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The guys over at Bliss-Stick Kayaks in New Zealand are river people making boats for river people. They don’t have any fancy marketing department or any crazy computer technology. They use common sense and pure skill to turn out some of the most visionary products on the market today. Bliss–Stick Kayaks is run out of the same shed/shack/barn it started in on the steep banks of the 
Rangitikei River in Taihape, NZ. The walls are littered with memorabilia of the early days of the company, including some of the original FJ-1’s. Inside this rustic design headquarters you find evidence of the true craftsmanship that goes into these boats.
These guys don’t mess around: they get the kayak molds from the mold maker in a general shape and then they go in by hand and use angle grinders to get the final mold dialed in. After a short email to Richard Sage led me to the shed/shack/barn, I got to pick the boat shell I wanted and then watch it all be put together by master boat builder “Clarky” (Brendan Clark). When the boat was completed and custom outfitted, Richard Sage topped off the boat-buying experience by offering to negotiate the price. You don’t get this type of service everywhere, and that is why it is so refreshing to see a small company like Bliss-Stick put products into the international market that can hold their own with the big boys.
As a play boat, the Flip–Stick is poetry on water. In addition, the Flip-Stick can keep it together on the steep stuff. I’m not saying buy this boat as your creeker, I’m just saying it can hold its own if you’re doing a run with some play and some steeps.
I find the Flip-Stick maximizes performance when it’s in a hole. If you are around 185 lbs. this boat will give you huge pop to throw down some big loops (hence the name “Flip-Stick”). If you are heavier, you just won’t get as high out of the water. It is a super easy boat for initiating vertical maneuvers, it’s very loose, and once you get it cartwheeling, it is very fast. One of my favorite features of the boat is its rocker. You can be in a small hole on top of the pile, accelerate down the pile and blunt into the upstream current. On a wave, she spins like a dream; on a big wave the Flip-Stick will bounce you into air blunt heaven.
In addition to all of the performance features I think it is safe to say it has the sweetest graphics on the market. Unlike most of the competition almost all of Bliss-Sticks graphics are molded into the boat. On the back of the boat is the Maori River spirit – who, according to Maori legend, eats children when they get too close to the river.
I have had my Flip-Stick for over a year now, and the material and craftsmanship has held up beautifully. The only suggestions I would have for the boys at Bliss-Stick would be a more adjustable outfitting system including a ratcheting back band, and a seat with alternate positions.
Overall, the Flip-Stick is a solid boat that will bring you hours of fun. If you only have money to buy one boat this season, the Flip-Stick is surely a solid choice.
For more information on Bliss-Stick Kayaks use www.bliss-stick.com.
If you want to see the Flip-Stick in action check it out in Vewda Productions new movie “Paddlefest 2k2 NZED” write to Dan at
danimalp@hotmail.com.
Email nick [at] noumbrella [dot] com with your questions, comments and concerns.
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