Custom Coasters International (CCI) was one of the premier

wooden roller coaster A wooden roller coaster is a type of roller coaster classified by its wooden Rail tracks, track, which consists of running rails made of flat steel strips mounted on laminated wood. The support structure is also typically made of wood, b ...

manufacturers in the world and produced 34 wooden coasters in eleven years — more than any other company in recent times. It was located in West Chester, Ohio.

History

Custom Coasters Incorporated opened its doors on September 1, 1991. The company was founded by Denise Dinn-Larrick, the daughter of coaster designer Charles Dinn — founder of the

Dinn Corporation Dinn Corporation was a roller coaster designing and manufacturing company established in West Chester, Ohio, in 1983 by Charles Dinn. The company is noted for moving and rebuilding several existing wooden coasters and building ten new wooden roll ...

, her brother Jeff Dinn and her husband Randy Larrick. The original designers for the company included freelance design engineers Mike Boodley and Bill Kelley of California. Larry Bill, formerly with Curtis D. Summers & Associates joined the design team in 1992. Initially the company promoted small, affordable, family coasters but eventually progressed to larger models known for their speed and intensity. Once the company started working with international clients the name was changed in November 1994 to Custom Coasters International. CCI filed for bankruptcy in 2002 while still building the New Mexico Rattler at Cliff's Amusement Park. Cliff's was left with a partially completed coaster and quickly hired the construction crew and completed the ride themselves. No attempt was made to reorganize the company and Denise Dinn, who by then had been divorced from Randy Larrick, filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy which resulted in liquidation of the company's assets. Denise Dinn was hired by

S&S Power S&S may refer to: *''Sense and Sensibility'', a novel by Jane Austen *''Salt and Sanctuary'', a video game *Sword and sorcery, a subgenre of fantasy and historical fantasy *Simon & Schuster, a publisher *S&S Cycle, a manufacturer of aftermarket engi ...

to start a new wooden coaster division for that company. Four coasters were produced before that division was closed. Four of the designers for CCI (Larry Bill, Chad Miller, Korey Kiepert, and Michael Graham) founded

The Gravity Group The Gravity Group is a wooden roller coaster design firm based in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States. The firm was founded in July 2002 out of the engineering team of the famed but now defunct Custom Coasters International. The core group of designe ...

in 2002. Other coaster designers Bill Kelley, Dennis McNulty and Mike Boodley left CCI years before the company went bankrupt. Mike Boodley started

Great Coasters International Great Coasters International, Inc. (GCI or GCII) is a Sunbury, Pennsylvania-based roller coaster manufacturer which has created several award-winning rides since its formation in 1994. Starting in 2006 with Thunderbird at PowerPark in Finland, t ...

in 1994, Dennis McNulty returned to civil engineering in 1999 and Bill Kelley currently works for Dynamic Designs, Inc.

List of roller coasters

Over the span of 11 years, Custom Coasters International had built 34

roller coaster A roller coaster, or rollercoaster, is a type of amusement ride that employs a form of elevated railroad track designed with tight turns, steep slopes, and sometimes inversions. Passengers ride along the track in open cars, and the rides are ...

s around the world. As of 2019, 29 continue to operate, one is closed, two have been demolished, and two have been converted to steel roller coasters ( Medusa to

Medusa Steel Coaster Medusa Steel Coaster, formerly known as simply Medusa, is a steel roller coaster located at Six Flags México in Mexico City. Manufactured by Rocky Mountain Construction (RMC) and designed by Alan Schilke, the ride opened to the public on 14 J ...

and

Twisted Twins Storm Chaser is a steel roller coaster located at Kentucky Kingdom in Louisville, Kentucky, United States. Designed by Alan Schilke and manufactured by Rocky Mountain Construction (RMC) at an estimated cost of $10 million, the ride opened to ...

to Storm Chaser) by Rocky Mountain Construction. The roller coasters in the following table are listed in order of installation.

References

External links

The Gravity GroupS&S Sansei
{{Custom coasters international roller coasters Roller coaster manufacturers Manufacturing companies established in 1991 Manufacturing companies disestablished in 2002 1991 establishments in Ohio 2002 disestablishments in Ohio Bankrupt companies of the United States Defunct manufacturing companies based in Ohio