During our visit to Flibs, we had the pleasure of encountering and knowing Jeff and Ken Rodgers, owners of Inflatable Boat Pro and official dealers of the historic shipyard Zar Formenti in Florida. The two brothers, accompanied by Stefano Mazzanti of Euronautics, formed the staff at the booth of the boat show, where the best boats of the Zar range were exhibited.
Ken and Jeff are two real “big boys” – let us use the term but that’s what it feels like – considering their size and the characteristic American friendly attitude. With their nice and unmistakable accent and their enviable competence, they told us how they work with inflatable boats in USA, in that particular warm place of America.
Inflatable Boat Pro operates throughout the territory with a Show Room in the heart of Fort Lauderdale and a service office situated in Pompano Beach. The company deals with new and used high-performing yacht tender sales and assistance for the major luxury yachts in Florida.
Ken, Jeff and Stefano told us that they were constantly looking for the best inflatable boats of the market to offer to their demanding clientele. Then, they finally selected Zar Formenti for its excellence range of products, perfectly compatible with market needs. Since then, they have become their official dealers for the large state of Florida.
The consolidation and the subsequent success resulting from this partnership are due to the excellent versatility that Zar boats represent: elegance, performance and safety are the common bases shared by all products and the wide range offered by the Italian shipyard is the keystone to meet the various customers’ needs.
Having tested some among Zar Formenti’s inflatable boats, such as the Zar 59 SL, we don’t find difficult to believe what they told us. In fact, we have already had the opportunity to appreciate the extraordinary hulls of these boats as well as the high level of protection they offer. These particular features are important elements of choice for big yacht owners, notoriously attentive to cruising comfort. Moreover, it is important to remember that, in that part of the world, tenders sail ocean waters (often rough) and must therefore guarantee fast and safe transfers to both owners and crew in all weather conditions.
Their reasoning is good and was even confirmed when, having asked what the best-selling product is, Jeff answered with no hesitation: ” The Zar 49!“. After all, this boat fully reflects all the features mentioned above.
During our conversation, we also understood the importance of the location where Inflatable Boat Pro operates and the subsequent success of sales.
Over years, Fort Lauderdale has become the biggest and most blooming pole where new and used boats are sold and exchanged in Florida’s market. Consequently, buyers can rely on local suppliers to purchase all sorts of complementary accessories and, of course, tenders are the first to be bought.
Listening to Jeff, we also discovered that the size above which Zar models are destined to recreational purposes and therefore used as real boats is of just 6 meters. The reason of this lies in the comfort and spaciousness offered by the products of this brand that can be used for medium-range cruising thanks to their well-known seaworthiness.
Finally, 
we seized the occasion to ask what is, in their opinion, the best product offered by Zar, regardless of their sales performance. In short, the answer lies in the concept that, considering the very wide choice available, there’s no product that is better than the others but only products that are more suitable for the range where they are searched. So, the Zar 43, the Zar 65 and the Zar 85 SL are the best models in the category of small-sized, medium-sized and large-sized boats. However, as they told us, the new flagship of the brand, the Zar 95 SL, could conquer the apex of approval rating very quickly.
Finally, we concluded our pleasant and interesting conversation amidst the models exhibited saying goodbye and wishing them luck before continuing our visit of the boat show, confident that, if you needed some help in Florida, Ken, Jeff and Stefano would certainly be able to help you.
Leaving the booth, also thanks to the enchanting background, we fantasized about getting off a super yacht for a walk, a bath or even a wakeboarding session in Florida on board one of the exclusive Zar boats we has just observed.
Inflatable Boat Pro
Zar Formenti Srl
Vigna della Pace 2/2
20086 | Motta Visconti (MI) – ITALY
Telephone +39 02.90000788 | Fax number +39 02.90001850
