Dinghies

Talk about an interesting history. Zodiacs were originally built for the airships of a French company, Zodiac Aerospace. In 1930’s, Pierre Debroutelle, a Zodiac engineer, developed the inflatable boat’s early prototypes, an inflatable kayak and catamaran, and in 1937, an inflatable pontoon to carry weapons and ammo for the French Aéronavale, the aviation arm of the French Navy. After it’s military use, Alain Bombard, a French naval officer and biologist, is credited with redesigning the pontoon to have an outboard engine, rigid floor, and boat shape. Zodiac went on to build the resulting design. To prove its endurance, Bombard crossed the Atlantic in a version of his design in 1952 with friend and fellow naval officer, Jacques-Yves Cousteau. Impressed by its excellent performance, Cousteau made Zodiac his tender of choice on his iconic dive boat, Calypso. This 2007 is a 1 owner boat, 12’ 6” length with a 6’ beam. It is powered by a 4 stroke Yamaha 40 hp outboard with low hours. A paddle, swim ladder and a Loat Rite trailer are included with the sale.