Baby Boats

EXPLORE LAGOON: RIDES: Baby Boats

Opened: 1950

Location: Kiddie Land

Manufactured By: Allan Herschell Company

Ride Model: P.T. Boats

Number Of Boats: 6

Ride Capacity: 12 (2 per boat)

Height Requirement: 46" maximum

history & info

On this ride, boats are led around a small oval-shaped waterway. Each boat has a bell on the front which kids love to ring.

This is one of the oldest kiddie rides at Lagoon. There was originally a tugboat in front of all the boats, but I don't know when that was removed. At first, the waterway was above ground, like models at most parks. But sometime around the 1980s, Lagoon actually built a water channel at ground level for the boats. In 1992, new fiberglass boats replaced the old ones. The boats were each repainted in 2008 with their own color scheme and individual names on each boat.

Allan Herschell's company began in 1915 in New York and specialized in carousels and children's rides. Many of these rides still operate in parks across the country. In the 1930s, John Wendler and his family acquired ownership of the company which was sold to rival Chance Manufacturing in the 1970s. Other Allan Herschell rides at Lagoon have included Helicopters, Kiddie Coaster and Sky Fighter. Allan Herschell was also began the Herschell-Spillman Company with his brother-in-law which built the Carousel at Lagoon.

photos

Photo: Lagoon