The schooner was the largest vessel designed by William H. Hand, Jr., a renowned naval architect, who was a primary developer of the V-bottomed hull motorsailers.

[3] Propulsion was by an Atlas 140 horsepower (100 kW), six-cylinder, four-cycle engine driving a 54 inches (1.4 m), two-bladed propeller for a speed of about 7.5 knots (13.9 km/h; 8.6 mph) under power.

[3] California was delivered and on station in early 1932 serving as one of the pilot boats, rotating duty on the bar at five-day intervals.

[2] Operating in close proximity with large ships had its risks with California losing her bow three times and once being grounded in San Francisco Bay.

[10] The not-for-profit Northwest Schooner Society partners with the corporation to provide sail training programs for youth and adults.

The Zodiac was used as the main location for Michael Anderson's made-for-television adventure drama film The Sea Wolf (1993), starring Charles Bronson, and Christopher Reeve.