UK-based theme park technical services and engineering company, Amusement Technical has scored a hattrick of pirate ship retrofit drive projects in the US in its first quarter of 2019.

Hershey Park ranked 5 in the USlisting of amusement parks , Kentucky Kingdom and Lagoon Park have all commissioned Amusement Technical to install its pirate ship retrofit drive system.

The system for pirate boat rides which were originally manufactured in Germany and Italy, replaces aging and obsolete hydraulic and DC drive systems and provides the attractions with a new lease of life.

The system is suitable for rides of any size and by any manufacturer and, to date, have been installed onto rides produced by both Huss and SDC.

There are four main elements to the Amusement Technical system, including the motor drive unit, control cabinet, operator panel and top encoder and home sensor assembly. 

The system incorporates a plug-in maintenance panel which connects to the side of the main control panel. The maintenance panel allows all of the outputs of the system to be operated manually, for use during set up and maintenance operations.

“Predominantly the existing drives on these rides are hydraulic, which today is inefficient, and uses obsolete components, while the frequent loss of oil has an environmental impact which many parks have been penalised for by the appropriate agencies,” explains Sean Brian, Managing Director, Amusement Technical.

“This offering from Amusement Technical gives rides further longevity, much greater efficiency and increased safety controls.”