Yoh Aoki completed a solo sailing voyage around the globe departing from Osaka, Japan in 1971 and sailed home in 1974. He built by himself the 21 foot sailboat using plywood. This was the origin of the idea for a Zen boat.

The first model of the Zen 24 was made of wood and two of them, Hyakki-maru and Kibou-gou already have succeeded in circumnavigating the globe. Now built of fiberglass, many are being sailed around Japan.

The Zen 24 has been upgraded for the US market with the installation of an inboard electric motor, a redesigned cabin and a more comfortable cockpit, which makes the boat ready to please sailors around the world.