My Story
My name is Guillaume Respaud and I took on kayaking at the age of 10, and like most paddlers back then my original background was slalom. However I was also lucky enough to be part of a club that introduced me to river running and allowed me to discover other disciplines. When I turned 16 I was fired to get into Freestyle but there was no good boat that could accommodate an overgrown teenager 1,85m high and legs as long as jumbo baguettes.
I decided to hack life and build my very own boat so I could fulfil my freestyle dreams. A while back I had seen a polystyrene prototype of a slalom boat from the brand ZigZag, it look like a feasible project and soon enough I got right into work. And like whoever who wants to do something but has no clue how to get there, I started searching the internet for websites to learn how to shape foam blocks… it was not hard to find such information, there are many websites providing this sort of knowledge… for example; www.shaperoom.net.
In 2007, the brand Guigui Prod launched. I had a surprising amount of orders from friends and French paddlers and even from a few internationals. The success was double as I not only got my first orders in, but I won the French Championships in 2007 and classified for the national team in 2008. At that point my kayaks were already traveling the World and started to be noticed from the hand of Romain Planchais and Léo Carpene, 2 of the best French athletes at the time. Thanks to their efforts, the brand started to gain international status as my shapes kept evolving and getting better thanks to my rising knowledge and the collaborations with the best paddlers.
On day 1 in San Juan, the Helixir 2015 gets benched after Quim realises the new shape is a GAME CHANGER! Quim has on his hands the weapon that he needs to take him to the top of the podium, it’s another great victory for GuiGui Prod.
In 2018 the waiting list is full and extends for a few months, we have a Worlds winning shape and everyone wants a Guigui. At that point, I had been looking for a partner who could produce my shapes in plastic for a while, without success. Finally I found an Italian company that earns my trust; EXO Kayaks. This collaboration starts a new era for both brands. In 2021, the Helixir 2018 is not only the most popular carbon freestyle boat in the Worlds, but also the most popular plastic freestyle boat in Europe!
The adventure continues and I would love you to be part of it!
Contact : guiguiprod.com@gmail.com
6 years later, my kayaks are still in the podiums but the Gold is still retained by Dane Jackson.
We have been working hard on a new shape with Quim Fontané, but things do not really click. 3 months before the worlds the prototype it not ready. Worse that that, it really sucks!
We decide to start from scratch once again and give ourselves a month to have it ready for Argentina. This time we’re playing for gold!
Quim stays in Saint Pierre for a few weeks to test the boat whilst I race back and forth to my workshop to make modifications… the boat is ready just in time, but Quim hasn’t had the time to adapt to the new shape, he takes his old Helixir 2015 and the new Helixir 2018.
In 2010 I stopped working for ZigZag with the goal to focus exclusively in my own project; building carbon freestyle boats. I built my own workshop from scratch at the quiet French campagne (countryside) which has only expanded since then. My kayaks started to appear on international podiums, but never quite making it to the top. However in 2011, James Bebbington becomes World Champion with the emblematic Easymix 2008 and the brand does another qualitative step forward. New colaborations start with paddlers such as Marlene Devillez, Mathieu Dumoulin, Sebastien Devred, Thomas Richard or Quim Fontané.
Still today, I put my years of experience at the service of my clients with custom made kayaks that adapt to the weight and morphology of any paddler. I offer a fine product that outperforms my competition and I do it all manually, by hand in my own workshop. Each boat I produce is uniquely designed for its owner. Even the graphics are personalised.
The collaboration with EXO has also allowed me to offer affordable polyethylene versions of my renowned shapes for all freestyle lovers who do not need a competition machine and I am even more excited to unveil the Helixir XS project in 2021, a Guigui Prod kayak for kids that will bring fresh air to the grassroots of the sport.
My first attempt was definitely not a success, but it allowed me to start my learning curve and to experiment with the right materials; polystyrene, epoxy, fiberglass… I found this whole area fascinating and decided to orientate my studies in this direction.
With my graduate title in my pocket I went directly into working for ZigZag, the people who had inspired me to start this journey. My work there allowed me to further expand my knowledge and start designing my own shapes.
