Linnanmäki's water coaster...
Linnanmäki's water coaster...
| Theme Park | Linnanmäki |
|---|---|
| Type | Watercoaster |
| Audience | Older Families and Thrillseekers |
| Opened | 12 May 2001 |
| Closed | 10 August 2017 (replaced by Taiga) |
| Manufacturer | Premier Rides |
| Model | Liquid Coaster |
| Height | 79 ft |
| Length | 1083 ft |
| Inversions | 0 |
| Max Speed | 37 mph |
| Duration | 1¼ minutes |
Vonkaputous
Sitting on the edge of the hill at Linnanmäki, Vonkaputous was the park's water coaster for seventeen seasons between 2001 and 2017.
The rollercoaster was one of only two Premier Rides Liquid Coasters ever built, the other being Buzzsaw Falls at Silver Dollar City which was closed in 2003 and rebuilt into Powder Keg.
Vonkaputous riders would leave the ride's station seated in one of the ten seater boats, which would take a left hand corner down a short drop and engage with the lift hill. From the top of the lift, there was a diving drop to the right which passed through a tunnel and back up to a straight section that then ran parallel to the lift. Descending again, this time turning left, the rollercoaster's boats would line up and splash down into Vonkaputous' lake, gently spraying riders with water. With most of the momentum gone, the boats would then be driven slowly back to the station by a set of tyres underneath the water.
Clunky and rough for sure, Vonkaputous was nonetheless a lot of fun and unique amongst Linnanmäki's substantial rollercoaster collection. Sadly, due to technical problems the ride was closed in August 2017 and then removed at the end of the season to make way for Taiga, the park's new Intamin Blitz Coaster that opened in 2019.
Vonkaputous seen from outside the park
Pathway down to the ride
Lift hill
Engaging with the lift
A boat going up the lift hill
Nearing the top
Travelling around the track
Splash!
The wave
After the drop
Feeling moist
Wet riders
Rolling back to the station
Tyre driven
Viewing platform
Vonkaputous Water Coaster
