The highly anticipated 2025 Product of the Year Awards Ceremony made its exciting return to this year’s Paddle Sports Show in Strasbourg on September 23, 2024. Featuring a wide array of innovative boats, gear, accessories, and products, the ceremony showcased the latest advancements in paddle sports technology and design!
A big congratulations to Gatz Canoes for winning the Canoeing Category with their classic Orca 500 with a few improved features!
“Sometimes a classic can be new as well.”
The ORCA was the first ever European mad Royalex canoe and was in production for more than 2 decades in this material. When that material and with it the Orca stopped there was a gap which we now decided to fill with the ORCA 500 wood gunnel in 3 Composite layups.
The Orca was often considered being the best “16ft Prospector” in the market, reasoned by the perfect allrounder properties in most river and open water conditions.
Now again, 100% made in Germany quality, the Orca is available. Skilled craftsmen manufacture the canoe with HighTec materials plus traditional wood (btw all wood is grown locally, cut to boards, which airdry for a minimum of 3 years before they are changed into the gunnels and parts in our workshop). Many seat options, as standard in all Gatz-canoes, make another difference and fit for almost every use. Standard are 2 seats but 2 more seats for children up to 8-10 years can be added.
SPECS:
Length: 5,00m
Width: 0,90m
Loading capacity: ca. 390kg
Weight: Carbon-Ultralight 21kg, Aramide-Carbon-Lightweight 23kg, Standard Composite 27kg.
Use: Open water, lakes, rivers up to class 3-4 (depending on the paddlers abilities, seats and spraydeck)
Find out more on the Orca 500 here!
