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Attraction Type
Roller Coaster
Attraction Status
Existing
Attraction Manufacturer
Bolliger & Mabillard
Attraction Model
Surf Coaster
They look stunning!

I just hope the ability for the restraint/seat to move with the rider prevents the previous train's "auto-vasectomy" feature from that "bicycle seat".

SeaWorld's VP of rides and engineering Jonathan Smith was very insistent when he talked to me and other reporters at IAAPA that the movement in the restraints sets this apart from stand-ups. Here's his exact quote:

“This is not a stand-up roller coaster, it is a surfing coaster. So there’s a lot of differences between the two. There is some movement on the restraint system, so you’re going to experience wave jumping motions as you’re maneuvering these elements. If you think about surfing, you never stand erect, or straight up, you always kind of bend your knees and control your center of gravity, and that’s what you’re going to be able to do here on Pipeline.”

SeaWorld and B&M very clearly do not want this ride associated with the older stand-up models. Whether this makes a big difference or is just PR spin will be determined once we're on the ride. Unlike some other coaster trains, the media did not get the chance to test out these seats at the expo.
 
I wonder if the dampers on those seats are a fixed rate or if they're somehow adjustable/sensing. I can see scenarios where smaller/lighter riders don't have as much movement because they need to account for larger/heavier riders' ability to put more pressure on the restraint fixture. There has to be something to prevent people from "jumping" upward and then pulling your legs up to let the restraint system slam you down into the lower stops, so I feel like this may be a negative for people on the ends of the body-type/weight spectrum.
 
In the IAAPA videos unveiling the train, the cover of the train was enough to compress one of the front seats. While none of the others moved.

You can see the seat movement in the first 5 seconds of this video.

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In the IAAPA videos unveiling the train, the cover of the train was enough to compress one of the front seats. While none of the others moved.

You can see the seat movement in the first 5 seconds of this video.

I noticed the exact same thing when I was there! Now if someone with more knowledge of physics wants to explain if that's significant at all, please have at it.
 
I noticed the exact same thing when I was there! Now if someone with more knowledge of physics wants to explain if that's significant at all, please have at it.
Probably because they were pulling down on that corner, so it wasn't just the force of the sheet. It's also possible that they put a different, lighter cylinder on that one in case anyone wanted to demo the seats by just pushing on it.
 
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I should have taken a daytime picture, but nighttime will have to do. Over half of the track is in place, with work still to be done on the back half. A fair amount of track and posts are visible from the Taco Bell parking lot on the Discovery Cove grass, and I can't help but think Ian and Nicole put them at least a couple weeks behind schedule. At this point, we can probably rule out a January or February opening, with March looking more likely.
 

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We need a clone of this at Water Country USA! Just add a few areas where it passes through water like on Griffin, maybe even splash the walkways. It's a perfect match for the "theme" and then they could keep water country open for year round ops!

Plus the cheesy 70s logo fits right in!
 
Did the water feature with the fountains get cut? I haven't seen any sign of it from the construction photos. That was the only place this "surf" coaster would've actually interacted with water (not to mention the only theming element in the whole ride) 🥲
 
Did the water feature with the fountains get cut? I haven't seen any sign of it from the construction photos. That was the only place this "surf" coaster would've actually interacted with water (not to mention the only theming element in the whole ride) 🥲
Nope! It’s under construction rn, it’s just walls and pipes but it’s there
Can anybody confirm that Pipeline has begun clearences testing?
I know the train is on the breakrun, station isn’t quite done yet, so idk
 
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Pipeline is now opening soon, is SWO going to test day and night to open up this ride or is it just marketing? 68794D9B-A559-4A0A-8E6D-FA62DC32EB8D.jpeg
 
I suspect it's just marketing. Very early spring for an official opening would be my estimate still.
 
Pipeline is now opening soon, is SWO going to test day and night to open up this ride or is it just marketing?

Technically, they have until June 21, 2023 to open Pipeline for it to be considered a Spring opening.

And going by the grand opening dates of their previous B&Ms - Kraken on June 1, 2000, Manta on May 22, 2009 and Mako on June 10, 2016 - they have plenty of time to test Pipeline.
 
While technically, a spring opening is anytime March to June, usually, when a park is marketing a "Spring" opening, it usually means anytime from mid April to mid May. We had this discussion on the DK thread. Early-spring-late opening is March/April-April/May-May/June respectively. If they are testing soon, it would make sense for a mid-April opening. Coasters often take 3-6 weeks to go from testing to opening, depending on levels of intricacy and how smoothly testing goes. Even more time if there is a lot of theming that has to be installed and tested as well.
 
I guess so what are our expectations for this thing? I sense a largely reluctant excitement in the thoosie world for it. My biggest question that needs to be answered that remains: "does this thing make stand ups any less terrible for tall people like me?" if the answer to that is "no" then this becomes Vortex to me at SWO but not as bad. I hope it's successful.
 
I'm cautiously optimistic. I don't think B&M would be launching the product if they weren't confident they had fixed the comfort issues with standups. I expect it to be very, very tame—probably one of the "most-forceless" of the "forceless" B&Ms. I suspect that alone will help a lot with the comfort issues. I expect it to be fun and interesting, but not a standout.
 
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