As the potential buyer of a FlowRider, the main thing to know is that we are here to help every step of the way. If there are ever any questions or concerns, we are here to guide you through the process.
Another key point is that we are an equipment supplier, so our offering isn’t turn-key, so to speak. It can be compared to building a house; you get the foundation ready and then we come install the “house” atop the foundation. We have a scope matrix for each product to spell out what your responsibilities are and what our responsibilities are during the process. The matrix below is typical example.
| Item | A. DESIGN SERVICES | FlowRider | Buyer/Others |
| 1 | FlowRider tank plan | X | |
| 2 | Equipment layout and installation details | X | |
| 3 | Electrical schematics for hook-up of all motors and electrical control panels | X | |
| 4 | Operations & maintenance manuals | X | |
| 5 | Certification services | X | |
| 6 | Local engineering over-seal | X | |
| 7 | Submissions to building authorities and obtaining necessary build permits / licenses | X | |
| 8 | Electrical to Seller’s control panel | X | |
| 9 | Site works, grading, drainage, slabs, buildings etc. | X | |
| 10 | Detailed mechanical filtration systems | X | |
| B. EQUIPMENT SUPPLY | FlowRider | Buyer/Others | |
| 11 | Main structure | X | |
| 12 | Tension structure | X | |
| 13 | Recovery structure | X | |
| 14 | Pumps | X | |
| 15 | Electrical Control Panel – Variable Frequency Drives | X | |
| 16 | Padding system | X | |
| 17 | Drainage System | X | |
| 18 | Ride surface | X | |
| 19 | Flow Fence | X | |
| 20 | FlowRider boards | X | |
| 21 | Mountings, epoxy anchor hold down bolts, supports | X | |
| 22 | Safety signage | X | |
| 23 | Civil Works – excavation, forming, concrete, rebar, all civil works | X | |
| 24 | Walkways, walkway coverings, handrails and splash guards | X | |
| 25 | Mechanical – filtration pumps, valves, piping, filters, fittings etc. | X | |
| 26 | Mechanical and Electrical Room (including A/C) | X | |
| 27 | Electrical – power to electrical control panel, wiring, conduit etc. | X | |
| C. INSTALLATION SERVICES | FlowRider | Buyer/Others | |
| 28 | Installation of equipment (i.e. local site works) | X | |
| 29 | Supervision services | X | |
| 30 | Certification services | X | |
| 31 | Foundations – excavating, formwork, placing concrete etc. | X | |
| 32 | Onsite welding | X | |
| 33 | Local Labor | X | |
| 34 | Cranes and Forklifts | X | |
| 35 | Mechanical – filtration pumps, valves, piping, filters, fittings, etc. | X | |
| 36 | Electrical – mains, hook up, wiring, conduit etc. | X | |
| 37 | Accommodations for Installation Supervisors | X | |
| 38 | Travel Expense for Installation Supervisors | X | |
| 39 | Union or prevailing wages | X | |
| Item | A. DESIGN SERVICES | FlowRider | Buyer/Others |
| 1 | FlowRider tank plan | X | |
| 2 | Equipment layout and installation details | X | |
| 3 | Electrical schematics for hook-up of all motors and electrical control panels | X | |
| 4 | Operations & maintenance manuals | X | |
| 5 | Certification services | X | |
| 6 | Local engineering over-seal | X | |
| 7 | Submissions to building authorities and obtaining necessary build permits / licenses | X | |
| 8 | Electrical to Seller’s control panel | X | |
| 9 | Site works, grading, drainage, slabs, buildings etc. | X | |
| 10 | Detailed mechanical filtration systems | X |
A. DESIGN SERVICES
1 Our standard drawing set provided, contains our specifications only. We do not provide an issue for construction drawing set. We only provide the critical design details that you will need to incorporate with the overall design and layout plan.
2 The general equipment layout is shown in our standard drawing set. Installation details can be provided in different levels of specificity once an Agreement has been signed.
3 The standard drawing set contains a general electrical schematic showing our rides components and the general power requirements. Specific internal wiring and panel specific drawings will be provided once the electrical panel(s) for your ride have been ordered. If your ride contains inflatable components there is also a pneumatic schematic included.
4 A ride specific operations manual will be provided and reviewed with the venue staff or owner (whomever is responsible for running and maintaining the ride following turnover) upon commissioning.
5 Certification services will include commissioning the ride as well as hosting a training session(s) for the pertinent venue staff and responsible individuals. which entails turning it on and fine tuning it to determine its optimal running settings. Please keep in mind that our Agreements generally only cover one trip for our installers to visit your site in which we ideally install, commission, certify and train the venue staff in succession. Pre-installation visits for inspections of site works and follow up trips for training sessions are not included.
6-7 With respect to the overall project/build we will need to adhere to local codes and regulations which may involve different inspections and approvals by local authorities. Depending on when you begin the permitting process, we will provide you with the information you will need as best we can. However, you will need to conduct all the work necessary to attain permission to build. Further, it is crucial that you relay any regulatory information pertaining specifically to our equipment supply and/or requirements prior to the start of manufacturing.
8 All electrical design and work associated with anything beyond our main control panel is within your scope. Please keep this in mind as you will want to have an electrical contractor onboard for this early on. Also keep in mind that there is scope associated to our ride that requires an electrician provided by you to complete as well. These details will be important to share when you are hiring your contractors.
9 The full scope of your venue’s build will help determine what other contractors you will need for their portion of the siteworks. Typically, you will need a General Contractor, Architectural Firm, and a Pool Contractor. With those contractors working alongside you, we can directly advise them on the scope they need to include in their quotes to help build your new FlowRider. Despite which ride you choose there is some form of concrete work associated.
10 Once your Pool Contractor knows the tank volume of your FlowRider, they will be able to determine the best filtration configuration for your project. They will also be able to supply the proper chemicals as well as advise you on how to maintain and test a proper pH level according to local codes.
| B. EQUIPMENT SUPPLY | FlowRider | Buyer/Others | |
| 11 | Main structure | X | |
| 12 | Tension structure | X | |
| 13 | Recovery structure | X | |
| 14 | Pumps | X | |
| 15 | Electrical Control Panel – Variable Frequency Drives | X | |
| 16 | Padding system | X | |
| 17 | Drainage System | X | |
| 18 | Ride surface | X | |
| 19 | Flow Fence | X | |
| 20 | FlowRider boards | X | |
| 21 | Mountings, epoxy anchor hold down bolts, supports | X | |
| 22 | Safety signage | X | |
| 23 | Civil Works – excavation, forming, concrete, rebar, all civil works | X | |
| 24 | Walkways, walkway coverings, handrails and splash guards | X | |
| 25 | Mechanical – filtration pumps, valves, piping, filters, fittings etc. | X | |
| 26 | Mechanical and Electrical Room (including A/C) | X | |
| 27 | Electrical – power to electrical control panel, wiring, conduit etc. | X |
B. EQUIPMENT SUPPLY
11-22. These items will vary depending on the specific FlowRider product you choose, in quantity, type, configuration and so on.
Logistics and delivery of our equipment can be time consuming, confusing and can feel a little overwhelming in some cases. This is the case especially for clients who are not experienced with international freight and logistics or who do not have the network to manage such, so getting versed and prepared on these details as early as possible will be crucial. Please be familiar with Incoterms and the agreed upon shipping terms. In most cases, at a minimum, you will need to hire a local customs broker and consult with a forwarder or freight company to handle logistics from seaport of entry to your jobsite. CIF terms are most common in our agreements which means you will take ownership of the goods once we have delivered it to your country’s closest seaport. From there you (or your customs broker on behalf of you) will need to pay the duties and taxes to clear the goods through customs. Then you can have the goods delivered to the jobsite. Duties and taxes are based on the commercial invoice value of the goods being shipped which will be equal to the purchase price of the ride. Duties can sometimes be up to 25% of the noted value. They can often be recovered but for some clients, posting that amount of money is a challenge and if not considered, a major point of stress.
As the materials arrive onsite you will need heavy equipment (i.e. forklift, crane, etc…) to unload the ocean containers since they cannot be left without incurring heavy demurrage fees. If the jobsite is not ready, you will need a place to store the goods until it is.
To give you an idea of what our equipment delivery is typically like, our most common ride, the FlowRider Double, breaks down into these shipments:
| Description | Shipment Origin | Shipment Makeup |
| Steel | China | 1 x 40′ Ocean Container Full (10,800 kg of material) |
| Pumps | Europe | 2 x LTL, palleted (2,800 kg each) |
| Electrical Controls | Canada | 1 x LCL, crate (600 kg) |
| FlowRider Materials | USA | 1 x 20′ Ocean Container Full (4,600 kg of material) |
23-24. As mentioned, the amount of civil and concrete works needed for your venue will be determined in large by the scope of your project. However, it should be known that regardless of what FlowRider model you choose, there is some concrete work associated that you must complete prior to the ride’s installation. We can provide more specific details on the amount of work associated so that you can make an educated decision as well as inform potential contractors so they can provide quotes.
25. Since we often have clients who purchased other waterpark products aside from a FlowRider, we refrain from supplying any filtration equipment. We can certainly provide examples of what we have seen in the past, but we are not a pool contractor, so we leave that in your scope pf work. For that very reason, it is necessary to hire a plumbing or pool contractor to complete this part of the installation. To keep the FlowRider clean and functioning properly, the basic request is that you and your pool contractor put a filtration system in place that can circulate the water and that keeps the water at a swimming pool grade quality level. As mentioned, we will provide details on the amount of water for the ride and a layout of the ride so your contractor can configure a filtration system accordingly.
26. The standard electrical panel(s) that we supply are not designed to be installed outdoors. They are designed to be kept in a weather protected and temperature-controlled environment. We request that an electrical room is specified into the design to house our panel(s). Similar to what would be needed for your filtration equipment. We suggest that the room be located as close as possible to the ride, ideally adjacent to the back wall and further sharing a wall. That will ensure that the standard pump cables will be long enough to reach the panel. If the room or panel’s/panels’ location must be situated somewhere further from the ride, the extra cable and junction box(es) required to span that gap must be provided by you. If you cannot provide this type of room, we can upgrade the panel for outdoor use at an added charge.
27. As mentioned, all electrical scope leading up to the ride panel(s) will be your scope. You will need to hire an electrical contractor to design and plan for that work. Again, we will provide schematic details so that you can seek quotes from local electricians to complete the necessary work on your site.
| C. INSTALLATION SERVICES | FlowRider | Buyer/Others | |
| 28 | Installation of equipment (i.e. local site works) | X | |
| 29 | Supervision services | X | |
| 30 | Certification services | X | |
| 31 | Foundations – excavating, formwork, placing concrete etc. | X | |
| 32 | Onsite welding | X | |
| 33 | Local Labor | X | |
| 34 | Cranes and Forklifts | X | |
| 35 | Mechanical – filtration pumps, valves, piping, filters, fittings, etc. | X | |
| 36 | Electrical – mains, hook up, wiring, conduit etc. | X | |
| 37 | Accommodations for Installation Supervisors | X | |
| 38 | Travel Expense for Installation Supervisors | X | |
| 39 | Union or prevailing wages | X |
C. INSTALLATION SERVICES
28 & 31. In general, you will manage your site and conduct the general siteworks. Our installers are familiar with the scope associated to our ride alone and are only there to manage the installation of our equipment.
29. Depending on the ride you choose, we will have 2-4 of our experienced ride installers onsite for the entire equipment installation period. We specify in our Agreements that they are only there to provide supervision but in reality, they do perform a lot of the hands-on work themselves. That being said, there are several scopes of work that need to be completed beyond what they are there to handle to get your ride up and running. There are many site-dependent variables that could make the installation period longer or shorter, but typically the full installation takes somewhere in the range of 30-35 days. However, it can be as long as 60-70 days. This duration does not include any of the scope of works that falls under your responsibility. That scope typically being any concrete works to the point of acceptably complete as per FlowRider specifications, all electrical scope lying physically outside of the water containment structure, any mechanical and plumbing and filtration and any other siteworks deemed necessary to commission the ride. For the installation of a regular, land based FlowRider, two FlowRider installers will be provided for the full install period. Our installers are well versed in everything that is FlowRider however they are not the following:
- Certified electricians
- Certified welders
- Heavy equipment operators
- Certified plumbers
30. Commissioning and certification can and ideally will be conducted by the same installers who installed our equipment. The goal is to have all available venue staff and/or managers partake in this process. Depending on the type of venue, it could simply be the owner or one appointed manager. If your venue has or needs a hired staff – wave operators, maintenance staff, ride managers, lifeguards – we encourage you to have those people involved with the ride construction and commissioning process as early as possible. The more information and understanding we can convey to those who will ultimately be responsible for running and maintaining the ride the better. When timed correctly our installers can commission the ride and train the venue staff or pertinent individuals immediately following the installation. This eliminates the need to leave site and return later.
32. Welder/Steel Fabricator – it’s not too often, but sometimes we need a welder onsite. Depending on the level of welding work needed, you could maybe find someone amongst your labor force that has some experience, or you could hire a true specialist. Modifications could even be made, or an item could be fabricated offsite too. Regardless it could be helpful to have a skilled steel fabricator reasonably close by.
33. Construction Help (Skilled Laborers) – In our agreement, we request that you supply 2-4 local skilled laborers to assist our technicians at various times throughout the installation process. It will be important to have those laborers available during the first half of the installation. The need for assistance from them will wane during the second half of the installation. The more skilled the tradesmen the more potential to shorten the installation duration. English speaking and experience using common construction power tools are key.
34. Based on the size and weight of the steel parts, pumps, electrical panel and crated ride components, we will need the following equipment available (with operators) onsite:
- Overhead Crane capable of lifting 5,000-7,500 lbs. with the reach to pick and set elements into the tank from the closest equipment access point
- Extendable boom forklift
35. As mentioned earlier, all mechanical and filtration scope will be yours to cover. Although we provide all the ride design details early in the process, we often need to discuss ride design details so that there are no build conflicts. We highly recommend using an autofill system to manage your ride’s water levels.
36. Electrical Contractor – There is a large enough electrical scope that you will want to hire an electrical contractor early on or hire a general contractor who can handle the electrical scope. All electrical scope physically situated outside of the water containment tank is your responsibility. This includes:
• All electrical work associated to incoming main power
• Setting and placement of our electrical panel
• All electrical terminations within our electrical panel
• All conduit and raceway to and from our panel to the tank and to the operators control station
• Running of the pump cables from the tank to the electrical panel
• Running of the operator’s station cable to the electrical panel
• Running of the hatch switch wire from the tank to the electrical panel
• Running of the low water level switch wire from the tank to the electrical panel
• Any junction box(es) and extra cabling required to extend the pump cables to reach the electrical room
Please note that this is an industrial grade control panel with Variable Frequency Drives (VFDs) and other components not typically found in common residential installations. Your electrical contractor should be familiar with the scope of work prior to their bid. They should be qualified to handle an industrial job.
37-39. These items may be negotiated but sometimes it is advantageous to have our installers stay at your hotel or resort if applicable. The travel arrangements can be handled many ways so having the conversation before signing an agreement is important.
