Beast was designed by Charlie Dinn and built in house by Kings Island. Racer was designed by John Allen of Philadephia Toboggan Company and built by that firm (ditto for Scooby Doo). All three run PTC trains.

Today's major wooden coaster designers/ builders are Great Coasters International (Thunderhead) and The Gravity Group (largely seen as the successor to CCI, though legally unrelated). INTAMIN also builds plug and play woodies (like El Toro).

Beast was designed by Charlie Dinn and built in house by Kings Island. Racer was designed by John Allen of Philadephia Toboggan Company and built by that firm (ditto for Scooby Doo). All three run PTC trains.

Today's major wooden coaster designers/ builders are Great Coasters International (Thunderhead) and The Gravity Group (largely seen as the successor to CCI, though legally unrelated). INTAMIN also builds plug and play woodies (like El Toro).

I've never ridden any of those rides, so how do they differ ride experience-wise?

GCI is known for laterals and twisted track. Their Millennium Flier trains are very comfortable.

GG is known for intense riding experience. Their Timberliner trains for Voyage have yet to run for the public on that ride.

INTAMIN's plug and play ride in the US, El Toro, has perhaps the strongest airtime of any US coaster. It's so smooth, many steelies are rough by comparison.

Some pics of famous wooden coasters outside KI by famous companies:

THE GRAVITY GROUP (Ride Shown: The Voyage @ Holiday World)

I've actually been on this one. It's big, rough, ultra-intense, and can pack a lot of air-time...Also notice the 90-degree turns, something the GG is very proud to be able to do on wooden coasters...the ride currently uses 4-seater PTC trains until the Timberliners are ready. (Note: There are even different PTC trains- The Voyage's PTCs, for example, hold 4 people per car. The Beast and Racer here at KI hold 6- but the bigger trains are supposedly not able to corner nearly as well as the smaller PTCs...)

GREAT COASTERS INTERNTAIONAL (GCII, Ride Shown: Thunderhead @ Dollywood)

I think this image does a good job of showing what Terpy meant by "GCII likes twisted track", eh? You can also get a decent view of a Millennium Flyer train- it's a very open, "old-school-looking" wooden coaster train that corners VERY well due to its tiny size per car.

Bonus "Fun Fact": While Kings Island does not have a GCII wooden coaster, GCII was once claimed in an interview that Kings Island was, in fact, a customer for GCII- possibly meaning GCII does track work and supplies wooden coaster parts for Kings Island's wooden coasters. I have to wonder if they did the recent "overhaul" of Beast this offseason that has been getting such rave reviews...

INTAMIN "PLUG N' PLAY" (Ride shown: El Toro @ Six Flags Great Adventure)

Terpy already told you about how smooth these coasters are, and about their huge air-time...so I figured I'd show off their massive size. Compare El Toro (the brown wooden coaster) to Rolling Thunder, SFGadv's "traditional" wooden coaster, and see the size difference...El Toro is MASSIVE (181' to be exact)! If we ever see a 200' wooden coaster again, I bet you it will probably be one of these...also, most Intamin Plug & Play woodies use 6-seater trains, but they are not PTCs. Here's a pic of El Toro's trains:

And those, in pictures, are some of today's top wooden coaster builders. Of course, there are a lot more wooden coaster builders out there, and still more types of wooden coaster trains (even some by B&M and Morgan, of all the possible builders) but these 3 usually dominate when the "best wooden coaster" polls come out. Granted, there is also that newcomer, Rocky Mountain Coasters, but I'm not 100% sure we can even call their rides woodies due to the steel track they seem to use...

So, why is Intamin's wooden coaster called plug and play?

Because it is pre-fabricated at the factory, not on site. Long sections of pre-fabricated track are assembled on site, as are large sections of pre-built structure. Plug it in, and play!

Because it is pre-fabricated at the factory, not on site. Long sections of pre-fabricated track are assembled on site, as are large sections of pre-built structure. Plug it in, and play!

Well, actually didn't thik the answer was that easy, but I am wrong. I kind of thought it might me a pre-fab track built off site.

Now I wonder what kind of time this process saves, as of building totally on site?

While you are at it "interpreter" is there a cost savings? LOL I know you probably know

Does anyone kind of feel like Kings Island has boxed themselves in a little bit? Or is it just me?

Yes, it may very much feel like that. Although I'm sure Kings Island has planned expansions very carefully, no need to worry.

Because it is pre-fabricated at the factory, not on site. Long sections of pre-fabricated track are assembled on site, as are large sections of pre-built structure. Plug it in, and play!

(batteries not included)

Because it is pre-fabricated at the factory, not on site. Long sections of pre-fabricated track are assembled on site, as are large sections of pre-built structure. Plug it in, and play!

Well, actually didn't thik the answer was that easy, but I am wrong. I kind of thought it might me a pre-fab track built off site.

Now I wonder what kind of time this process saves, as of building totally on site?

While you are at it "interpreter" is there a cost savings? LOL I know you probably know

The primary savings are in maintenance over time and in reliability: very little down time. Compare a certain wooden coaster in Southwest Ohio to El Toro.

There are typically several advantages to off-site assembly in industry including:

- Quality and Safety: Building sections in a shop environment versus the field reduces risks of errors

- On-site construction time: Can be a benefit where there might be a limited window of time for construction

- Costs can either be lower or higher: Shop labor is typically cheaper than field, but shipping costs can be higher. This is typically location dependent

i think KI needs a new wooden coaster to keep their record of most wooden track at any amusment park.

THE AVENGE: a stand-up wooden coaster with a loop but is not as tall as sob 140 ft.

In Norcross, Jane Cooper is crying.

I would love to see KI getting an Intamin or GCI wooden coaster and I think it would definitely be possible to get a GCI or Intamin but maybe not a Gravity Group. Am I the only one that has noticed that GG has only worked with small independent parks and no large chain parks?

When Old Coney Island closed they had surveyed the Shooting Star and The Beast was originally going to be a replica of it, I think it's time to pull the trigger on that one and get it done

See the Mighty Canadian Minebuster.

Loosely based on the Shooting Star. Very loosely, I might add.

Do you think that its time that Kings Island gets a new Wooden Coaster?

What would the coaster be like?

What theming would be ideal?

And finally, Should they build another record breaker?

NO... we need a hyper coaster, or somthing along the lines of that. KI needs somthing new-er.

I would be really intrested to see a record breaker... but with CP's top thrill dragster, I dont want to see anything taller than that. But of coarse some crazy person will do it...

Kings Island got a Hyper Coaster in 2009.

but with CP's top thrill dragster, I dont want to see anything taller than that. But of coarse some crazy person will do it...

Somebody already has. See Kingda Ka.

I think designers are over engineering modern woodies. There not supposed to be perfect. Plus any new woodie would scare people not alot though because of the SoB incidents. I vote for a new steel coaster.

See the Mighty Canadian Minebuster.

Loosely based on the Shooting Star. Very loosely, I might add.

Seems like it gets more loosely as time goes by. Runs clockwise instead of counterclockwise, reprofiled to accomodate waterslides and in desperate need of retracking. I still would like to give it a spin.