Oven-cooked but you can't eat it
There is a very special sort of baking going on at the Bellbrook Business Park.
A powdered mixture goes into a mould which is put into a rotating oven for about an hour.
When it comes out you have . . . a kayak.
About 25 people work at Perception Kayaks where a wide variety of craft are made and sold across Britain and Europe.
Perception Kayak's Matt Byham said granulated plastic, like the powdered paint you used to have in school, is put into a mould before the baking process begins.
After the kayak is ‘cooked' it is taken out and trimmed while still warm. Later it is fitted out.
The firm makes kayaks suitable for use on rivers, waterways and at sea. The entry level boat retails for around £300 while the popular sit-on-top kayak sells for about £360. A top-of-the-range sea kayak, suitable for expeditions, will set you back around £1,000.
(Added to site Monday, July 27th, 2009)
