Master Blaster (Schlitterbahn)

In the late 1980s, Jeff Henry, a member of the Henry family that, at the time, owned and operated Schlitterbahn, convinced the family to help provide R&D for a surfing-type ride that was being developed by Thomas Lochtefeld. He was working on an attraction that was capable of spraying a stream of water over molded plastic sheets and asked the Henrys for assistance with developing a soft foam coating. In 1991 Schlitterbahn installed the first Wave Loch FlowRider, an attraction that simulates a continuous wave on which a rider can "surf."^[1] The FlowRider, dubbed Boogie Bahn, opened as the centerpiece of Surfenburg, a newly developed section of the park east of the original Schlitterbahn.^[2]

Following the FlowRider, Lochtefeld presented Henry with the idea of using water jets to propel a raft uphill on a waterslide. The device was called Master Blaster — an uphill water coaster.^[2] Schlitterbahn installed the first Master Blaster, called Dragon Blaster, in the Surfenburg section of the park. It opened in May 1994, and Public Relations Director Sherrie Brammall invited members of American Coaster Enthusiasts to the park to try the new technology and provide feedback.^[3] The enthusiasts were excited about the new technology but suggested the ride needed more hills — like a roller coaster.

Two years later, Schlitterbahn opened an even larger Master Blaster, simply called Master Blaster in a newly developed area called Blastenhoff, across the parking lot to the southeast of Surfenberg.

Riders begin by climbing 66.2 feet to the top of the Blastenhoff tower. Two-passenger rafts are brought to the top of the tower on a conveyor belt. After passengers board and once the blocking systems indicates the channel ahead is clear, a small conveyor rolls the raft forward into the first drop — the ride's largest. At the bottom of the drop, water jets propel the raft uphill into a small dip and then another short uphill section. The raft then enters an enclosed tube section and travels 190 degrees back the other direction. This section features two drops and two uphill blasts followed by a right turn in an enclosed tube. Upon exiting the tube the raft drops downhill, turns right again then drops downhill a second time. Another uphill blast leads to a downhill section then the final uphill blast sends the rafts into an enclosed tube with a right turn helix followed by a left turn then a final small drop into the splash pool.