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 Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of It ...

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.

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, suc ...

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, such ...

, 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 bo ...

, 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 valuable goods, or taking hostages. Those who conduct acts of piracy are call ...

, and a

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

Appearances

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

- Two, a travelling model owned by Better Amusement Hire and Big Red Boat Ride at Dreamworld *

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

- At least two travelling models (Grubelnik) *

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

- At least one travelling model *

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

- 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, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

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

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

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

Tayto Park Emerald Park (known from its 2010 opening to 2022 as Tayto Park) is a 22 ha (55-acre) amusement park and zoo located in the townland of Kilbrew, County Meath, Ireland, about northwest of Dublin. Upon opening, the park was themed around the Ir ...

in the Eagle's Nest nearby Shot Tower *

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

- At least one permanent version at

Toshimaen was an amusement park in Nerima, Tokyo, Japan, owned by the Seibu Group. It had a variety of rides, including three roller coasters, a water park with 25 slides and six pools, and Carousel El Dorado, the country's oldest operational amusement r ...

Amusement Park, Tokyo. Acquired in 2005. *

The Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

- At least six: ''Rolling Stones'' at Drouwenerzand, ''Dolle Dobber'' at DippieDoe, ''Alpenrutsche'' at

Toverland Attractiepark Toverland is an amusement park located in Sevenum, the Netherlands. It first opened in 2001 as an indoor family entertainment center, family entertainment centre, operated by the Gelissen Group. Toverland won the European Star Award ...

, ''Moby Dick'' at Deltapark Neeltje Jans and Koning Juliana Toren, ''Fogg's Trouble'' at

Attractiepark Slagharen Attractie- & Vakantiepark Slagharen is an Amusement park and holiday resort in Slagharen, Netherlands. The park opened in 1963 and was originally named ''Ponypark Slagharen''. The logo contains the English name ''Slagharen Themepark & Resort'' ...

. *

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

- One, a traveling model owned by Mahons Amusements *

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...

- At least one: ''Lilla Lots'' at

Liseberg Liseberg is an amusement park located in Gothenburg, Sweden, that opened in 1923. It is the second most visited theme park in Scandinavia, with around three million visitors annually. Among the noteworthy attractions is the wooden roller coaste ...

. *

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

- At least one travelling model (Lang) *

United Arab Emirates The United Arab Emirates (UAE), or simply the Emirates, is a country in West Asia, in the Middle East, at the eastern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is a Federal monarchy, federal elective monarchy made up of Emirates of the United Arab E ...

- Magic Planet, Mall of the Emirates, Dubai. 24 Seater Rocking Tug. Stationary model. *

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the 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 experience ...

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, when ...

and

Butlins Bognor Regis Butlin's Bognor Regis is a holiday camp in the seaside resort of Bognor Regis, West Sussex, England. It lies south southwest of London. Butlin's presence in the town began in 1932 with the opening of an amusement park; their operation soon e ...

, ''Rocking Tug'' at

Flamingo Land Resort Flamingo Land is a theme park, zoo, and resort located in Kirby Misperton, North Yorkshire, England. Opened in 1959, it has been owned and operated by The Gibb Family since 1978. History Flamingo Land Resort was established in 1959 when a cin ...

., ''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 shortened to Alton Towers) is a theme park and resort complex in Staffordshire, England, near the village of Alton, Staffordshire, Alton. The park is operated by Merlin Entertainments, Merlin Entertainments Group a ...

, ''Longboat Invader'' at

Legoland Windsor Legoland Windsor Resort (), styled and also known as Legoland Windsor, is a theme park and resort in Windsor, Berkshire in England, themed around the Lego brand. The park opened on 17 March 1996 and is currently operated by Merlin Entertainment ...

(a Lego/Viking themed longship), ''Rockin' Tug'' at

The Flambards Experience Flambards Theme Park was an amusement park on the southern outskirts of the town of Helston in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It was founded in 1976 as the Cornwall Aero Park by Douglas Kingsford Hale MBE. The park's final season was 2024, ...

, ''Trawler Trouble'' 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 originally opened as Chessington Zoo in 1931; the theme park aspect was dev ...

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

Thorpe Park Thorpe Park, formerly also known as Thorpe Park Resort, is a theme 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 Paultons Park is an amusement park located in the New Forest National Park, near the village of Ower, in Hampshire, England, with over 70 rides and attractions. The park is situated on the former Paultons Estate, and covers 140 acres of land a ...

. *

United States of America The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 contiguo ...

- 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 ...

Six Flags over Georgia Six Flags Over Georgia is a amusement park in Austell, Georgia, United States. 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 t ...

Valleyfair Valleyfair is a amusement park in Shakopee, Minnesota, United States. Owned by Six Flags Entertainment Corporation, the park opened in 1976 and features over 75 rides and attractions including eight roller coasters. Valleyfair also has a water ...

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

Knott's Berry Farm Knott's Berry Farm is a amusement park in Buena Park, California, United States, owned and operated by Six Flags. In March 2015, it was ranked as the List of amusement park rankings#North America, twelfth-most-visited theme park in North Ameri ...

(as ''Rapid River Fun''),

Knoebels Knoebels Amusement Resort () is a family-owned and operated amusement park, picnic grove, and campground in Elysburg, Pennsylvania. Opened in 1926, it is the United States's largest free-admission park. The park has more than 60 rides including thre ...

Elitch Gardens Theme Park Elitch Gardens Theme & Water Park, colloquially known as Elitch's (formerly known as Elitch Zoological Gardens, first and second incarnation of Elitch Gardens, Elitch Gardens - The Great Escape and Six Flags Elitch Gardens), is an amusement park ...

Kennywood Kennywood is an amusement park in West Mifflin, Pennsylvania, just southeast of Pittsburgh. The park opened on May 30, 1898, as a trolley park attraction at the end of the Mellon family's Monongahela Street Railway. It was purchased in 1906 ...

(as ''SS Kenny''), Trimper's Rides, Waldameer & Water World (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 U ...

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

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