La marque RedwoodPaddle
The story of a family, a passion!
Chris Defrance
Born in the 1970s, Chris Defrance fell into extreme sports from his earliest childhood. He is one of those who shaped their lives around their passions. Windsurfing and snowboarding, his childhood loves, were the engine of his adventures.
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Always guided by the same desire: to push the limits and create material that lives up to his dreams, Chris arms himself with a good dose of audacity and shapes his own sanctuary of sliding by creating BTR (Born To Ride) in 1999.
In 2007, at the bottom of his garage, Chris shaped his first Red Cedar wooden paddles by hand, at the time the stand up paddle was still stuttering. Everything had to be invented. Shapes, materials, uses. This is where Redwoodpaddle was born.
“I have always created with passion, to keep a soul in each board” Chris Defrance
Julie Defrance
Redwoodpaddle, today it is no longer a garage. It is a team of enthusiasts, a 1500m² workshop in Canet en Roussillon and thousands of boards, paddles and accessories shipped all over the world.
For the past few years, Julie, Chris’s daughter, has been part of the adventure. Raised in surf culture and inspired by the same passion as her father, she carries on the Redwoodpaddle spirit: kindness, sharing, listening and quality.
She supports every rider, whether through personalised advice or the creation of a custom-made paddleboard.
Her goal? To make every board a reflection of the personality and desires of the person who rides it.
“At Redwoodpaddle, every project is a meeting, Each board a story” Julie Defrance
Our DNA
At Redwoodpaddle, everything starts with the shape. The lines, the volumes, the rocker, the rails: Every detail is designed for one thing, the sensation on the water. The shape gives the character of the board. The materials and construction give it its durability and reliability.
We pay particular attention to the choice of materials, manufacturing methods and finishes. Our boards are designed to last, evolve with their rider and offer a smooth glide, stable and intuitive, session after session.
But designing good products is no longer enough. We are committed to putting our work in an eco-responsible and humane approach. This translates into concrete choices: more sustainable materials, transport optimization, eco-packaging, recycling and continuous improvement of our practices.