A Zodiac is a two seat Experimental-Amateur Built Category airplane. It can be built from a kit purchased from the Zenith Aircraft Company, or you can buy just the blue prints and fabricate your own parts.
Built as a kit, the plane takes approximately 400 hours to build (this equates to about one year's worth of work) - according to the manufacturer, at least. The cost of the kit is about $13,000 dollars, excluding the engine. With engine, paint, avionics, crating charges, shipping, etc. I expect to spend around $30,000 for a basic setup.
The Zodiac can carry two people. It has a cruising speed of around 120 MPH, and a maximum speed of 140 MPH depending on which model you choose. It has a range of about 500 miles using a Rotax 80HP 4-cylinder, 4-cycle engine. The plane is capable of landing on both paved and grass runways. The airframe is stressed for +/- 6g's, allowing limited aerobatics.
There are several good reasons to build your own plane, instead of buying one:
NO PRODUCTIONS PLANES ARE MADE ANYMORE: Because of the
incredible growth of liability lawsuits in this sue-happy
country (the US), no small production aircraft have been made
in the last 15 or so years. As a result the only choices are to
build your own, or purchase a twenty year old Cessna, at a cost
of around $20,000.
IT'S BETTER THAN A PRODUCTION PLANE: It is faster,
stronger, goes farther, looks better, etc., etc.
IT'S CHEAPER TO MAINTAIN: The US FAA does not allow an owner to perform
significant maintenance items on a production plane. They must be
performed by a licensed A&P mechanic - and that means $$$.
The FAA also dictates how much and what maintenance must be done.
That twenty year old Cessna will probably incur $2,000/year in
basic maintenance costs. With a homebuilt plane, since you built
it, you are the expert mechanic for that plane, and may perform
any maintenance you deem necessary yourself.
IT'S SAFER? Ok, this one can be argued. There aren't
really any good statistics to prove this right (or wrong), but I
personally feel safer flying in a plane that I built than one
that's a couple decades old and was made on a production line.
When you're going to be the one flying it, you make sure everything
is made right!
Incidentally, Cessna Aircraft just announced that they will begin producing a 4 seat single engine aircraft once again. The starting price for the base model? $124,500, a little out of my league. Also, 2 through 4 above still apply!