Comments on: Back yard DIY PVC rollercoaster with a 12-foot drop (video)

By: GrueHunter

GrueHunter — Fri, 10 Aug 2012 08:04:00 +0000

Twenty bucks. Same as in town.

By: TokenFrenchDude

TokenFrenchDude — Thu, 09 Aug 2012 16:32:00 +0000

What’s a foot ?

By: Funk Daddy

Funk Daddy — Thu, 09 Aug 2012 16:20:00 +0000

looks well built, the posts are all seated in cement, and pvc pipe -is- cylindrical.

By: David Speller

David Speller — Thu, 09 Aug 2012 15:30:00 +0000

What, no credit to Phineas and Ferb?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qjZ_Ueq15_k

By: John Chaneski

John Chaneski — Thu, 09 Aug 2012 15:17:00 +0000

The only problem I see can be summed up in one word: AGAIN!

By: SomeGuyNamedMark

SomeGuyNamedMark — Thu, 09 Aug 2012 15:04:00 +0000

Somewhere a lawyer is drooling over this.

By: ChicagoD

ChicagoD — Thu, 09 Aug 2012 15:02:00 +0000

Clearly you mean surf the coaster, because it just screams for a drunk surfing attempt.

By: Boundegar

Boundegar — Thu, 09 Aug 2012 12:32:00 +0000

This video is greatly improved by adding the music from the AMPA video, below. Start at 1:00 for maximum horror.

By: Gilbert Wham

Gilbert Wham — Thu, 09 Aug 2012 12:32:00 +0000

Which will teach them the Gods of Fun do not like to be told ‘I’m not gonna play with you anymore’. Heed these words, O my people; if you stop having fun, a disgruntled small god WILL push you off a slide. And you will deserve it…

By: garyg2

garyg2 — Thu, 09 Aug 2012 12:25:00 +0000

True, remember my (then) 5yo suddenly deciding to go straight down a hill on her bike rather than follow the path she was on.

At least I now know I can still sprint if I need to.

By: Nathan Hornby

Nathan Hornby — Thu, 09 Aug 2012 12:12:00 +0000

I’ve got a whole stack of health and safety evaluations for when I was that age and climbed trees and messed about near roads.

Oh wait, no I don’t!

By: IamInnocent

IamInnocent — Thu, 09 Aug 2012 09:39:00 +0000

It’s perfectly safe and that kid has become Antinous’ someone’s dog soul brethren. The only problem may come whenever the kid grows up, gets drunk for the first time and decides to try the coaster “one last time”.

By: EH

EH — Thu, 09 Aug 2012 08:36:00 +0000

Blue Flash is classic!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k3kBkyf4Pzs

By: whoknew

whoknew — Thu, 09 Aug 2012 08:04:00 +0000

I push my kids on a swing set in my back yard all the time and it looks to me like I am more nervous doing that then I would be pushing my child up the upslope of this contraption. In other words, it looks no more dangerous to me that swinging 8 feet up on a swing with no safety straps. Awesome!

By: CH

CH — Thu, 09 Aug 2012 07:44:00 +0000

Oh, I just realized what the coaster most probably is… it at least looks like a baby snow sled. And with that I also realized that it is no more dangerous than sledding down a hill… actually sledding is waaaaay more dangerous as you can easily hit other people going down the same hill, not to mention hitting rocks and trees. I’m sure I’m not the only parent who has suddenly started running after their small kid’s (too young to be able to make turns)sled after realizing it started to go just sliiiightly the wrong way.

By: CH

CH — Thu, 09 Aug 2012 07:35:00 +0000

Yeah, I was worried about the same thing. And that there was no sideways support for the track. But the track didn’t sway in any way, so it does look like the dad knew what he was doing. Also, the coaster had a safety harness, so I don’t think the kid would fall off, either.

My vote goes for it being a 9 out of 10 on the “world’s best dad” scale!

By: nixiebunny

nixiebunny — Thu, 09 Aug 2012 06:38:00 +0000

Looks perfectly safe to me, for now. The tall poles could fail, but that would just make it lean over to one side. PVC is strong and flexible enough that it won’t crack, as long as it’s above freezing. But the sun will eventually make it brittle, so it’s got a limited lifetime outdoors.

By: Oren Beck

Oren Beck — Thu, 09 Aug 2012 06:17:00 +0000

Presuming that “Material X” is the sole determinant of safe or deadly is not logical. The reality check should be asking to see the numbers or “some” credible basis for evaluating safety.

By: Gerald Mander

Gerald Mander — Thu, 09 Aug 2012 06:06:00 +0000

I’m landing on the “cool dad” side of this one. Since it seems inevitable someone on this coaster will land somewhere.

By: Antinous / Moderator

Antinous / Moderator — Thu, 09 Aug 2012 06:04:00 +0000

As someone once said to me when I was visiting her house, “You can throw the chew toy if you want, but the dog will still find it fun long after your shoulder is aching.”

By: JohnnyMiskatonic

JohnnyMiskatonic — Thu, 09 Aug 2012 05:59:00 +0000

The kid is wearing shoulder straps. You can see them over the back of hir coat and watch dad putting them on at the 23 second mark.

By: mccrum

mccrum — Thu, 09 Aug 2012 05:55:00 +0000

I’d settle for a decent seatbelt with shoulder straps. The helmet isn’t likely to be fitted well enough or be kept on by the kid.

By: Moose Gueydan

Moose Gueydan — Thu, 09 Aug 2012 05:37:00 +0000

PVC is wonderful stuff…I bult a flight sim out 0of it…(BG)

anybody remeber the Blue Flash- this crazy farmer in idaho builds this loop de loop roller coaster out of spare parts and a car seat…

By: ackpht

ackpht — Thu, 09 Aug 2012 05:36:00 +0000

Two words: rocket engines.

By: anutron

anutron — Thu, 09 Aug 2012 05:26:00 +0000

Egads, at least put a helmet on the kid.

By: JohnnyMiskatonic

JohnnyMiskatonic — Thu, 09 Aug 2012 05:24:00 +0000

Magnificent! Now I have dad envy.

By: hadlockk

hadlockk — Thu, 09 Aug 2012 05:22:00 +0000

Looks like fun for her and good exercise for him. I’m seeing no flexing of the track, so there’s clearly additional (steel?) reinforcement underneath the PVC. A 10′ fall out of that cart doesn’t sound like a whole lot of fun, but I’m pretty sure we all took a fall at least that high as a kid and survived with little more than a broken arm. Kids bounce.