Ask the Experts / how to do a proper log flume lay-out?

relatively simple question, and don't know where else to post this, i wanted to ask reddit first but there's more experts on it on NE. right now what i've got is this making sidney park

 

 

it's supposed to be within the paths and the train. how do i do these in general? water ride lay-outs aren't exactly my strongest point

There are two ways of going about it. (Well for me anyway)

 

1) You build a layout based off an existing real life counterpart.

 

2) You build it to a landscape - in which case you need to build a landscape first.

 

That is how I think you get the best out of them. You also need to always consider flow and aesthetics, much like a coaster layout.

There are basically two things that log flumes do.  

A: float leisurely past some scenery

B: big drop, big splash

 

Of the two, B is usually the one that is harder to plan for and also the one that park visitors would care more about seeing.  When you set up the big drop, it is often the finale and visible from the main path, the ride queue, or both.  You might consider a few small drops and then a big final drop to build anticipation.

I like my log flumes to have at least two hills/drops, and somehow I like it when those hills are stacked in some way. Excellent example of what I mean.

 

I see that you used some pre-drops in your screenshot. If you're going for realism, don't bother... Log flumes don't really have pre-drops significantly high enough to feature them in RCT. It only looks awkward.

 

Some last comments:

- ][ntamin speaks nothing but truth

- Save the best for last. So if you do multiple drops, start with the smaller drops. Same for if your ride has one drop and a flat leisurely float, as ][ called it so elegantly; first the leisurely float, then the drop. Unless you have good reason to do it the other way around of course, but this makes sense right?

- I'd make the drop go all the way down, otherwise it's a waste of energy because you could've just made the hill lower. All this track up in the air looks weird.

^To be fair, quite a few log flumes have a lot of track in the air. Weird as it is, it is realistic.

 

I mean Towers' log flume is pretty much entirely in the air.

 

This one I've made I think fits in with the more realistic, old-school style well. There's some elevated stuff in the first half, leading to a smaller drop. After that, it's closer to the ground as it then leads to a final hill/drop. This one was based off of the one at Busch Gardens Tampa, but a good amount of less-themed parks use a similar model, with a freestanding flume. Disney gets a bit more themed by using a concrete trough that's integrated into the land/rockwork, giving it a more natural feel.

That's a good layout Robbie. 

Forget the flume, check out those chairlift supports.

I've only ever been on one flume, and thus have based most of my flume designs on that. The flume at silverwood is in a concrete trough, like Robbie described, whizzing through a forested area, which opens up after a while, and you're suddenly several feet above a small lake/pond, which is quite pretty, you then enter a tunnel on the opposite side of the pond, turn, and enter the lift, which is followed immediately by a drop into a splash zone where you're visible from the paths, and other guests can punch quarters to shoot water cannons at you. it then turns into the station. 

Look up a few examples, and base your designs on those, if you can.

robbie that's a really good log flume, right now i've got this lay-out 

 

that was before your comment though, i might just change it. also how do you plan out parks like that, usually i just make a ride and see where it fits, do you guys have any advice on that? i'll probably make a new post for that though, i don't want things getting cluttered

Again, you've got lots of little ups and downs that most log flumes don't have.

Think about the flow of water. Gravity is always pulling it down in the flume, and you want to disturb it as little as possible when you rise, meaning that you limit the lifts as much as possible to only service the important moments/functions of the ride. Generally, larger flumes I've seen have one lift to facilitate the initial drifting around of the first half of the ride and the first larger drop, with a second lift to service the main drop. Between those, it's just downward flow, either incredibly shallow to the point of feeling like flat drifting, or it's a steeper, punctuated drop.

Here's a couple layouts for reference: 

Coal Cracker, Hersheypark

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q93p7lVd2_Y

 

Dudley Do Right's Ripsaw Falls, IoA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4a3DUeTTFy0

 

Colorado Boatsm Gardaland

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8qoftGI78cU

guys how's this one

 

I like it. My only 2 critiques are that you rarely see such a long flat section after the large drop and I would probably just use the standard drop for the first one since it's just a 45 degree drop. Then again I see the argument for continuity so that's really your call.

 

Edit: Also, make sure there's a spectator area for that last drop. Just about every log flume has one near it's biggest drop. I think Coal Cracker at Hershey is the only one I can think of that doesn't. It's only visible from it's queue and Great Bear's queue.

Why did you use the dinghy track for the lifts and the first drop? Makes no sense at all.

Cuz Robbie did it, why else?

because when looking at some of the pics that intamin provided you can see that there's a conveyor moving them up, not some sort off role system, when combined with a sort catwalk it'll look nice.

 

also inthemanual, maybe...

It won't look nice. I only understand why you would use the dinghy track for a steep drop, because it can't be done otherwise, but it doesn't look very good as well. 

It won't look nice. I only understand why you would use the dinghy track for a steep drop, because it can't be done otherwise, but it doesn't look very good as well.

 

I can get into the catwalks, for some cases, but the dinghy lifts are indeed pointless. It might be marginally closer to the real thing, but it's significantly uglier. For the steep drop, I'd rather use the splash boats, or no steep drop at all, but I'd say that's more arbitrary than the dinghy lifts. The dinghy lifts are, objectively speaking, silly.