Updates on SCUD and Mystic deliveries in the United States...

Hot off the press from New Zealand. Here is the most current information on the shipments to the US.... Norm where exactly are we in this situation?



This is where we are at, due to popular demand.

See attached list for current stock.

Next shipment ( Gone from NZ ) to arrive is on the 11th May this has Hukas, SCUDs, 185s and unfortunately all pre sold Mystics.

Second shipment ( Gone ) to arrive 20th May this has lots of Mystics, more Hukas SCUDs and 180’s and 185’s

Third shipment is booked in to leave here 25th May Mystics and SCUDs mainly.

We are trying real hard to get the boats there as quick as we can, the biggest problems is the sailing to Seattle are only 2 to 3 week gaps

And not weekly like we had last year, this combined with a great US season and high demand means we are cutting it fine,

Paddlers seem happy to pre-order the Mystics.

Next week I will send out the container lists of the 2 that are due in Seattle in May,
now back to you Michael...

Thanks Norm and remember one of these could be yours!


The containers are going to continue to sell out before they get to the U.S. Make sure your not left out! And remember to check out Bliss-Stick.com for more details!

Entrance to Huka Falls.. Waikato River

As long as I have been watching kayaking videos, I had never seen the entrance to the falls. While traveling in NZ, we had the chance to look at this monster. The videos and pictures make it look small. Anyway, here are some pictures of this amazing place.
Leaving the lake...

Holding on tight...

Hearts in your mouth while driving left for the horizon line...

Insert kayaker of choice here...

Tourist!

Taihape, New Zealand... Birthplace of the Mystic

Here is where Taihape, New Zealand is...


and this is Bliss-Stick



While in NZ, my wife and I spent a day there getting to know the Bliss-Stick family. I can't even begin to explain the hospitality shown to us. It was nice to be that far away from home and feel like we were part of the family. Thanks to all that made that possible.

Along with Jared, Nels, Honsa, Phil and many others, I had the priviledge of meeting Andy, paddle and productin guru. What a great guy! He took time out of his schedule to walk me through the process of making a boat. The boat in production happened to be the Mystic. Enough of the mumbo jumbo here are the pictures of that afternoon.

Waiting for the mold to cool down.

Cool enough! Literally and figuratively!

Cutting out the cockpit.

Say cheese!

Taking the rough edges off for your comfort.

Final product. Assembly of seat, thigh braces and center walls! Hansa doing the job correctly!


And the million dollar question... What does the hull look like? Warning! After looking at these pictures, you may go blind! Enjoy them while you can!



Please don't forget about the spring deal good through May 2006!


There are only three Mystic demos in the states right now with more to show up at the end of April, first part of May. I will not have mine until the end of April. I do have a SCUD demo if you are interested. My designated area is now the state of Tennessee and some of western N.C. If you would like to demo a boat please, feel free to contact me and I will be glad to try and meet you somewhere. If I am not in your area, go to the new Bliss-Stick site and click on dealers. Then USA. There will be a list of states with names and contact info! Give them a holler! and let them know you are interested!

Until then, see you somewhere.


All photos by Briere

SCUD review and demo info!

I just recently got back from New Zealand. What an amazing place! If you ever get the chance to got to this country, I would suggest that you drop everything and head there immediately!
Just hours after leaving to catch my flight in Atlanta, I got a call from DHL that they had my SCUD and were wanting to deliver it. I said to myself, self what are the chances of this? So I made the some arrangements and had it delivered to a friends house until I could get home. I thought it was pretty funny that I had traveled 10,000 miles before I got to use one, when mine was less than a mile from my house in Asheville.
This is a boat that is not to be underestimated! While I was in NZ, I had a chance to paddle one and boy is it fun. Right off the bat I was drawn to the outfitting. I can't tell you how many hours that I have spent outfitting a boat and still been unhappy with the results. This is not the case with Bliss-Sticks new outfitting. I put the foam bulkhead in the boat and off I went. No glue, sandpaper or waiting.

Straight off the couch of the campervan.

Another feature that I noticed was all the safety points on the boat. Six all together, including the grab loops. The one that caught my eye first was the one directly behind the cockpit. The safety bar is molded into the boat. Not attached to the boat from the top, but actually in the boat.

Big thumbs on that one! Can't say anyone elses boats that I have seen is doing this. Moving right along...
I got to use the boat in a variety of settings. I paddled the boat on the Kaituna, what I would call a dam released creek. It is not a dam, but they are control gates to regulate the level of lake Rotoiti and Rotorua. What an amazing gorge that is good for the cleansing of your soul. The run is full of steep ledges and waterfalls with little consequences. I think there were about a dozen or so rapids. The SCUD was right at home. The boat makes moves easier than anything I have ever paddled and resurfaces like like a boat should! Quickly! but not quick enough for the camera operator.

Turns on a dime and leaves the water when accelerating off drops! I also felt that it was not sluggish at all. I would just throw it up on its rails and it wanted to move. It kept my head spinning and dry except for the meltdown on Okere Falls.

The next setting was one that was amazing as well. My wife and I drove to Raglan.

It is a small surf community about 30 miles west of Hamilton, New Zealand. It is noted for its world class surf! So I headed right for the point break. That was a mistake! Even though the SCUD was probably not intended for this, it performed very differently than I had anticpated. So much that I got the beat down while in the ocean. You got to have those days too. Needless to say I walked my broke ass to the car and got the Super Rad 180 and headed to the beach break. Ahh, much better!

The next setting was something that I had never seen before. After leaving my ego and the surf behind, we headed into town to check it out. My wife sugessted that we just use the boats and paddle around some of the flat water there in town. Like most coastal communities, it deals with the tides. Right before we pushed off from shore, a local fellow with his family told us about a playhole that comes in under a walking bridge when the tide goes out. Luckly for us the tide was going out! We got there and waited for the hole to come in. Sure enough as the tide went out, the water was forced through a small weir and poof a playhole appeared! We were joined by a couple from Ireland and of course they had Bliss-Stick boats. The SCUD is not persay a playboat but it will hold its own under these conditions! Blunts, spins and some window shading! The hole was fun and if you can find it you should try it out sometime!

Needless to say, this boat will do just about anything that you want it to do. The only limitaions for this boat is the paddler. I now have a demo of this wonderful boat and if you would like to try it out yourself you should Holla! And if you have not checked out Bliss-Sticks new website you should

click here.