Zodiac has formalised its agreement with its exclusive RIB dealer for NSW, Lifestyle Marine of Toronto, Lake Macquarie.

 

'This has come about by an overwhelming demand for specialised, high end and high quality Zodiac Rigid Inflatable Boats (RIB),' says Dino Tantaro, National Sales Manger of Zodiac Marine (Aus). 

 

Third generation dealer at Lifestyle Marine, general manager, Damien Hurt says the company is proud to add to its Zodiac range.

 

'We are the exclusive dealer for all of NSW to sell the larger RIB models, from 3.4m to 8.5m. We think there is a great opportunity; Zodiac is the world leader in Inflatables and NSW customers have not been able to see the larger range on display.'

 

Perfectly positioned on the waterfront at Toronto, Lifestyle Marine will stock the five models of Zodiac RIBs and allow people to trial the boats. 'We’re right on the water, and take up the whole street. There’s plenty of parking, restaurants all around us. It’s a great spot to spend the day and an easy drive from Sydney for our customers – just over an hour on the F3. Then from the Toronto exit, we’re just 5km to the water.'

 

Hurt says the appeal of Zodiac brand is 'strong and popular, the name Zodiac is synonymous with inflatables'. 'They are safe, stable and exceptionally made. They can also run a deep-V which means they’re smoother in rough water, which is why they are used as tenders, rescue and armed forces operations boats.'

 

'It’s a great industry. The market is a little bit tough, but that’s part of it. That’s why we adjust our product offering and keep on improving our dealership. Instead of offering just a few models in the Zodiac range, we are intent on being the best in the state, and taking exclusive dealership rights means we’re prepared to do the work.'

 

The investment in the business has earned praise from Zodiac’s director of international sales, Denis Ricard who came to visit the dealership and was impressed. 'He had never seen a dealership anywhere around the world that managed to have its entire stock in one place – around 80 boats, from smaller boats to large boats on the marina, where we have 25 berths.'

 

With Australia slowly catching up with the rest of the world in understanding the benefits of inflatable boats, Dino Tantaro asserts that Zodiac will once again be at the forefront of new, exciting and innovative designs, which will begin hitting our shores soon. 'It will be highly specialized and trained dealers like Lifestyle Marine, that will spearhead the re launch of Zodiac RIBs in Australia’.