Boat can do 180-degree turns and hit speeds of 40 mph.
View full sizeOperators Kyle Weber, of Marblehead, Ohio, and Carla Sweet-McQuay, of Athens, Pa., pilot the Screamer on Oneida Lake. The Screamer, a 40 seat, high-speed boat, is the most recent addition to The Sylvan Beach Amusement Park. Sylvan Beach, NY -- The Screamer jet boat, the newest thrill ride at the Sylvan Beach Amusement Park, will soon be screaming across Oneida Lake. The boat with twin 500-horsepower engines and a $12,000 sound system can do 180-degree turns and hit speeds of 40 mph.
“It’s been described as an F-14, a roller-coaster and a disco on the water,” owner Doug Waterbury shouted above the music and wind Friday morning as the boat scudded across a relatively calm lake on a test run.
Waterbury estimates he spent “a little south” of $1 million to buy and upgrade the 50-foot boat, which holds 40 passengers. It arrived at the Erie Canal wall at Sylvan Beach on Thursday, and Waterbury hopes to begin giving rides next week after the Coast Guard inspects it. He is also awaiting approval from the state Canal Corp. to dock the boat on the canal.
Waterbury also owns the North Pole amusement park near Lake Placid and the Renaissance Festival in Sterling. He became a joint owner of the Sylvan Beach park in 2007, planning to invest up to $8 million to recreate a 1940s seaside amusement park.
The Screamer has been in Aruba for several years, Waterbury said, but it failed to find an audience in the Caribbean resort. The boat offers a thrill ride that Waterbury hopes will draw teenagers and 20-somethings, as well as promote the park and the village.
View full sizeThe Screamer, a high-speed boat, seats 40 and is the most recent addition to The Sylvan Beach Amusement Park. "It's been described as an F-14, a roller-coaster and a disco on the water," said owner Doug Waterbury.Waterbury said safety on the busy lake is a top priority, and there will always be two trained employees on the boat while it’s in action. “It requires a tremendous amount of attention of the crew to monitor constantly the traffic and the neighborhood,” he said.
Waterbury said he has hired two captains certified by the Coast Guard. One of them, Kyle Weber, operates an even larger boat on Lake Erie, Waterbury said.
Tickets for the Screamer will be $19.95 if purchased online, and $25 at the boat. Rides will be 35-45 minutes, Waterbury said.
The boat will be docked at Sylvan Beach but will travel around, including making an appearance at Harborfest in Oswego this month. In the winter, Waterbury says he might set up shop in Florida.
Contact Glenn Coin at gcoin@syracuse.com or 470-3251.
