Circumnavigation of Icelan - July 31 to Aug 07, 2019
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A Brief His<strong>to</strong>ry <strong>of</strong> the Zodiac<br />
Steve Traynor, Zodiac Master<br />
Page 16<br />
In expedition cruising, the most important <strong>to</strong>ol we use is the Zodiac inflatable boat. These manoeuvrable,<br />
reliable, robust vessels are the workhorse <strong>of</strong> the expedition cruise industry, from the north <strong>of</strong> Svalbard <strong>to</strong><br />
the southern end <strong>of</strong> the Antarctic Peninsula. They have a long his<strong>to</strong>ry – as you can see from the stages<br />
below, many differentinventions needed <strong>to</strong> come <strong>to</strong>gether <strong>to</strong> create the craft we use <strong>to</strong>day.<br />
© Rena<strong>to</strong> Granieri Pho<strong>to</strong>graphy<br />
1838 Charles Goodyear (USA) discovered the process for vulcanising rubber (a US patent was granted<br />
in 1844) – this process is used for hardening and strengthening rubber.<br />
1843 Goodyear’s process was s<strong>to</strong>len by Thomas Hancock (UK) using the process <strong>of</strong> reverse<br />
engineering; less controversially, Hancock invented the “mastica<strong>to</strong>r” –a machine for re-using<br />
rubber scraps – this made the rubber industry much more efficient.<br />
1845 The first successful inflatable boat (Halkett boat) was designed by Lieutenant Peter Halkett<br />
(UK), specifically for Arctic operations. Halkett Boats were used by the Orcadian explorer, John<br />
Rae, in his successful expedition <strong>to</strong> discover the fate <strong>of</strong> the Franklin Expedition.<br />
1866 Four men made the first crossing <strong>of</strong> the Atlantic Ocean from New York <strong>to</strong> Britain on a three -<br />
tube inflatable raft.<br />
1896 The original Zodiac company was founded by Maurice Mallet (France) <strong>to</strong> produce airships.<br />
1909 The first outboard mo<strong>to</strong>r was invented by Ole Evinrude in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.<br />
1912 The loss <strong>of</strong> the Titanic and subsequent shipping losses during World War 1 proved the need for<br />
inflatable rafts for use as supplementary lifeboats.<br />
1919 RFD firm (UK) and the Zodiac company (France) started building inflatable boats.<br />
1934 The airship company, Zodiac, invented the inflatable kayak and catamaran<br />
1942 The Marine Raiders – an elite unit <strong>of</strong> the US Marine Corps – used inflatable boats <strong>to</strong> carry out<br />
raids and landings in the Pacific theatre.<br />
1950 Alain Bombard first combined the outboard engine, a rigid floor and an inflatable boat (built by<br />
the Zodiac company).<br />
1952 Alain Bombard crossed the Atlantic Ocean with his inflatable; after this, his good friend, the<br />
famous diver Jacques-Yves Cousteau, started using them.<br />
1960 Zodiac licensed production <strong>to</strong> a dozen companies in other countries because <strong>of</strong> their lack <strong>of</strong><br />
manufacturing capacity in France.<br />
<strong>31</strong> <strong>July</strong> – <strong>07</strong> <strong>Aug</strong>ust , <strong>2019</strong><br />
Volume 1, Issue 10