Winter at Garmendale always brings in some of our most interesting work and for the last few years, we have completed a number of Log Flume Refurbishment projects. The latest one to arrive at the workshop looks in a slightly sorry state but that’s more to do with the fact that it’s been sat in storage for the last four years gathering leaves and dirt than any significant wear on the tubs.

The ride itself is a mini flume and is 126 metres long, with a 4m drop into the splash tank. It was first put into operation in 2009, so with a proper Refurbishment will be good for many more years happy service.

Our role will be to firstly clean all of the tubs, holding tanks and overflow tanks. Every one of them is numbered as they can only be reassembled in the order they came apart in, or it just won’t work. We will lightly shot blast everything to remove old paint and any rust that may be present. With them all clean, we’ll be able to see more clearly what structural repairs are required and carry them out. Once it’s structurally sound, we then move on to complete all of the flange repairs. This will ensure a tight seal between tubs when it is eventually put back together. There’s little point in making a water ride look good if the thing leaks at every joint.

The final job for us is to repaint every individual section to tie in with the finish of the new theming (as usual, this is still all top secret at this stage). We have the huge advantage of a gigantic spray booth on-site so we can easily paint multiple tubs sections at the same time.

Winter ride refurbishment work has always been a mainstay of the Garmendale business, as has the refurb of water rides. You can read more about that here on our specialist page about water ride refurbishment.