If I were to do one of those typical Disney rides, I would start by laying out train tracks and creating a boat that has a train motor in the base.
Yea I think would be a good place to start! I would then adjust the train motor to create an oscillating motion (could be done by creating a piston-like mechanism, with one piston on either side on the bottom of the boat so when one’s up, the other’s down and vice versa), giving the boat more of a “on water” feel.