Floorless Coaster

A Floorless Coaster is a type of steel roller coaster manufactured by Bolliger & Mabillard where riders sit with no floor underneath them allowing their feet to swing freely just above the track. Development of the Floorless Coaster began between 1995 and 1996 with Medusa (now known as Bizarro) at Six Flags Great Adventure opening on April 2, 1999, making it the world's first Floorless Coaster. Floorless Coasters also tend to have 3 to 7 inversions incorporated in the layout of the coaster. Recently, Bolliger & Mabillard have used floorless trains on their Dive Coasters, such as Griffon and SheiKra. Though they contain floorless trains, the coasters are still not considered Floorless Coasters as B&M classifies them as another model. Also, Maurer Söhne have designed their own version of the Floorless Coaster, a variant of their X-Car called X-Car Floorless, but currently do not have any installations.

History
According to Walter Bolliger, development of the Floorless Coaster began between 1995 and 1996. In 1999, the world's first Floorless Coaster opened at Six Flags Great Adventure as Medusa. In 2009, the coaster was renamed Bizarro and re-themed. After the success of Bolliger & Mabillard's prototype Floorless Coaster, SeaWorld, Cedar Fair, Six Flags, and independent parks, Janfusun Fancyworld, Parque Warner Madrid, Tivoli Gardens, and Ocean Park Hong Kong have built other coasters of this model at their parks. There are currently 14 Floorless Coasters in operation with Dominator being the only one relocated to another park.

Design


The design of a Floorless Coaster has one main difference from traditional steel roller coasters around the world: it has no floors between the seats. While a train is in the station, a floor is used only for loading and unloading purposes. Because the front row has nothing in front of it to stop riders from walking over the edge of the station, a gate is placed in front of the train to prevent this from happening. Once all the over-the-shoulder restraints are locked, the floor separates into several pieces and moves underneath the station. The gate then opens, allowing the train to move forward. When the train returns to the station, the floor is brought back up and the gate is closed as the next riders board the roller coaster. Aside from the station, a Floorless Coaster has several inversions similar to B&M's Sitting Coasters.

Installations
Bolliger & Mabillard has built thirteen Floorless Coasters with two additional roller coasters converted from Stand-up Coasters. The roller coasters are listed in order of opening dates.

* Converted from a stand-up coaster to a floorless coaster.

Note: Although some Dive Coasters (such as SheiKra and Griffon) feature floorless trains, they are not considered Floorless Coasters.

Similar rides
Maurer Söhne, a German roller coaster and steel manufacturer, has developed their own version of the Floorless Coaster called the X-Car Floorless. The car is the same as the original X-Car with the only difference being that there is no floor during the ride. As of 2012, no X-Car Floorless roller coasters have been manufactured.