Why do we say Zodiac to talk about a semi-rigid boat?
If you ask anyone to list the different types of boats they know, there is a good chance that among the answers such as "sailboat", "boat", "raft", "catamaran" Slides an intruder: the Zodiac.
Because indeed, unlike other examples above, the zodiac is not a common name, but a trademark, which does not prevent him from appearing in the dictionary !
But where does this curiosity come from? Why do we use the term "zodiac" to designate a pneumatic boat?
This is what is called in French a antonomase, that is to say a word or an expression which is a proper name replacing a common name in use. This is particularly the case with other illustrious brands such as "Typex", "Blanco", "post-it", "fridge", "kleenex", "jacuzzi", "scotch" and many others!
If the generic term of "semi-rigid boat" is the common name used in French by most of the brands, in the current language, it is the term zodiac that keeps the wind in its sails!
Thus, in France, the expression "zodiac boat" is thus 6 times more sought after on Google That "semi-rigid boat", and remains 50% more popular than "pneumatic boat"!
How did the brand acquire this notoriety and enters our vocabulary? Orca Retail answers you!
Little history of pneumatic canoes
First of all, it should be noted that men have known for a long time that the volumes swollen in air can help them navigate, with certain sources dating their use from Antiquity, with beast skin skin at the time!
But it is only at middle of the 19th century that we find the first traces of pneumatic boats ancestor of current zodiacs.
This is the invention of the process of vulcanization and the use of rubber by Charles Goodyear in 1839 (and the invention of tire) which will allow the creation of the first inflatable boats, since from the same year, the Duke of Wellington is the very first to try the principle.
The 1840s will then see new models develop, with the notable examples of that of English Thomas Hancock in 1840. Very quickly, the technique will be used in many expeditions, one of which is to the Arctic in 1844. However, at that time, no still trace of Zodiac…
The brand and the inventors that will change everything
We can trace the origin of the Zodiac brand a year 1896, when the company was founded in France " Mallet, Mélandri and de Pitray ». Maurice Mallet, a famous aeronaut of the time then participated in the development of the production of the first airships.
It is only in 1909 That the group changes its name for the iconic "zodiac". However, history does not end there.
It is Pierre Debroutelle, former airship pilot and engineer employee of the brand that we owe the "modern" versions of the Pneumatic boats of the Zodiac brand, with a first prototype developed in 1934.
The same year, a competitor of the name of Paul Brot markets its own semi-rigid boats under the PB brand before joining Zodiac with its patents.
These first promising trials were quickly validated when in 1937, there Navy French commands the brand a boat capable of transporting torpedoes and bombs: It is the birth of the zodiac and the start of its production on an industrial scale.
This model takes its well -known shape in U, and is equipped with two side airlines brought together by a wooden dashboard. The patent of this model will not be filed until August 10, 1943, in the middle of the world conflict.
Semi-rigid boats will mark the Second World War, allowing many aviators or sailors to save their lives once their plane or ship is shot down.
The post-war period
After the war, the success of the zodiac will not stop, quite the contrary, since in 1950, ministerial decrees make OBLIGATORY The presence of pneumatic rafts on board commercial ships and all fishing boats over 25 tons.
Then, in 1952, another big name of navigation will put a spotlight on the brand in the person of the doctor Alain Bombard (which will therefore give its name to the competing brand of Zodiac today well known). He then embarked on a crossing of the Tangier Atlantic in Barbados aboard a 4.30 m zodiac baptized " Heretics ", Which will come into legend.
The post-war period will also see the start of paid holidays and the creation of seaside resorts and the appearance of consumer water sports. The semi-rigids are then perfect for enjoying simply and at little sea costs, and intervene for rescue missions near the coasts, in particular following the appearance of the new surfing mode.
The Zodiac company then turned to the hobbies, and very quickly, the models multiply and the popularity of the brand will grow, anchoring in the mores and habits of French society.
Amphitrite, 19.5m long, built in the early 1960s by Zodiac for Captain Jacques Cousteau (Source: Source: Boatsnews.com)
Zodiac in the 21st century
Today, the illustrious company is divided into two entities, " Zodiac Nautic "For pleasure activities on one side, and" Zodiac Milpro »For soldiers and professionals.
From the holiday club to the American army, Zodiac is now present all around the globe, and although the semi-rigid market now has dozens and quality competitors, language habits are probably not ready to change !
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