Even during the era of the Egyptian pharaohs, substantial rafts buoyed by animal skins graced the waterways. However, the advent of more sophisticated wooden vessels relegated the use of inflatable elements to obscurity, unsurprisingly, considering the lack of suitable materials at the time.

The inception of inflatable boats as a distinct class of watercraft only materialized with Charles Goodnir's discovery of rubber vulcanization in 1839. In that same year, Englishman Hancock conceived an inflatable boat tailored for ten rowers, intended for troop transport. By 1843, a groundbreaking single-seat rescue boat, weighing a mere 5 kg, made its debut.

In 1846, the renowned British Macintosh company, famous for waterproof raincoats and in collaboration with Hancock, crafted a 38.6 kg Macintosh inflatable boat for Sir John Franklin's Arctic expedition. This vessel's reliability was enhanced through the use of a protective cover, featuring sides divided into two isolated compartments—an early example of two-layer construction.

The year 1850 saw the creation and successful testing of Bonney, the largest inflatable boat of its time. This raft boasted a passenger capacity of 40 people and a weight of 81 kg.

Innovation in design persisted, leading to the exhibition of a triple satchel boat at the 1862 World Exhibition—a remarkably compact creation for its era. More unconventional designs emerged, such as the raincoat boat, comprised of several isolated compartments and doubling as a raincoat when deflated. When half-filled with air, it transformed into a soft bed. With all sections inflated, it served as a life-saving tool for a single individual. The evolving complexity of boat construction is evident in a 1875-patented design featuring rotating wheels made of inflatable floats to propel the vessel.

Until the mid-20th century, inflatable boats found their primary utility in military and rescue operations.

During the First World War, these inflatable vessels played a crucial role in carrying out covert missions. In a noteworthy incident in 1918, a German submarine utilized inflatable boats to land troops in Libya, delivering weapons and equipment to support local rebels. The production of inflatable boats took a more structured form in England from 1919 onward, where they were adopted by the Air Force as life-saving equipment for pilots.

As the 1920s unfolded, rescue inflatable boats became increasingly integrated into aircraft emergency kits. The design of inflatable boat hulls became more standardized, featuring intricate options for attaching the bottom to the inflatable balloon's height by 1924, and improvements in the inflatable bottom itself were made by 1926. To enhance reliability, inflatable sides were divided by two partitions in the horizontal plane, creating three isolated compartments.

Despite advancements in durability and the use of lighter synthetic materials, inflatable vessels did not capture the active interest of the general consumer until the early 1950s. This changed dramatically after the remarkable journey of French doctor Alain Bombard, who successfully crossed the Atlantic Ocean in a typical inflatable boat manufactured by Zodiac over 65 days. This feat created a breakthrough in public opinion.

Inspired by Bombard's achievements, renowned scientist Jacques Yves Cousteau, in 1959, commissioned Zodiac to build an entire inflatable ship for his expedition. The resulting Amphitrite inflatable transport ship measured an impressive 19.8 meters in length, 9 meters in width, and featured a side diameter of 1.5 meters. Remarkably, the ship weighed less than 6 tons, equipped with two 300-liter diesel engines.

Since then, the utility of inflatable ships has continually expanded, prompting manufacturers to capitalize on this burgeoning market. Contemporary materials and equipment are now employed in the production of inflatable boats, providing them with new advantages and significantly broadening their applications.