South Shetlands & The Antarctic Peninsula 22 Feb 2020 - 14
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A Brief History of the Zodiac<br />
Steve Traynor, Zodiac Master<br />
In expedition cruising, the most important tool we use is the Zodiac inflatable boat. <strong>The</strong>se manoeuvrable,<br />
reliable, robust vessels are the workhorse of the expedition cruise industry, from the north of Svalbard to<br />
the southern end of the <strong>Antarctic</strong> <strong>Peninsula</strong>. <strong>The</strong>y have a long history – as you can see from the stages<br />
below, many different inventions needed to come together to create the craft we use today.<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 stolen by Thomas Hancock (UK) using the process of reverse<br />
engineering; less controversially, Hancock invented the “masticator” – a machine for re-using<br />
rubber scraps – this made the rubber industry much more efficient.<br />
1845 <strong>The</strong> 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 to discover the fate of the Franklin Expedition.<br />
1866 Four men made the first crossing of the Atlantic Ocean from New York to Britain on a threetube<br />
inflatable raft.<br />
1896 <strong>The</strong> original Zodiac company was founded by Maurice Mallet (France) to produce airships.<br />
1909 <strong>The</strong> first outboard motor was invented by Ole Evinrude in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.<br />
1912 <strong>The</strong> loss of 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 <strong>The</strong> airship company, Zodiac, invented the inflatable kayak and catamaran<br />
1942 <strong>The</strong> Marine Raiders – an elite unit of the US Marine Corps – used inflatable boats to 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 to a dozen companies in other countries because of their lack of<br />
manufacturing capacity in France.<br />
29<br />
<strong>22</strong> FEB- 2 March <strong>2020</strong><br />
Volume 2, Issue <strong>14</strong>