Zodiac

Zodiac started in 1896 as a French airship maker, founded by Maurice Mallet to build hydrogen balloons and dirigibles. One of its engineers designed one of the first practical inflatable boats in the 1930s, and the French Navy commissioned a batch in 1937 before the company began selling to the public after the war. The 1952 Atlantic crossing by Alain Bombard in a stock Zodiac dinghy did more for the brand's name than any advertising could, and the boating side eventually split from the aerospace business in 2007. After a spell under private equity and a near collapse in 2015, it was rescued by a small group of French industrialists and now trades as Zodiac Nautic, an independent company headquartered in Gujan-Mestras, France.

Today the lineup is built almost entirely around inflatable tubes, whether wrapped around a rigid aluminum or fiberglass hull or forming the whole boat in a folding dinghy. Smaller aero and aluminum-hulled models cover dinghies and tenders that pack down for a locker or a car trunk, while larger RIBs step up to console day boats with sun pads and outboard power for diving, fishing, and general use on the water. The construction relies on welded PVC or Hypalon tube sets over deep V hulls, and that combination is still the part of the design owners credit most.

Owners tend to bring up the same handful of things. The ride is noticeably drier and more stable in a chop than a comparable fiberglass boat, since the tubes double as spray rails and flotation, and a worn tube set can be swapped out whole rather than forcing a hull repair. That durability comes at a price that sits above budget imported inflatables and below premium Italian RIB builders, a squeeze that nearly sank the company in 2015 and still shapes how it competes. Resale tends to lag solid-hull boats of the same size, since buyers discount for tube age and puncture risk, but a large worldwide dealer network keeps parts and service within reach, and that keeps a loyal run of divers, tender owners, and day boaters coming back to the badge.