Zodiac Nautic

Originating as an airship company,[1] the boating division was split off from the aerospace-focused Zodiac Group in 2007.

In the late 1930s, one of its engineers, Pierre Debroutelle, invented one of the first prototypes of inflatable boats.

In 1937, the Aéronavale, the French Naval Air Force, commissioned several boats from Zodiac.

[4][1][5] The company eventually stopped using materials for balloon production after the creation of synthetic nylon fabrics better suited for inflatable boats in the late 1950s.

[1] Zodiac opened a temporary workshop in Courbevoie, expanded its already established factories and increased its workforce which allowed the company to begin producing 17 boats a day.