Cedar Point to open Shoot the Rapids on June 26, 2010

Cedar Point has confirmed that it plans to open its delayed $10.5 million water ride Shoot the Rapids on Saturday, June 26.

The park confirmed the planned opening date through its Twitter account on Thursday. Shoot the Rapids' was originally due to open on May 15, but a series of setbacks have resulted in the six-week delay. Cedar Point has blamed manufacturer Intamin for the problems, after the ride's boats were discovered to be too large during testing.

Cedar Point, Intamin and the contractor responsible for building the boats have been working around the clock to reduce the boats' size and complete final testing on Shoot the Rapids. It appears that the upgrades have been successful, allowing the public to experience the ride for the first time on Saturday.

Shoot the Rapids will see riders boarding 10-person boats, before travelling along a 2,100 feet, 3-minute-long course. The ride is themed around the Crystal Rock Bottling Company, with guests encountering "some wild feudin' and fightin'" as they pass through an "illegal moonshine still". The family ride will feature an 85-foot, 45-degree first drop through water rapids and rock work.

Cedar Point hopes that Shoot the Rapids will boost flagging annual attendance figures at the park, after a drop of 256,000 during the 2009 season.

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