With the Rocky Mountain Coasters Company transforming Six Flags Over Texas’s Texas Giant from a wooden coaster to a steel coaster for 2011, several parks are interested in how this refurbishment goes since they may consider treating some of their rougher wooden roller coasters to the same treatment. However, if this movement does occur, the Rocky Mountain Company and Texas Giant should not receive acclaim for introducing this concept, as Seabreeze did it almost 50 years ago. And the end result was this coaster here- the Bobsleds.
Transformed from a small, junior wooden coaster (creatively called the Junior Coaster I might add) into a steel hyrbid coaster, the Bobsleds fit in perfectly with Seabreeze. With a large tree tucked incorporated into the ride’s figure-8 layout, the Bobsleds is just such a picturesque ride to look at. Additionally, the ride’s station is a true treat- a curved station. This is something that is typically only found on some old, classic wooden coasters, so it is a real treat to see. Then there are the “bobsleds” or cars themselves. Each representing a different country, the bobsleds each have a different paint scheme and look great.
Now the ride’s capacity definitely is very low, as a maximum of 4 people can fit into each bobsled. However, usually only 2 people (one in the front and one in the back) would be in a bobsled. When I visited this past summer on a Saturday, every ride in the park absolutely churned through people except for one- the Bobsleds. Is it the park’s fault? No. Rather it is the ride itself. Due to the ride’s conversion, the ride is only able to safely run one car on the layout at once due to the absence of block brakes. That being said, my maximum wait was only 15 minutes, which was well worth it for such a unique attraction. Plus, the park itself actually acknowledges this problem and apologizes for the slow wait. That is something that a larger park would definitely not do, so I definitely applaud the park for warning prospective riders.
Once restrained by the lap bar in the comfortable bobsled, the ride begins by rolling out of the station and then traverses a series of very small hills that are literally less than 5 feet in height. While the hills obviously do not provide airtime, they definitely provide a cool sensation that is comparable to traveling over a small hill in a car a bit too quickly. Following that, comes the ride’s slow, 30ft tall lift hill that has a charming clickity-clack to it.
After navigating a slow 180 turn comes the ride’s biggest plunge. While definitely not very tall, the drop is very zippy and provides a quick thrill. Following that is another 180 turn and yet another fast, steep, little drop that again gives a quick thrill. Then, the bobsleds travel around yet another 180 turn and travel down a smaller, less steep hill, but following that is the ride’s finale- a downward helix. While the first half of the helix is very slow by the bottom the bobsleds are traveling at a decent clip. Additionally, due to the lack of banking there actually are some laterals present; however, they are not at all intense due to the ride’s nature. Ultimately, this helix really caught me by surprise as I was expecting it to be rather slow and forceless due to how small the ride is. Finally, the ride charges into the station, ending the ride.
A classic at Seabreeze, the Bobsleds ultimately is a ride that I think perfectly captures the family-friendly, small-park atmosphere of the park. While the ride certainly lacks height and thrills, it makes up for it with charm, uniqueness, and zip. I highly recommend this coaster for everyone, as it is unique enough for roller coaster enthusiasts to enjoy and tame enough for families to ride together. In fact, I would say that this would probably be a perfect first coaster for a kid. A visit to Seabreeze simply is not complete without this classic coaster.
Times Ridden: 2
Favorite Seat: Front Row (1:1)
Best Part: Big Drop
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