Inflatable Water Park Setup FAQ

1) Required spot’s size L x W (m)? How far from the beach line?

Your spot size “outside your water park of choice” should be around 10m wide by 10m longer. You should be about 10m from the shoreline (+-, depending on depth). To approach the park on the shoreline, install a sales booth, a life jacket station then thirdly a cue up /launch area close to the water. You might have a small plastic fence around just to corral the people for instructions. Here the employee uses a megaphone to shout out instructions for safety and lifeguards positioning.

During this time, the other lifeguards are inspecting the park from the last session for any damages or safety issues or unnoticed lounging participants. On a blown whistle, the people now walk and enter the water and swim the 10m to the water park. Some think there should be a walkway, but swimming out is more fun.

2) Advisable place of installation, requirements, and restrictions? Needed depth of water!

Calmer waters are best naturally. Any parts of the shoreline that have barriers or curved shorelines, creating a semi barrier to the Open water, is always better. The minimum water depth is 2m; maximum depth is not an issue. It means longer anchor ropes and little more difficulty in placing anchor weights for initial setup since we need across horizontal line configuration to stop park swaying. Remove the park system; the ropes stay in water with attached floats to keep clips close to the surface for reattachment. You should install a floating boundary, the same used for swimming boundaries.

Maybe the corners could have some flags for oncoming boaters. Boats are restricted to dock up against the park. You need to have a simple system to keep boats out and away from the park.

3) How to organize ticketing and entrance to the inflatable water park game?

Could you choose a personalized bracelet with an implemented timer and sound/light alarm? Etc. It allows you to avoid collecting customers and enforcing them to wait in line. And you could implement a colour-coded band to track the periods they have purchased such as one-hour, two-hour half day full day.

However, we have always used the 50-minute play set up. It allows us to clear the park for a 10-minute inspection and, of course, look for any other people who may be in trouble. Swimming Pool operators follow this procedure too. Swimmers waiting, during an inspection, is not a bad thing. It builds the excitement. When they come off, they may rest for the one hour then get in the following hour of play. Maybe it keeps people in your park, there longer. We find it easy to manage the large crowds this way.

The second crowd is then getting their life jackets on, at the 40-minute time mark (of the first crowd). They then start getting their instructions to begin their time block, which is essential to give verbal reminders and instructions to the grouped up waiting crowd instead of one on one! When they are waiting, they are getting excited like an amusement ride. The wait builds up the anticipation. And with the 50-minute block, they feel they want their money’s worth.

4) How much time is required to assemble a Floating inflatable Water Park and preparing it for use?

It takes two days for the first set up since installing the anchors and such. After the anchors are in place, you can drag the park out of the water in two hours (no deflation). However, that is only necessary for violent storms to shore it and tie them down. Leaving in the water won’t hurt the park for typical storms. Think of all the docks, wooden rafts, and boats left in water. No problems.

If dragging to land, then really deflation should occur, and you use the pumps. That is more time consuming and requires advanced planning. For severe storms where removal is necessary, weather reports give advance notice for us to prepare a deflate. But most wind storms and heavy rains of cold weather, the park can remain in the water. Even if one attachment broke, there are more than one per piece, and then pieces are anchored together.

5) Sometimes because of the risk of storms, there might be necessary to disassemble the units and put them in a safe place.

What is its total weight and volume (size) per component (non-inflatable)?

Total weights for each piece are 100 lbs, 200 lbs for most, and 800 lbs, 1000 lbs for the main attractions like the massive slide or a giant iceberg. The total size of each piece deflated is small. When rolled up, the smaller one (one pc) can fit onto a wheel barrel. The larger ones 200-300 lbs (one unit) can fit in the trunk of a large car, and the more significant slides and icebergs fit 3 or 4 in the back of a pickup truck.

6) How many employees should we hire for maintaining the Mobile Floating Water Park System and customer servicing?

We need a staff of at least 10 people for a given day decided on the fact that we use the large park size we mentioned, such as the 200 person park. Most of them need to be qualified lifeguards.

The ones that aren’t, handle the shoreline duties. But they should have a first-aid certificate for emergencies. Out of 10, you would have maybe 6 lifeguards on guard with two rotating for breaks and lunches.

Another is selling tickets, and another is the life jacket monitor and loudspeaker instructor. These people can relieve each other for washroom breaks and can eat during their station time. They are more relaxed in their duty. And you still have the two other lifeguards that can help now and then.

7) Cost of maintenance per month (year)

Here’s a good thing. Maintenance is little. Take one of your employees for the month; his salary would be your budget. If he only works half the time, then the balance covers the supplies like new ropes, anchor attachments. Repair kits. Anchor stakes for on the beach. You need gas for the water pump to keep running water to the top of the giant slide to keep wet! Maybe 10-20 dollars per day! You need some electricity to charge the boat battery and for a few other minor necessities.

Overall, maintenance is low. Use the one employee wage for budgeting purposes to cover everything.

8) Mobile Floating Water Park System: Period of amortization (depreciation)

Your water park can earn your investment back in one season. In a worst-case scenario, maybe two seasons. Your park has a life span of 4 years under heavy use. Medium use is 6 years. After 6 years we say just replace it! The colors dull after 3-4 years. So, we recommend you add new and exciting standalone pieces to keep the excitement level up.

Don’t use one park for 5 years. Keep adding a few new pieces every year to create the excitement as many people return. “Give them something to get excited about!”