"steveukman" wrote in message
...
I am in about to start my second construction project and have
narrowed it down to two candidates.

One was the Zodiac XL. I have emailed specific questions I had about
the FWF components and engine choice so that I can try and estimate
the total cost of the project (both $$s and skills). Questions were
posted both via their website and by emails to advertised addresses.
So far the response has been nothing.

Are there any groups or fora for Zodiac builders that I could join.
The ones my search hit seemed to have little activity.

What is the group's experience of support once they have purchased?
This lack of responsiveness to win business is a red flag to me and it
seems at odds with the upbeat description of the designs.

Can anybody share experiences, help identify resources - I'd hate to
drop this option through just bad first impressions.
If there are any builder/owners in the Lake County IL area we would
love to be able to see an example.
Many Thanks
Steve

They say that "beauty is in the eye of the beholder" and I have never
personally liked the Zodiak--mostly because of the obvious buble shape of
the canopy.

Nevertheless, if I was about the start building tomorrow, it would have to
be on my short list--simply because it appears to be an engineering "tour de
force" and can offer a good combination of usefull load and performance.
Here is the link to the specifications page, which also provides a link to
the performance page for the various engines:
http://www.zenithair.com/zodiac/xl/specification.html The "new" Continental
O-200 is not shown, but can be easily estimated.

The Light Sport Expo is comming up this week in Sebring Florida, and you
might be well advised to attend if you are serious about this project.

Peter