Ferris wheel and white-water flume repaired

Amusement parks like Fort Fun are not open all year round – they usually operate from April to October in northern climes. The autumn and winter period is used, among other things, to repair the attractions – the structures and the rides themselves. In outdoor areas particularly, the products applied have to be suitable for the conditions that prevail in winter, i.e. low temperatures and high levels of ambient moisture. And there are not many repair and refurb systems that meet this requirement. Our high-performance coating MC-DUR TopSpeed, on the other hand, ensures fast and reliable protection even under critical environmental conditions such as low temperatures down to 2 °C, high humidity, and moisture in the substrate. Marcel Schirmer, MC field sales representative, was well aware of this when he received an enquiry from painting contractor Becker, commissioned by Fort Fun, asking whether MC also had coatings in its portfolio for the repair in mid-winter of a Ferris wheel and the white-water flume.

Ferris wheel and white-water flume successfully recoated in winter

The coating of the steel Ferris wheel had to be renewed because its grip had gone. In addition to application suitability in wintry conditions, the material used needed to exhibit very high resistance to mechanical stress, abrasion and UV. Both the client and the painting professionals accepted Marcel Schirmer’s suggestion and replaced the coating in February 2021 with MC-DUR TopSpeed.

The white-water flume consisted of an old GRP laminate that, due to the constant and high mechanical stresses of the ride, was well past its best. Here, too, the coating needed to offer a very high level of resistance to mechanical stress and UV; it also had to dry quickly due to the rapid changes in weather that typify the Sauerland region. MC’s highly flexible and tear-resistant polyester nonwoven MC-Floor Tex was used together with MC-DUR TopSpeed to fill and cover the cracks. The entire flume of the white-water ride was subsequently reprofiled with MC-DUR TopSpeed in a hand lay-up process, and with very good results. So, once again, MC was able to demonstrate its ability to combine materials, know-how and creativity in an innovative solution that was thoroughly fit for purpose!