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[Zephon]

^^^I'm sure, Swoosh, that many people were able to ride it without injury.  But, because of the side to side motion of the "boat" as it went around curves and up the sides of the channels, it was indeed possible for a person to be tossed side to side, even if they were holding firmly on to both side handles.  That would be especially true of youngsters that might not have the arm or hand strength needed to hold themselves in position.  That is what happened to my daughter when she was about 11.  The boat whipped around a corner and she was slung up and almost out of the boat.  Her head hit the channel side where they had put that old conveyor belt to slow the boats down, and that belt nearly took her whole eyebrow off.  As she got off, an attendant, instead of immediately taking her to first aid, merely asked if she was OK.  She said yes, but she then came to where I was working, blood running down the side of her face, and I took her right to first aid.  That is when I learned just how common incidents of that type actually were on that ride.  My wife and I had somewhat heated meetings with the director of the safety dept. then, with the result being that the ride was shut down for a few days while they removed the strips of conveyor belt from certain sections.  We never got on the ride again, so I don't know if the belts ever returned or not, but they did come very close to shutting the ride down for good way back then. 

The amazing thing to me was, and still is, that the powers that be knew of it's danger and allowed it to continue to operate.  That kind of shook my faith in the company's willingness to look out for the well-being of it's guests.  I was actually ashamed to be associated with the park. 

[Coaster]

^That sounds like a very bad deal and I can see how that could happen a lot. My friends and I would always try to make the boat go over the edge  It made the ride so much more fun and it was a lot scarier that way too.

It was fun, but it wasn't a must-ride by any means. If the line was short, we'd hop on, but if it was even halfway down the tower, we'd just say forget it. Taking it out will make room for something more fun and safer. Hopefully sooner rather than later.

[betamike]

I forgot to look as I hadn't ridden it since I worked at the City, but was it ADA accessible?  I know that at WDW, any time work is planned on one of our attractions, if it isn't ADA compliant, it must be retro-fitted to be accessible (i.e. farewell 20,000 leagues).  I wonder how much of that played into the decision.

More likely, it's repeatability just waned and a newer, more amazing thing looked better in that space.

[Tom]

I had no idea about the injuries.  I wish they would have given some hint that it was coming out.  My son loved the thing and I tend to like rare rides.

[shavethewhales]

Does anyone know much about the history behind the ride? There used to be similar slides at many parks, but most were much smaller than the two slides built at SDC and DW. It seems like an odd choice of a ride for the two parks, considering how large and expensive they were, capacity, and how much the one at SDC stuck out. I guess the slide at DW is in danger now too.

[saloongal]

IMO, we need to talk about the boggan before and after the changes.
Before the changes, that was a great ride.  And you didnt really get wet,just some sprinkles.
After the changes that thing was scary and a soaker.

My daughter flew out of the boat and I caught her by the leg to drag her back in.  It just went too fast, and the height requirement didn't seem to reflect the age appropriate-ness of the ride. 

So since the changes were made, we weren't going to be getting on it ever again anyway. (Yes I know that was several years ago...)

[rubedugans]

On a side note I remember opening year for the boggan how neat I thought it was that they were weighing us for a ride...Only now do I realize why they, for safety reasons, they needed to monitor the load on each boat. I also would love standing on the tower on a crowded day seeing the train go beneath the tower with steam billowing up as it went by. The ride itself I could take or leave honestly. The wait always seemed abnormally long, and it wasn't worth the time spent in line as I became older.

[Joy]

I haven't been on the Waterboggan since I was a kid. It scared the heck out of me and I just couldn't get myself to go on it again. Plus, the horrible climb up that tower for a very short, scary ride just didn't seem worth it to me.

[KBCraig]

My only experience with Waterboggan was in '99, and it was just me and my sons who were 7 and 4. The whole scale thing was odd, and they would do their best to keep parties together, but onesies-twosies would get pushed aside and then added together with random parties to make a ride of the correct weight.

And it was rough. I don't complain, because I like exciting rides, but we all got banged up a bit, without any effort on our part to do anything except hang on. We rode it a couple of times, and saw several folks at the end with bruises and contusions.

[History Buff]

Wow.  I never had a rough ride on the WB, but the new boats were definitely a move away from theme and soaked you.  I liked the look and feel of the original boats.

No, WB is not ADA compliant - just a bunch of steps to the top.

How does the ride compare to similar attractions at water parks?  It seems to me that water parks don't have elevators for accessibility, and people fall of of tubes and boats all the time.  I'd certainly never want to own a water park for that reason.

As for the future, is the tower going to stay, just for the sake of having something to hang Christmas lights from, or will it still be accessible as a fire watch tower, zip line tower, etc.?  I'd like to see the whole thing removed, but as towers go, it's a good one.

[Swoosh]

^Considering future plans for the area, I'd think it would have to go, unless they are integrating it into the new thing.  However I wouldn't think that would work very well - we'll just have to see.

[saladdays]

I actually never rode on it after the changes were made, it seems.  Besides getting more wet, what all changes were made since, say the early 2000s?

[Ozark Outlaw]

When I was a kid, this was the ride that I loved to hate. I can remember my father making me ride the Waterboggan, and I was always scared. Back then, the waiting line was so long that I can remember enduring every single terrifying step to the top. I always knew that one day that raft would flip me right off the edge of the slide!

I rode it again as an adult not too long ago, and it's not too bad. I am still going to miss the ride for sentimental reasons since it has stood tall there since before I was in diapers.

[History Buff]

Were the same changes made at DW?

If unsafe, what will be the fate of the same attraction there?