POWERSKI INTERNATIONAL CORP. TEAMS WITH ZODIAC FOR NEW LINE OF INFLATABLE SPORTBOATS TO BE BUILT AROUND PATENTED POWERSKI SUPERTORQUE™ ENGINE
Monday May 14

SAN CLEMENTE--May 14, 2001--PowerSki International Corp. (PSI), home of the acclaimed Igniter 2000™ POWERSKI™ JETBOARD™ and engine, today announced a strategic partnership agreement with French-based, $1.2 billion multinational marine and aeronautical products company Zodiac Group.

The agreement calls for Zodiac Group, which has made a substantial equity investment in PSI through Zodiac of North America, to equip a complete new line of rigid and semi-rigid tenders aimed at the worldwide market with PSI's proprietary Jetboard™ engine (U.S. utility patent 6,233,712, May 1, 2001. Patent pending in 21 countries). The engine—6.5 inches in height, 10 inches in width, 15 inches in length—offers approximately 40hp and speeds up to 30-40 mph.

“We at PowerSki are very pleased to be partnering with Zodiac, the world leader in inflatable boats,” said West Coast inventor and personal watercraft (PWC) pioneer Bob Montgomery, PSI president, CEO and chairman of the board.

“Zodiac customers demanding lightweight power and performance will now have an exciting new low-profile, high-output power choice for their rigid-inflatable sport boats,” noted Montgomery, who said the POWERSKI™ JETBOARD™ engine was designed utilizing the latest technology—Compaq workstation computers and Parametric Technology Corporation’s Pro/ENGINEER software.

Said Maurice Pinault, president of Zodiac Group, “The horsepower-to-weight ratio of the powerful, compact Jetboard™ engine makes it perfect for Zodiac’s lightweight boat tenders.”

Once manufacturing begins, Zodiac Group intends to place a larger order of engines for their revolutionary new jet-drive boat. The first prototype tests were successfully completed in Florida & California.

The Igniter 2000 POWERSKI™ JETBOARD™ is a patented 8 ft. 4 in., motorized, solo-rider, standup PWC weighing approximately 100 pounds. Surfboard-shaped and equipped with a long control handle, the craft features a high-tech composite hull and proprietary, state-of-the-art engine, the heart of an axial-flow jet-drive system capable of 350-plus pounds of thrust. Created by Bob Montgomery and PSI designer Bjorn Elvin, formerly with Swedish manufacturer Husqvarna Motorcycles, the light and compact engine replaces the converted conventional outboard motors used in early Jetboard™ prototypes.

Zodiac Group is a publicly traded industrial group based in Issy-les-Moulineaux, France, located southwest of Paris on the banks of the River Seine one kilometer from the “Porte de Versailles.” Zodiac is a supplier of inflatable boats and life rafts for leisure, commercial, rescue and military uses. Zodiac also designs and builds equipment for other commercial and aeronautical usage, notably highly specialized safety devices such as escape slides for airplanes, helicopter emergency flotation gear, military and civilian parachutes and airbags for cars.

Zodiac of North America, Inc., Stevensville, Md., is the sole distributor of Zodiac, AVON and Bombard inflatable boats and liferafts in the United States, Mexico, Central America, Puerto Rico, Jamaica, Cayman Islands, Virgin Islands and the Caribbean. Phone: 410/643-4141. Fax: 410/643-4491. Internet: www.zodiac.com.