Rockin' Tug is a flat tugboat ride manufactured by

Zamperla Antonio Zamperla S.p.A. is an Italian design and manufacturing company founded in 1966. It is best known for creating family rides, thrill rides and roller coasters worldwide. The company also makes smaller coin-operated rides commonly found in ...

. The ride is manufactured in both traveling and park versions. It is the first of a line of new "halfpiperides". Zamperla's

Disk'O The Disk'O (also known as Skater or Surf's Up) is a type of flat ride manufactured by Zamperla of Italy. The ride is a larger version of a Rockin' Tug Rockin' Tug is a flat tugboat ride manufactured by Zamperla. The ride is manufactured in bot ...

is another popular ride from that "family". The difference is that the Rockin' Tug has a friction wheel, while the Disk'O is powered driven. The idea itself is not new. Schwarzkopf made a ride called Shuttle Boat in 1978, in both portable and park versions.

Design and operation

Twenty four riders are loaded into a

tugboat A tugboat or tug is a marine vessel that manoeuvres other vessels by pushing or pulling them, with direct contact or a tow line. These boats typically tug ships in circumstances where they cannot or should not move under their own power, su ...

shaped gondola, in six rows of four. The rows face into the center of the ride. The ride is driven back and forth along a track shaped in a concave arc, rocking back and forth. While this is happening, the entire tugboat rotates around its center. The traveling version of the ride racks onto a single 28 foot trailer.

Variations

Several theme variations exist. The most common one is a

tug boat A tugboat or tug is a marine vessel that manoeuvres other vessels by pushing or pulling them, with direct contact or a tow line. These boats typically tug ships in circumstances where they cannot or should not move under their own power, suc ...

, but other versions include a

longboat A longboat is a type of ship's boat that was in use from ''circa'' 1500 or before. Though the Royal Navy replaced longboats with launches from 1780, examples can be found in merchant ships after that date. The longboat was usually the largest boa ...

, a

pirate ship Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence by ship or boat-borne attackers upon another ship or a coastal area, typically with the goal of stealing cargo and other valuable goods. Those who conduct acts of piracy are called pirates, v ...

, and a

skateboard A skateboard is a type of sports equipment used for skateboarding. They are usually made of a specially designed 7-8 ply maple plywood deck and polyurethane wheels attached to the underside by a pair of skateboarding trucks. The skateboar ...

Appearances

*UAE - Magic Planet, Mall of the Emirates, Dubai. 24 Seater Rocking Tug. Stationary model. *Australia - Two, a travelling model owned by Better Amusement Hire and

Big Red Boat Ride ABC Kids World (formerly known as Wiggles World) was a themed land at the Dreamworld amusement park on the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. The area was dedicated to the shows and characters from various shows that air on ABC Kids. The ar ...

at Dreamworld *

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

- At least two travelling models (Grubelnik) *

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to ...

- At least one travelling model *

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tota ...

- One: Canada's Wonderland where it is known as "Lucy's Tugboat". A former Rockin' Tug was found at Galaxyland in West Edmonton Mall, named the "Rockin' Rocket", which closed in 2006. *

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG),, is a country in Central Europe. It is the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany lies between the Baltic and North Sea to the north and the Alps to the sou ...

- At least five: one travelling model (Schäfer), and at least four permanent versions in Germany (Kernwasserwunderland, Legoland) *

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

- in 2016 a Rockin' Tug (named that way too) was added to

Tayto Park Emerald Park (), known from 2010 to 2022 as Tayto Park, is an amusement park in Ireland, originally themed based on the Irish potato crisp brand Tayto. It is located in the townland of Kilbrew, in County Meath and was founded by farmer-tu ...

in the Eagle's Nest nearby Shot Tower * Japan - At least one permanent version at Toshimaen Amusement Park, Tokyo. Acquired in 2005. *

The Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Nether ...

- At least six: ''Rolling Stones'' at Drouwenerzand, ''Dolle Dobber'' at DippieDoe, ''Swampies Swing'' at Toverland, ''Moby Dick'' at Deltapark Neeltje Jans and Koning Juliana Toren, ''Frogg's Trouble at

Attractiepark Slagharen Attractie- & Vakantiepark Slagharen is an Amusement park and holiday resort in Slagharen, located in the Dutch province Overijssel. The park opened in 1963 and was originally named ''Ponypark Slagharen''. The logo contains the English name ''S ...

. *

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 List of islands of New Zealand, smaller islands. It is the ...

- One, a traveling model owned by Mahons Amusements * Sweden - At least one: ''Lilla Lots'' at

Liseberg Liseberg is an amusement park located in Gothenburg, Sweden, that opened in 1923. It is one of the most visited amusement parks in Scandinavia, attracting about three million visitors annually. Among the noteworthy attractions is the wooden roll ...

. * Switzerland - At least one travelling model (Lang) *

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

- At least eleven: ''Rockin` Tug'' at

Butlins Skegness Butlins Skegness (officially Butlins Resort Skegness), formerly Butlin's Skegness or Funcoast World; is a holiday camp located in Ingoldmells near Skegness in Lincolnshire, England. Billy Butlin conceived of its creation based on his experienc ...

Butlins Minehead Butlins Resort Minehead is a holiday camp operated by Butlins, located in Minehead in Somerset, England. It opened in 1962 and remains in use today. It was known as Butlin's Minehead until 1987, and as Somerwest World from then until 1999, whe ...

and Butlins Bognor Regis, ''Rocking Tug'' at Flamingo Land Resort., ''Rocking Bulstrode'' at Drayton Manor's Thomas Land (themed after the Thomas and Friends character Bulstrode the barge), ''Heave Ho'' at

Alton Towers Alton Towers Resort ( ) (often referred to as Alton Towers) is a theme park and resort complex in Staffordshire, England, near the village of Alton. The park is operated by Merlin Entertainments Group and incorporates a theme park, water pa ...

, ''Longboat Invader'' at Legoland Windsor (a Lego/Viking themed longship), ''Rockin' Tug'' at The Flambards Experience, ''Griffin's Galleon'' at

Chessington World of Adventures Chessington World of Adventures Resort is a theme park, zoo and hotel complex in Chessington, Greater London, England, around southwest of Central London. The complex opened as Chessington Zoo in 1931, with the theme park being developed alo ...

, ''Rockin' Tug'' at Woodlands Family Theme Park Devon, ''Timber Tug Boat'' at

Thorpe Park Thorpe Park Resort, commonly known as Thorpe Park, is an amusement park located in the village of Thorpe between the towns of Chertsey and Staines-upon-Thames in Surrey, England, southwest of Central London. It is operated by Merlin Entertai ...

, Sk8boarda at Adventure Island (debated - it's unknown if it's built by Zamperla or by the park itself), and ''Kontiki'' at Paultons Park. *

United States of America The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territor ...

- Thirteen: traveling models owned by Murphy Brothers Exposition, Shamrock Shows, American Traveling Shows, and by D & K Amusements; and park models owned by

Alabama Splash Adventure Alabama Adventure & Splash Adventure (previously known as VisionLand, Alabama Adventure, Splash Adventure and Alabama Splash Adventure) is a water park and amusement park in Bessemer, Alabama. It is owned by Koch Family Parks, which consists of m ...

Six Flags over Georgia Six Flags Over Georgia is a theme park located in Mableton, Georgia. Opened in 1967, it is the second park in the Six Flags chain following the original Six Flags Over Texas, which opened in 1961. Six Flags Over Georgia is one of three park ...

Valleyfair Valleyfair is a amusement park in Shakopee, Minnesota, United States. Owned by Cedar Fair, the park opened in 1976 and now features over 75 rides and attractions including eight roller coasters. Valleyfair also has a water park called Soak Cit ...

(as ''Lucy's Tugboat''), Edaville (as ''Rockin' Bulstrode''),

Knott's Berry Farm Knott's Berry Farm is a theme park located in Buena Park, California, owned and operated by Cedar Fair. In 2015, it was the twelfth-most-visited theme park in North America and averages approximately 4 million visitors per year. It features 40 ...

(as ''Rapid River Fun''), Knoebels,

Elitch Gardens Theme Park Elitch Gardens Theme & Water Park is an amusement park in Denver, Colorado. It is owned by Kroenke Sports & Entertainment and operated by Premier Parks, LLC. Distinctive for being located in a downtown area, it is open April through October. ...

Kennywood Kennywood is an amusement park located in West Mifflin, Pennsylvania, just southeast of Pittsburgh. The park opened on May 30, 1899, as a trolley park attraction at the end of the Mellon family's Monongahela Street Railway. It was purchased i ...

(as ''SS Kenny''), Trimper's Rides,

Waldameer Park Waldameer & Water World is an amusement park and water park in Erie, Pennsylvania located at the base of Presque Isle. Waldameer is the fourth oldest amusement park in Pennsylvania, the tenth oldest in the nation, and one of only thirteen troll ...

(as ''SS Wally''),

SeaWorld San Antonio SeaWorld San Antonio is a marine mammal park, oceanarium and animal theme park in the Westover Hills District of San Antonio, Texas, on the city's west side. It is the largest of the three parks in the SeaWorld chain owned and operated by ...

Oaks Amusement Park Oaks Park is a small amusement park located south of downtown Portland, Oregon, United States. The park opened in May 1905 and is one of the oldest continually operating amusement parks in the country. The park includes midway games, about tw ...

and Santa's Village (as ''SS Peppermint Twist'').

References

External links

Zamperla page on Rockin' Tug
{{Amusement rides Amusement rides Zamperla Articles containing video clips