About Bliss-Stick

Introduction, Manufacturing, Materials, Design and Video

Introduction:

This is what we do well. Making the best damn kayaks in the world and we can assure you that all our team are totally committed to doing just that.   Be it design, materials or manufacture we’re right on the job, pushing new boundaries and showing the way forward.

Kayakers making kayaks for kayakers…….

Enjoy surfing through our comprehensive range for 2008-2009. It’s simply outstanding. From extreme creeking to full on freestyle and everything in between, we’ve got it covered. As well as the new boats, there’s a complete new outfitting system now available and a bunch of other new innovations which are equally impressive. We’ve been working hard so sit back and enjoy……

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Manufacturing:

This is where it all happens. The nerve centre of our operation, tucked away in our own little piece of paradise. Every Bliss-Stick kayak, is made right here. The river’s just a couple of minutes down the valley. What more could you want!!!!

But this is no Hill-Billy setup. Inside that shed boasts some of the very finest kayak manufacturing technology you will find anywhere on the globe. A few years ago we realized that if we wanted to produce the very best, we had to do the job ourselves. So out with the contract molders and in with our own oven to give us total control over the art of kayak manufacturing.

We’ve taken a few swims along the way. It’s been a huge learning curve to say the least and lucky for you we're at the end of it. Although in principle, all we’re doing is throwing some plastic powder in a mold, heating it up, and spinning it around, we’ve come to learn there is a little bit more to it than that. We’re not molding water tanks after all! Oh no, this shed is entirely set up for manufacturing Bliss-Stick products only and it’s working really well.

Every little process effects the final product and there’s so much to tell. So over the next few months we want to take you on a little tour through our site so you can see first hand all that goes into producing our boats so you can ride it, bash it, and love it like nothing else.

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Materials:

We use nothing but the finest quality polymer resins available. No cost is spared and since our start we've worked very closely with our New Zealand supplier, developing our own special "new generation" brew.
With its previously unachievable combination of high rigidity and superior impact strength nothing else is expected to tolerate the abuse we dish out to our kayaks. Our suppliers are justifiable proud of what we are achieving with thier products.

In simple terms our powder is a "super linear" polymer which is both weldable and recyclable.

What matters to you is that it’s going to go the distance as your faithful river companion and not pack it in when the going gets tough. We do our laboratory testing on the river and while our plastic has never had a bad reputation we’re constantly improving our techniques and facilities for the cooking and curing process. We’ve learned that this makes a huge difference to the final performance. We can deal with that here, with our plant being totally devoted to purely making white water kayaks. Just the way it should be…..

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Design:

Where to begin…..

We design our boats ourselves, right here. It’s all done by hand and by eye and with no computers. For us, this is a critical part of the evolution of a new design . This is when we get creative and we live the full sized model in front of us from every angle. It’s the only way we know how, but be sure..... This is not exactly the glamorous side of kayaking. This is blood, sweet and tears.

Our designs are driven from the boaters. We see them every day, from all around the world, and we listen, learn and respond. As soon as a new model hit’s production, as far as we are concerned, it’s a prototype, and we’re looking ahead for the next step in the kayaking evolution. We hope the perfect kayak will never be made, but the closest you’ll ever get is a Bliss-Stick.

But in fact we do much more than simply design kayaks. We design everything here from the kayaks, all the parts, the molds, the oven, the plant, ‘hell’, even the web-site for that matter. It gives us no limitations so we can boldly push the boundaries of possibilities, which we fully embrace in the true Kiwi style.

All things are possible to those who dare…

THE WAY PADDLESPORTS GEAR SHOULD BE.