First Look: Zodiac’s all-new 5.5 OPEN

Power Boating Canada was invited down to a media event in Charleston, South Carolina where Zodiac unveiled their all new OPEN 5.5 OPEN and OPEN 7 models to the North American market.
Already a huge success in Europe, the new models were introduced at a wine and cheese event on Thursday night, attended by Zodiac team including CEO Dominique Heber-Suffrin, and North American President Gary Durnan.  Friday featured an all-day event of on-water testing of the new models, and of Zodiac’s new inflatable SUP line.
At first glance, I was very impressed!  The new models are faithful to the Zodiac lines and yet edgy and modern, with an all new centre console design that opens in the front to access an impressively massive storage area for gear and wake boards, as well as a helm that will easily accommodate every possible aftermarket electronic you’d like to add. The stern seat and seat back are awesome!  Options include tube colour choices, bow filler cushions, t-tops, a ski tow bar and more!
With a 115hp and four people aboard we had a blast of a day and achieved 42mph in the Zodiac OPEN 5.5.  Watch for a full test report coming soon in an upcoming issue.  For more information visit Zodiac’s website.