Zodiac Marine & Pool
Zodiac Marine & Pool is the French manufacturer of the Zodiac rigid inflatable boats used around the world . The company belonged to the French Zodiac Aerospace until 2007 and is now majority owned by the US Carlyle Group . The inflatables will continue to be built and sold under the protected brand name Zodiac .
history
Zodiac developed the concept of the inflatable rubber boat back in 1930. The French doctor and adventurer Alain Bombard came up with the idea of combining all three existing construction elements from the field of boat building , namely the inflatable boat in the form of a boat, the solid floor and the outboard motor, to form a rigid inflatable boat . Bombard crossed the Atlantic as early as 1952 without taking any water or food with them. However, he sailed most of the way and was taken care of by the merchant ships passing his route. In contrast to modern rigid hull boats, its rigid hull was flat. At the former French aircraft manufacturer Zodiac, Bombard found the workshops and the staff that he needed to start series production, which then did not deliver rigid inflatable boats, but again fully inflatable inflatable boats, albeit with wooden shelves.
A friend and comrade in the war of Bombard, the former naval aviator Jacques Cousteau , had only been waiting for a light, fast and space-saving boat like this to be accommodated on board. In addition to the successful Atlantic crossing of Bombards, the fact that Cousteau never spoke of his "rubber dinghy" in his marine biology films, but always only of his "Zodiac", led to the success of the inflatable boat, which in the French-speaking area led to the fact that as early as the 1960s Years ago, "Zodiac" as a synonym for inflatable boat found its way into the language of boat building there and that everyone knew where to buy such a boat. This led to great economic success and the establishment of the Zodiac brand in this area. The Zodiac rigid inflatable boats are used worldwide by authorities, the military, environmental organizations, fishermen and private users.
Zodiac rigid inflatable boats
The Zodiac rigid inflatable boats are used all over the world and are characterized by more buoyancy than a conventional boat and thus by a higher load capacity. Thanks to the large inner tubes, which give it a low center of gravity, a Zodiac inflatable boat is very stable on the water and minimizes the likelihood of overturning. Certain models of the boats are equipped with the H2P air keel, which greatly contributes to the more stable driving characteristics, especially at high speed.
The Zodiac boats are often used as offshore boats with one or more powerful outboard motors . Zodiac boats do not necessarily need an outboard motor, they can also be moved with straps .
Milpro
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Zodiac sells its boats - mainly rigid inflatable boats - for military and professional use as Zodiac Milpro . Currently the manufacturer produces the series:
- Zodiac SeaRIB : The boats have a deep V-keel and are suitable for long stays in rough seas.
- Zodiac Hurricane RIBs : Larger boats for multiple crews. The boats are made for specific purposes based on 20 years of experience in this series. The boats are equipped with parts made of aluminum or fiberglass-reinforced plastic , with inboard or outboard engines, propeller or water jet propulsion , according to customer requirements . In this group, Zodiac offers boats in the following versions: Commando (two or more crew members, little radar shadow for inconspicuous operations), Search and Rescue (equipped with Jokey seats and self-righting design against capsizing), Law Enforcement (for small crews, Stand-up center consoles and T-tops), Cabin (for two to six crew members in closed and heated cabins for longer trips), Custom Hurricanes ( custom boats from 6 to 14 meters, especially for military units).
- Super Yacht Tenders : Boats over 5.5 m in length. The boats are used to transport large yachts ship-to-shore. The ships are modified models of the Zodiac Hurricanes. The boats are ISO certified. The UK Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) accepts the Lloyds certified models Zodiac ProLuxe 561 and ProLuxe 638 Diesel RIBs as lifeboats .
Zodiac life rafts
Zodiac builds life rafts for commercial shipping. The islands are built in accordance with the requirements of the ISO 9650 standard (international standard for the development of life rafts).
