adjusted for inflation).

Just got the tweet from PointBuzz that it is open now. That was fast.

Pete said:
It won't need to be re-inspected, the state only does an inspection if a ride accident occurs with a certain level of injury to a rider. This is just mechanical failure that CP has to deal with, not the state.

The ride will be re-inspected.

http://www.13abc.com/story/18685016/cps-windseeker-leaves-riders-ha...-over-hour

I don't think that it says its going to be re-inspected by the state. I read it as its going to be inspected by Cedar Point maintenance.

Wow, that was incredibly quick! Guess there wasn't as much to it as I though there would be in regards to fixing it. Just shows how good CP maintenance is.

What are you talking about? Is it open or something?

5 posts above yours says that it's open.

*face palm*

DSShives said:
I don't think that it says its going to be re-inspected by the state. I read it as its going to be inspected by Cedar Point maintenance.

Exactly right, the state does not get involved unless an accident occurred where there were injuries. This wasn't even close.

It pays to follow PointBuzz on Twitter.