FlowRider® FAQs

Adding together the cost of buying the machine, shipping it to your backyard and installation, a FlowRider^® costs more than a Ferrari but is less than a private jet. We would love to send you more information on our products, simply click HERE to contact us and someone will be in touch with you shortly.

Flygt^® submersible propeller pumps located in the pool below inject a three-inch sheet of water over the engineered ride surface creating a surfable wave. The resulting wavelike shape permits flowboarders of all ages and skill level to surf the wave face.

Skill is not a requirement for most waterpark rides. There is no learning curve, or challenge, to going down a slide. Although it is exciting, over time, the excitement diminishes.

Riding a FlowRider takes skill, balance and most importantly-practice. Whether a rider starts prone, lying on a bodyboard, or standing up on a flowboard, they will “wipe out” only to get up and try it again and again. The adrenaline rush of successful challenges met, inspires riders to achieve a never-ending cycle of skill-based reward. That learning curve takes time and dedication, thereby increasing rider visitations and loyalty.

The FlowRider is not your typical waterpark ride, it has a certain coolness factor that sets you apart from the crowd. One of our happy customers said it best: “Our goal was to draw patrons from outside our community. The FlowRider has been the difference in attracting tourists.”

The FlowRider allows a waterpark, resort or municipality, regardless of its geographical location, to connect with the extremely popular boardriding lifestyle that includes surfing, skateboarding, bodyboarding, wakeboarding, skimboarding and snowboarding.

Fun to ride, but also fun to watch. Spectators are mesmerized by the flowing water, and are entertained by the wipeouts and the remarkable tricks and skills of the experienced riders. It is sheer entertainment that sets this ride apart. When orchestrated correctly, the crowd of spectators can be turned into increased revenues through food, beverage and retail sales.

The FlowRider Junior uses 75kW, the FlowRider Single uses 90kW and the FlowRider Double uses 180kW.

Yes, Wave Loch’s wave technology is proprietary and is protected by one or more of the following U.S. Patents: 4,564,190; 4,792,260; 4,905,987; 4,954,014; 5,171,101; 5,213,547; 5,236,280; RE 34,407; 5,271,692; 5,393,170; 5,401,117; 5,421,782; 5,564,859; 5,503,597; 5,628,584; 5,738,590; 5,899,633; 5,899,634; 6,132,317; 6,319,137; 6,491,589; 6,716,107; 6,928,670; 6,105,527; 5,911,190; and 5,860,766; and corresponding foreign patents. Other US and foreign patents pending. Wave Loch aggressively protects its patent and intellectual property rights.

Yes, the FlowRider’s waveform is a proprietary, tensioned CMRS (Composite Mem brane Ride Surface) ride surface.  It is similar to a trampoline and designed to absorb the energy of impacts. Flowboarders may wipe out, but they’ll get back up again and again and again.

There are two types of capacities to look at: Active Capacity and Passive Capacity.

Active Capacity: The FlowRider has an average capacity of 160 riders per hour. The FlowRider Double has an hourly throughput of 320 persons. With additional elements, such as the Action River and Deep Flow Channel, capacity can exceed 1300 persons per hour.

Passive Capacity: Not only is the actual riding a thrill, but so too is being a spectator thanks to the aesthetic allure of rapidly moving water and the excitement of watching riders succeed or fail. The entertainment value of this attraction makes it the perfect anchor for alternative revenue sources like food and beverage, retail products, sponsorship opportunities, and corporate and competitive events.

Greg Mastriona, Executive Director of Waterworld in Denver states: “It’s not just the people riding the attraction, it’s all the people who are watching, some of them up to two hours, just staying here watching their friends ride.”

Never underestimate the value of real estate. For its size, the FlowRider is considered a high capacity ride, making it perfect for an indoor setting.

Spectators love watching the FlowRider, and  that includes the pratfalls of the inexperienced and the kickflips of the pros. The FlowRider is mesmerizing and fun, and that makes it a great centerpiece for a complex that has food and beverage, entertainment and retail

Sultans, hotels and resorts, cruise ships, retail stores, private citizens, shopping malls, private and public waterparks. Although the FlowRider was once thought of as a waterpark attraction, a new wave of creativity is sweeping the globe. Venues include surf shops, resorts, hotels, restaurants, cruise ships, municipalities, residences, and shopping malls. The real estate footprint of the FlowRider is small, but the fun and profit are limitless. We are only limited by our own creativity!

There are two types of board – bodyboard and flowboard – both of which have been designed especially for the FlowRider.

Approximately six months from start to finish. However, we could answer that question with another: “How fast do you want it and how deep are your pockets?”

Wave Loch’s first sheet wave attraction was installed at Schlitterbahn Waterpark & Resorts, Texas, in 1991 and is still up and running successfully. Since then we have built over a hundred worldwide.

No, the FlowRider is not a wave pool – it’s better than that. Traditional wave pools use paddles, plungers, pressure or gravity to pulse a mass of water through a pool of water many acres wide. Wave pools are designed to put as many riders as possible on that dissipating wave of energy. A FlowRider sheet wave is an endless wave which pumps thousands of gallons of water over a composite membrane riding surface, creating a perfect perpetual wave.

The FlowRider allows the participant to drop in on their own unbroken “wave,” feel the power and acceleration, carve a turn, do maneuvers and cut back. The real estate requirements of a sheet wave are measured in square feet, not acre feet.

Yes, the FlowRider can either adjoin a Lazy River or stand alone as a self-sufficient attraction. The Flygt submersible propeller pumps used in the FlowRider can power a Lazy River. At no additional pump or energy cost, the Deep Flow Channel offers a super-high capacity white water rapids run with flow 20 times as great as a conventional water slide. The Action River, which also requires no additional pump/energy cost, is an exciting, high-capacity family ride with flow sheers, boils, eddies, whirlpools, back-flows and hydraulic jumps.

Typically, participants ride on a bodyboard in the prone position, or on their knees, or in the drop-knee position. Stand-up riding is permitted if the purchaser signs and abides by the Wave Loch Flow Rules and Guidelines.

To borrow an expression Australian rugby announcers use: The FlowRider is “on for young and old,” from daring youngsters to adventurous elders, although the 13 – 21 age group seems to love it the most. Young children are fascinated by the FlowRider, which gives them the opportunity to ride an ocean wave without having to deal with the critters and mysteries of the ocean. Older riders wonder if they still have the balance and nerve of their youth, and want to give it a go. No matter how old a rider is, the FlowRider is a challenge, but with just a few tries everyone can experience the thrill of riding a wave. Then there are those who take things a little more seriously, for them, Flowriding is not just an activity, it is a sport.

Can the FlowRider be installed indoors?

There is no problem with heating the water in the FlowRider, although that should be performed by a local contractor.