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Zodiac Milpro, headquartered in Paris, France, is a company that manufactures inflatable boats and rigid hull inflatable boats for the emergency services, military and professional users, including heavy-duty inflatable work boats that can carry payloads up to four tons and passengers for ecotourism, whale watching, etc. [1]
Headquartered in Paris, France and with manufacturing facilities in Delta, British Columbia, Roses, Spain, and Stevensville, Maryland. Zodiac Milpro was a business unit of Zodiac Aerospace till 2008, when it was renamed Milpro. In 2011 it was spun off from Zodiac Aerospace and it became an independent company. [2]
In December 2012, Zodiac Milpro Group was sold by its parent company, Zodiac Marine and Pool, being acquired by Oaktree Capital. [3]
The following year, Zodiac Milpro acquired the British inflatable boat manufacturer Avon Inflatables, which was renamed Zodiac Milpro UK. [3]
Though Zodiac Milpro and Zodiac Nautic produce a large range of both inflatable and rigid-hulled boats, the name "Zodiac" has become synonymous with inflatable boats such as the FC470 and as a generic term for inflatable boats. [4]
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The first verified recorded "inflatable boats" are probably the inflatable pontoons used by the Duke of Wellington's forces in the Napoleonic wars. The first modern inflatable boats were designed and built almost concurrently by RFD in the UK and Zodiac in France.
Zodiac, like RFD, had existing expertise in dirigible airships made from vulcanised rubber. Zodiac produced its first prototypes for the French army in 1934. In 1934, Zodiac engineer Pierre Debroutelle designed the prototype of an inflatable kayak. In 1937, interested in his research, the Naval Aviation commissioned him to develop a boat capable of carrying torpedoes and bombs. Pierre Debroutelle developed a new prototype: a U-shaped boat equipped with two side air chambers joined by a wooden dashboard: the ancestor of the modern Zodiac inflatable boat.
1934: Zodiac produced the world's first mass produced inflatable boat. The boats were popular for military use due to their low center of gravity, large payload, and sea keeping abilities.
In 1940, Zodiac invented the prototype of the first inflatable boat.
In the early 1960s, the Royal National Lifeboat Institution in Great Britain designed the first rigid hulled inflatable boat (RIB). This hybrid craft was developed for high speed, offshore sea and rescue operations. Zodiac Milpro continued research and development of this new technology and developed the concept into today's rigid hull inflatable boats.
1970s: Zodiac expanded globally, establishing Zodiac of North America and Zodiac Australia. In 1971, Zodiac launched the Avon SeaRider, the world's first commercial/military RIB.
In 1987, Zodiac SA acquired a majority share in the capital of Zodiac Marine Ltd. and a majority stake in Hurricane Rescue Craft Inc. and formed Zodiac Hurricane Marine Inc. (ZHM).
In 1991, Zodiac SA combined its Toronto-based distribution subsidiary (ZIT) with its manufacturing company in Richmond (ZHM), to form Zodiac Hurricane Technologies Inc. (ZHT). Today, Zodiac Hurricane Technologies is the world's largest manufacturer of professional RIBs.
2008: Zodiac SA sold the Zodiac Marine and Pool business unit to Oaktree Capital. Zodiac Milpro becomes a separate bsuiness unit within the new Zodiac Marine and Pool.
2011: Zodiac Milpro established Zodiac Milpro as a separate brand.
2021: Zodiac Milpro acquires Southampton (UK) based naval architecture firm Vectis Marine
2022: Zodiac Milpro introduced ORIA Marine, a data-monitoring service that supports decarbonization in maritime operations.
2022: Zodiac Milpro acquired Yachtwerft Meyer, a German shipyard that designs and produces custom-made premium boats.
2024: Impending sale of Zodiac Milpro announced to the press [5]
A rigid inflatable boat (RIB), also rigid-hull inflatable boat or rigid-hulled inflatable boat (RHIB), is a lightweight but high-performance and high-capacity boat constructed with a rigid hull bottom joined to side-forming air tubes that are inflated with air to a high pressure so as to give the sides resilient rigidity along the boat's topsides. The design is stable, light, fast and seaworthy. The inflated collar acts as a life jacket, ensuring that the vessel retains its buoyancy, even if the boat is taking on water. The RIB is an evolutionary development of the inflatable boat with a rubberized fabric bottom that is stiffened with flat boards within the collar to form the deck or floor of the boat.
An inflatable boat is a lightweight boat constructed with its sides and bow made of flexible tubes containing pressurised gas. For smaller boats, the floor and hull are often flexible, while for boats longer than 3 metres (9.8 ft), the floor typically consists of three to five rigid plywood or aluminium sheets fixed between the tubes, but not joined rigidly together. Often the transom is rigid, providing a location and structure for mounting an outboard motor.
The Zodiac Milpro Futura Commando 470 or in short FC470 combat rubber raiding craft (CRRC), also known as the "combat rubber reconnaissance craft," is a specially fabricated rubber inflatable boat often used by the U.S. Navy, U.S. Marine Corps, the U.S. Army, and others. The CRRC is typically called "Zodiac," referring to the boat's manufacturer, Zodiac Milpro.
Avon Inflatables, Ltd is a manufacturer of inflatable boats, RIBs and marine safety equipment. The company is based in Dafen, near the town of Llanelli in Carmarthenshire, Wales, and supplies the leisure, commercial and military markets.
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The D-class (EA16) lifeboat is a class of inflatable boat operated since 1987 by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution of the United Kingdom and Ireland. It has been replaced operationally by the D-class (IB1), but many are still used as part of the relief fleet, as boarding boats for the larger classes of lifeboat and by the RNLI Flood Rescue Team.
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A rescue lifeboat is a boat rescue craft which is used to attend a vessel in distress, or its survivors, to rescue crew and passengers. It can be hand pulled, sail powered or powered by an engine. Lifeboats may be rigid, inflatable or rigid-inflatable combination-hulled vessels.
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Atlantic College Lifeboat Station was an Inshore lifeboat station based at Atlantic College, which is located on the Bristol Channel coast of South Wales, at St Donats, near Llantwit Major.
Zodiac Nautic is a French company known for their inflatable boats.
Oceanwide Expeditions is a Dutch company specializing in expedition-style voyages to Antarctica and the Arctic. Deploying its own fleet of ice-strengthened vessels, Oceanwide emphasizes small-scale, flexible tours that provide passengers close contact with polar wildlife, landscapes, and historical sites. Tours usually take place in regions only accessible by sea, with little to no infrastructure. The locations visited are first reached by ship, after which expedition guides take small groups of passengers to landing sites by way of Zodiac Milpro RIBs, enabling safe cruising and maximum shore time.
The D-class lifeboat was a sub-class of 4 inflatable boats operated as part of the D-class between 1971 and 1986 by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution of the United Kingdom and Ireland. It was superseded by the D-class lifeboat.
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The D-class lifeboat was the first of a class of inflatable boat operated between 1963 and 2007 by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution of the United Kingdom and Ireland. It was replaced operationally by the D-class.