The Great White (Morey's Piers)
| The Great White | |
|---|---|
 The Great White taken from boardwalk | |
| Morey's Piers | |
| Location | Morey's Piers |
| Park section | Adventure Pier |
| Coordinates | 38°59′12″N 74°48′39″W / 38.98654°N 74.81073°W |
| Status | Operating |
| Opening date | June 10, 1996[1] |
| Cost | $5,500,000 USD |
| General statistics | |
| Type | Wood |
| Manufacturer | Custom Coasters International |
| Designer | Dennis McNulty |
| Lift/launch system | Chain lift |
| Height | 110 ft (34 m) |
| Drop | 100 ft (30 m) |
| Length | 3,300 ft (1,000 m) |
| Speed | 50 mph (80 km/h) |
| Inversions | 0 |
| Duration | 2:00 |
| Max vertical angle | 50° |
| Capacity | 1200 riders per hour |
| Height restriction | 48 in (122 cm) |
| The Great White at RCDB | |
The Great White is a sit-down wooden/steel roller coaster made and built by Custom Coasters International.[2]
It has been operating since June 10, 1996 and has 2 trains from the Philadelphia Toboggan Company with 6 cars per train. Riders are arranged 2 across in 2 rows for a total of 24 riders per train.[2]
The ride starts by dropping into a tunnel beneath the boardwalk. After exiting the tunnel, the ride climbs up the 110-foot lift hill before dropping 100 feet at a 50-degree-angle, reaching a maximum speed of 50 mph (80 km/h). The ride then goes off the boardwalk and towards the beach, entering an elevated 225° swooping turn over the beach. The track then dives down into a turning drop, rising up to a flat 225° turn around. Another diving and swooping turn brings the train parallel to the first turn, and thence parallel to the lift hill. A series of three short airtime hills provide strong pops of ejector airtime, before rising up into a double-up into another flat turn around. The train makes one final turning drop and 90° before entering the brake run perpendicular to the lift hill and station.[3]
This ride was built over the beach because Morey's Piers ran out of room on the pier.[4] This ride is being constantly checked out by inspectors and has its track replaced frequently. This is one of the three 100+ feet coasters at Morey's and the only one that is a hybrid coaster.[5][6] The ride has been retracked by Martin & Vleminckx.[7]
For 2021, the coaster received 240 feet of new track, a new ride control system, and an elevator in the station.[8] The coaster will receive new trains for the 2025 season. [9]
References
[edit]- ^ Mullen, Shannon (June 21, 1996). "Wildwood's wild wood". Asbury Park Press. Staff Writer. Retrieved September 27, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b Great White (Morey's Piers)
- ^ Rollercoasters! Wildwood, NJ
- ^ A Morey's Story
- ^ Doo Wop Preservation League Forum - Wildwood, NJ - Aug. 17 to 21st, 2011 with Pics
- ^ Climbing The Great White - YouTube
- ^ "Retracking". Martin & Vleminckx. Archived from the original on 25 November 2013. Retrieved 17 November 2013.
- ^ "A Classic Wooden Roller Coaster with a Bite!". 29 June 2021.
- ^ "Great White Roller Coaster Gets Major Upgrade".
Further reading
[edit]- Fun Pier: 1957 to Adventure Pier - Scott Hand, Diane Pooler - Google Books
- Road Trip USA: Cross-Country Adventures on America's Two-Lane Highways - Jamie Jensen - Google Books
- Roller Coasters - Mike Schafer - Google Books
- Roller Coasters: United States and Canada - Todd H. Throgmorton - Google Books
External links
[edit]- "The Great White." Morey's Piers & Beachfront Waterparks