When two boats share the same hull type — in this case both the Zodiac 12 Man 2009 and the Zodiac Pro 500 2011 are inflatable rigid designs with inflatable construction — the buying decision usually comes down to a handful of practical questions: how many people are you putting on the water, how far do you trailer, and what does your tow vehicle weigh?
Both boats share a closely matched power ceiling — 90 hp for the Zodiac 12 Man 2009 and 70 hp for the Zodiac Pro 500 2011. Real-world performance will come down more to which motor is actually bolted on, its load at the time, and whether it's a 4-stroke or 2-stroke setup.
For family outings this is probably the sharpest distinction between the two. The Zodiac 12 Man 2009 is rated for 12 passengers, while the Zodiac Pro 500 2011 caps at 9. If you're regularly pulling extended family or a group of friends onto the water, the extra seats on the Zodiac 12 Man 2009 could be the deciding factor.
The Zodiac Pro 500 2011 has a documented top speed of 41 mph. Speed data wasn't available for the other model.
Bottom line: Choose the Zodiac 12 Man 2009 if your priority is putting more people on the water — it handles 12 passengers and at 17,2 ft it has the deck room to back that rating up comfortably. The Zodiac Pro 500 2011 is the smarter pick if you want a lighter, easier-to-trailer boat rated for 9 that costs less to run day-to-day.