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Paultons Park: General Discussion

That’s such a small park-reasoned and horrific possibility I’m rocked.

Surely at this point though a park as sensible as Paultons can see past the “possibility” and the fact people don’t want it for 90% of the year?

They’re on to a good thing, don’t blow it with a splash battle for gods sake.
If it is to be an outdoor water ride, as has been suggested and hinted, I'm struggling to think of many which are suitable/wanted for the majority of the year in our climate.

Splash Battles also appeal to the majority of their young clientele.
 
A Splash Battle is the most realistic of the proposals I've seen. Although some are compact, they can be done on a larger scale. Angkor at PortAventura is a good example of this.

A Splash Battle is also the most inclusive of the suggestions, considering that the area will have three rides which could be classified as "thrill".
Hmm... That is a good point, Angkor would cover the size of the Go Karts area alone but with theming aside, it could be a realistic shot.

With the size of the land, it does seem to be looking at something sizeable like a Rocking Boat or a Water Coaster which are both good shouts (Rocking Boats seem to have a 1m (Dollywood) or 1.05m (Futuroscope) height requirement whilst Water Coasters have a 1.1m height requirement).

Whilst height may rule this one out as most of them are 98ft, it is possible that it could be a Mack SuperSplash which has a 1m height requirement. Could it be something they may build whether it's landscaping so a 98ft drop is a 82ft drop or could Mack offer a slightly shorter height custom SuperSplash ride?

I don't think it's something we can rule out and at the same time, whilst it's unlikely they'd build to 98ft, it could be possible although I think we'd have seen a planning application already.
 
I guess a Splash Battle seems logical in terms of being more of a “B tier” investment following the big investment into Drakon the prior year. It would also be inclusive for younger families.

It would be a baffling choice, though. In a country like the UK, where it’s a temperate climate and it doesn’t get overly hot very often, I am surprised that Splash Battles are so popular with parks and so many parks seem to have rides of that ilk. I’ve been visiting Alton Towers for 16 years, and I’ve never seen Battle Galleons have any kind of significant queue on any of my visits across that time period!
If it is to be an outdoor water ride, as has been suggested and hinted, I'm struggling to think of many which are suitable/wanted for the majority of the year in our climate.

Splash Battles also appeal to the majority of their young clientele.
Some water rides do have adjustment capabilities to make them drier in colder temperatures, and I’d argue that something like a log flume often inherently won’t be much wetter than a light spray.

Splash Battles, though, are inherently very wet by virtue of their very premise; any ride that entails you effectively shooting water pistols at other guests is going to be wildly wet!
 
Whilst height may rule this one out as most of them are 98ft, it is possible that it could be a Mack SuperSplash which has a 1m height requirement. Could it be something they may build whether it's landscaping so a 98ft drop is a 82ft drop or could Mack offer a slightly shorter height custom SuperSplash ride?

According to RCDB, the smallest ones are Plopsaland's, with a height of 18m (59ft) and a drop of 19.5m (64ft); and Cinecittà World's, which is 22.5m (74ft) height, 18.5m (61ft) drop. Could well be one of those, in my opinion.

Mack has produced the following two SuperSplash rides that are not listed in the rcdb:
• Built in 2006, the SuperSplash @ Plopsaland De Panne has a height of 18m, speed of 68km/h and a 19.5m drop. 3 boats.
• Built in 2013, the Aktium @ Cinecittà World has a height of 22.5m, speed of 69 km/h, a 14.5m drop and a 18.5m drop. 5 boats.
These two rides do not have the before-drop dip as all other SuperSplash rides have. rcdb rules require this dip to be classified as a water coaster.

https://rcdb.com/11876.htm
 
With regards to the Splash Battles, it is worth noting that Paultons Park already has two areas where you need to bring a change of clothes. Muddy Puddles in Peppa Pig and the Splash Area next to the lost Kingdon.

These areas are popular with kids, even on days when its not overly warm.

With Parents bringing a change of clothes, maybe this is another splash area being added along side a Splash Battle style ride, I could see something like this fitting in quite well at Paulton Park. The Splash Area can have water guns that reach the Splash Battle, and visa versa.

According to ChatGPT an investment like a Splash Battle would only need to be used 40-60 days per year, and the average number of days the weather would be suitable at Paulton is between 70-100 so it is possible that could be a worthwhile investment for them (Source).
 
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