COMPANY HISTORY - The story behind

1961

In the company founded this year in Cologne-Dellbrück by Arno and Sighild Gatz as a master carpenter's business, the development of canoes begins. Craftsmanship, the experience of many active years in the boat and the need for a functional piece of sports equipment beyond the delicate folding boats come together. Arno's self-built folding kayaks were simply too small for his wife, children and dogs, and for a long time he had been studying the boats of the indigenous peoples of North America and the Inuit. To this day, he collects historical literature and drawings, from which he repeatedly draws insights into the areas of application of special boat shapes and accompanies them via models until they are ready for series production (e.g. most recently with the Beothuk). 

In 1962, the world's first mass-produced touring canoe made of glass-fibre reinforced plastics was built in his workshop (today it would be called a start-up in a garage with a wink of the eye). At the time, this was a largely unknown material in the leisure sector and one of many pioneering achievements that established the reputation of the outstanding quality of GATZ-KANUS at an early stage. Since then, all moulds and models have been made in the company's own workshops in Cologne. Arno Gatz subsequently also develops the unique, mottled colours that so harmoniously match the canoe. Many more models follow, single and crew canoes round off the programme. New materials are continuously tested and incorporated into production.

1962

The first Gatz-YUKON is launched, the canoe that can be seen in the picture with the young Gatz family of 4 plus a dog. Because few people knew what to do with the name Yukon at the time, the boat was renamed Colorado a short time later, 25 years before a Gatz canoe with Olaf Gatz was to sail the Grand Canyon on this river. The boat in the photo is still operational today, after almost 6 decades, and can be seen in the Gatz canoe shop in Cologne next to an original Indian birch bark canoe. At that time, it already had a functional tarpaulin and seats that could be tilted for paddling in a sitting or kneeling position.

1969/70

The Alkonkin, with its distinctive bow horns, is the first team canoe to come onto the market. The Algonkin found its friends and buyers not only for clubs and large families in recreational use. Soon the first races were held with this type of boat. Most of the Algonkins produced in the following years are still in use today. At the end of the 1960s, the first Gatz tipi tents were also sewn, made of sturdy cotton fabrics with a centre pole and fireplace, and long before this type of tent became popular in the tent market in a variety of ways. For fans, tipis are still produced in our sewing shop today.

1971

The catalogue at that time already shows a Gatz canoe in Canada, on board Elmar Engel, who became known as a writer not only with his Canada books. The boat types in the catalogue show Mohawk, Colorado, Ottawa, Algonkin and with the Nordlicht also the first Gatz Eskimo kayak, led by Ernst Kaeufer, one of the great kayak pioneers and close friend of Arno Gatz  was co-developed and which was based on his self-constructed folding ski.

1972/73

In the summer of 1972, a first series of Gatz canoes goes to Elmar Engel's wilderness camp in Labrador, Canada. On site, Arno Gatz assembles the canoes sent as a kit. Many Germans experience their own personal Canadian dream at the log cabin camp while fishing, hiking and (Gatz) canoeing and bring this feeling back to Germany. New models are the smaller team canoe Cree, the Ohio (still made with 2 large eiluccas), the first Cherokee, the Greenlander as a safer and more voluminous variant to the successful Northern Lights and the children's Eski Alaska developed by Arno for his children (the predecessor of today's Gatz-Kobold, which still has the same hull).

1973/74

The catalog is adorned with a picture of Ernst Becher, one of the most famous wilderness paddlers of his time, who sailed the Nahanni with his canoe (with the Cologne coat of arms) and covered the Virginia Falls with a total of 60km through impassable wilderness. The constant exchange between friends Arno Gatz, Ernst Kaeufer and Ernst Becher and many other expedition and touring paddlers has always contributed to the further development of the Gatz canoe fleet and construction details. New models include the Kiowa, an agile whitewater canoe, and the Kodiak Eskimo kayak, ideal for lighter adults.

1974

From now on the boat lettering will be done in the Rodeo font. With the Labrador, another sleek kayak is added to the range. This year also began the success story of the team canoe Gatz-Ontario, which continues to this day and is probably the best-selling team canoe in the world due to its diverse areas of application and long market presence. 

1975

Mohawk 470x90, Cherokee 500x100 and the Yukon, now renamed Mohawk 520, are also on the market. For a short time, a new concept of single-shell canoes caused a sensation with the Uff, a model that was also available in several parts for easy transport by train.

1977/78

The Yoho 1-80 is the founder of the successful YOHO series of Gatz canoes. For the first time, Gatz Canadians set out on the Bowron Lakes in British Columbia, an insider tip back then, but now an often over-visited paradise. Gatz Mohawk-type Canadians are being displayed and raffled off in stores nationwide as prizes in a large-scale advertising campaign by Palmolive. Hundreds of yellow Mohawks find enthusiastic friends. Highly tear-resistant Kevlar(TM) fabrics from DuPont (today's general technical name Aramid can be found in our material descriptions) find their way from the aerospace industry into the series production of Gatz-Canadians as reinforcement fabrics.

1979

Hans Memminger, known for his whitewater expeditions and films, is making "Canada in the Canoe", a highly acclaimed 16mm film with Gatz Canadians in Canada. Among other things, the Big Salmon was sailed long before professional outfitters discovered and marketed this river as a gem of the Canadian wilderness. A river that is still worthwhile today and to which Arno Gatz has often returned. Also in the film on Big Salmon, Yukon and Kicking Horse River are the new Yoho 2, the Mohawk 470 and the Labrador.

1980

In addition to many pictures of Canada, the catalog that is now being published shows the Yoho 2, the completely new Yoho 1-70, the traditional Ojibwa and, with a length of 9m and a weight of 250kg, the largest Canadian Huron made by Gatz canoes.

1987

Gatz-Kanus is celebrating 25 years with a new, extensive catalog and a coherent overall concept.

1993

A small revolution in boat manufacturing. Under the Gatz-Royal trademark, the first Canadian canoe manufactured in Germany and Europe is made from the material Royalex in Olaf Gatz's newly built deep-drawing facility. From the very beginning, Gatz-Royal's goal has been to construct the Canadians made of Royalex as dimensionally stable and robust as the material allows. A concept that is constantly confirmed by the long lifespan of the Canadians. Many details in construction and conception, e.g. the possibilities of the many seat variants, wooden edges, tarpaulins, etc., distance the Gatz Royal Canadians from the competition. One of the first customers was a company from Japan that is building a complete outdoor line around Gatz-Royal Canadier. Further proof of the correct concept of “quality made in Germany”. With the Bending Branches paddles introduced by Gatz-Royal as general importer for Europe, a new era of wooden paddles is starting in the German Canadian canoe market. Only a few wooden paddle models have been able to stand up to plastic paddles so far. Bending Branches showed the market that wooden paddles can be robust, light, stylish and excellent to paddle. The range continues to expand today and also extends to kayak paddles.

1994

The Mohawk 490PE complements the PE model range, and the Racoon and Kookaburra are added to the Gatz Royalex series. The first carbon ultralight canoes leave composite production. Here the great possibilities of composite materials are shown once again when used correctly and they prove that canoeing is not only easy to learn but that Gatz canoes are also very easy to carry.

1996/1997

The Tucan in Royalex and the Chattooga PE (polyethylene) complement both lines.

2000

Tucan PE and Canoki PE are created as a millennium edition for an importer and will also be offered in Germany for a short time.

2001

Composite canoes are far from dead or an integral part of the market. This was impressively demonstrated by the launch of the CANADIAN series. Designed by Arno Gatz, classic lines are reinterpreted here and lightweight canoes with a V-bottom and excellent performance are manufactured in Cologne in the proven, long-lasting Gatz quality. The first is the Canadian 475, followed by the larger models Canadian 545, 500 and Big Canadian.

2007

The new GATZ website wins competitions. In the last selection of the best .info domains, www.gatz.info is among the top 10. Then the website 

www.gatz-kanus.de is voted for "Best e-Commerce Website in NRW".

In March, Gatz-Kanus received the award for the  “Best e-Commerce Website in Germany”, sponsored by the Federal Ministry of Economics, from Parliamentary State Secretary Schauerte.  A great honor and, above all, excellent advertising for canoeing.