Except for those lucky enough to travel south in the next few months, thoughts of a water slide are likely far from most Canadians’ minds early in another bracing winter.
But the prospect of setting up one — perhaps even two — of the dangerously fun slides is front of mind for Nathan Kember of Summerside, P.E.I.
The entrepreneur and father of three — with a fourth on the way — is the proud owner of a 900-foot water slide he purchased through Facebook Marketplace last year.
And while Kember has re-listed the disassembled slide for a cool $150,000, his new plan is to use part of it in his own backyard and the remaining sections at a new waterpark in P.E.I.’s second largest city.
“I’m actually more excited to set it up than to sell it, but it is for sale in the meantime,” Kember told the National Post.
“Summerside had some amusement things over the years. Nothing major like this, but it just seems that Summerside could use something more exciting for young folks and other people.”
Shipping is ‘definitely a challenge’
The slide’s original home was in Barefoot Landing, the waterpark component at Magic Valley Fun Park, a now-closed amusement park in New Glasgow, N.S., and one of the more popular destinations in the Maritimes during its 1970s and 80s heyday.
When installed in 1983, the experience consisted of three separate slides and was among the park’s biggest attractions.
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After the park shut down in 2016, the owners began selling off some pieces and listed the slide for $30,000 in a Kijiji ad in 2020, per Postmedia’s SaltWire News.
Kember said it had been on Facebook for some time when he came across the ad and went to Nova Scotia to work a deal to purchase it for an undisclosed price last August.
A new water slide from Playground Canada costs between $200,000 and $900,000, depending on its length.
“It was trying to ship the slide that was always a challenge for the buyer and it was definitely a challenge for us, too,” Kember explained.
Using a company from Sussex, N.B., with specific equipment to move the pieces more easily, they loaded up one enclosed semi-truck trailer, another exposed trailer and a 40-foot deck trailer to make the 260-kilometre trip to Summerside.
“Tying them down and getting them transported securely and not have them blow away on the way was a challenge for sure,” recounted of the single-day voyage, which included a 13-kilometre crossing of notoriously windy Confederation Bridge connecting the Island to the mainland.
“It was actually blowing 70-kilometre hour winds that day when we brought it home, we so were a little worried we might lose it, so we strapped it down extra good.”
Kember said he’s had a few purchase inquiries since listing, including one from Texas, but the complicated and expensive shipping process remains a detractor for many would-be owners.
Back in Summerside, Kember said the slide remains “pretty mint” and the gel coat that makes it slippery is in good shape. Made by Alpine Slides, he said, they were meant to last and its previous owner stored the pieces upside down in the years it wasn’t in use.
There’s been no formal slide and waterpark proposal sent to city council, but when the process begins Kember knows there’ll be more challenges ahead.
“If we’re willing to put in the effort and take the heat, we will see it come to life, but it is extremely difficult to get people onside,” he said.
It won’t be Kember’s first recreational business venture in his hometown. When the town’s only golf course shut down in recent years, with portions of land sold for housing development, it left a void for locals and tourists, of which there are plenty during golf season.
He couldn’t replace the course — though he does claim to have a six-hole course in his backyard — he established a driving range overlooking the Northumberland Strait, naming it after his daughter, Selah.
People still have to drive 25 minutes to reach the nearest course, but “they were super excited to see at least a driving range back.”
‘One of a kind’ watercraft also for sale
Another item Kember has listed on Marketplace, but doesn’t intend to sell, is a Sea-Doo with the body of a Club Car golf cart attached.
Inspired by Franken-vehicle builds on Orange County Choppers and always having possessed a knack for such creations, Kember built the beast himself.
He rides it regularly, drawing curious glances and lots of questions.
“It goes about 65 miles an hour so when you head away with a roof on, you start getting air like an airplane. You gotta be careful.”
A new, top-of-the-line Sea-Doo alone can cost upwards of $30,000. Kember’s admittedly hilariously outlandish asking price is $100,000.
“One of a kind,” he advertises in the facetious ad. “First ever built. 1 in a billion”
He might not be serious about selling, but some people have been somewhat serious about buying.
“I’ve had offers though from like as far as New York, people… who come to P.E.I. in the summer and they have expressed interest to maybe offer about half and some have offered more.”
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