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

Robbie made it look nice, although glitchier. 

Dinghy lifts are glorious, you shut your whore mouth, Liam! 

My turds are also glorious. That doesn't make them good looking.

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.

This. The Layout itself isnt even that important (just build some small drops, a big drop and some quiet driving on the ground), the placement of the big drop is incredible crucial for the succes of a log flume. I will give you my favourite log flume as example:

The "Badewannenfahrt zum Jungbrunnen" in the "Erlebnispark Tripdsrill" in Germany is a extremely well themed log flume. But in fact the only part visible for non-riders is the first drop. The first drop is placed at the end of an really open area. This area is the are with all the coasters, so it's guaranteed the majority of the visitors will come this way. Additionally there was only 1 way into this area, a way heading directly to the first drop:

tl:dr: Make your big drop spectecular

Version1, that's not a realistic log flume. There's no bobsled track.

It's not even a log flume. It's a bathtub-flume

maybe this is a good point to interject that realism and a good ride aren't always the same thing

Oh, it's feeling a little cold in here for me...

I'm trying to do a dry, elevated section for a flume. 

I feel like I've got something kinda close, but it looks super terrible with boats on it. Any suggestions/ideas?

Also, a dumber looking earlier version:

If you don't want to use log flume track because it has water in it, why don't you just use dinghy track. Especially as you've used that for the drop, would be a lot less messy.