I, too, have never been on a woodie (I'd love to. I've got plans to visit Margate, Lightwater Valley, Oakwood and numerous international theme parks known for their woodies). Saying that, I do understand your point and that question has been asked numerous times by friends. I, however don't really have a good answer to the question...
This 'Blackpool' interpretation needs to be challenged and I believe that will only happen when a big park (Towers) gets a smooth woodie from a comany such as Intamin, GCI or RMC. All these companies are capable of producing rides with fun layouts that can make people trust wood again.