4.4.1.1 All lifeboats shall be properly constructed
and shall be or such form and proportions that they have ample stability
in a seaway and sufficient freeboard when loaded with their full complement
of persons and equipment, and are capable of being safely launched
under all conditions of trim of up to 10° and list of up to 20°
either way. All lifeboats shall have rigid hulls and shall be capable
of maintaining positive stability when in an upright position in calm
water and loaded with their full complement of persons and equipment
and holed in any one location below the waterline, assuming no loss
of buoyancy material and no other damage.
4.4.1.2 Each lifeboat shall be fitted with a permanently
affixed approval plate, endorsed by the Administration or its representative,
containing at least the following items:
-
.1 manufacturer's name and address;
-
.2 lifeboat model and serial number;
-
.3 month and year of manufacture;
-
.4 number of persons the lifeboat is approved
to carry; and
-
.5 the approval information required under paragraph
1.2.2.9.
Each production lifeboat shall be provided with a certificate
or declaration of conformity which, in addition to the above items,
specifies:
-
.6 number of the certificate of approval;
-
.7 material of hull construction, in such detail
as to ensure that compatibility problems in repair should not occur;
-
.8 total mass fully equipped and fully manned;
-
.9 the measured towing force of the lifeboat;
and
-
.10 statement of approval as to sections 4.5,
4.6, 4.7, 4.8 or 4.9.
4.4.1.3 All lifeboats shall be of sufficient strength
to:
-
.1 enable them to be safely launched into the
water when loaded with their full complement of persons and equipment;
and
-
.2 be capable of being launched and towed when
the ship is making headway at a speed of 5 knots in calm water.
4.4.1.4 Hulls and rigid covers shall be fire-retardant
or non-combustible.
4.4.1.5 Seating shall be provided on thwarts benches
or fixed chairs which are constructed so as to be capable of supporting:
-
.1 a static load equivalent to the number of persons
each weighing 100 kg for which spaces are provided in compliance with
the requirements of paragraph 4.4.2.2.2;
-
.2 a load of 100 kg in any single seat location
when a lifeboat to be launched by falls is dropped into the water
from a height of at least 3 m; and
-
.3 a load of 100 kg in any single seat location
when a free-fall lifeboat is launched from a height of at least 1.3
times its free-fall certification height.
4.4.1.6 Except for free-fall lifeboats, each lifeboat
to be launched by falls shall be of sufficient strength to withstand
a load, without residual deflection on removal of that load:
-
.1 in the case of boats with metal hulls, 1.25
times the total mass of the lifeboat when loaded with its full complement
of persons and equipment; or
-
.2 in the case of other boats, twice the total
mass of the lifeboat when loaded with its full complement of persons
and equipment.
4.4.1.7 Except for free-fall lifeboats, each lifeboat
to be launched by falls. shall be of sufficient strength to withstand,
when loaded with its full complement of persons and equipment and
with, where applicable, skates or fenders in position, a lateral impact
against the ship's side at an impact velocity of at least 3.5 m/s
and also a drop into the water from a height of at least 3 m.
4.4.1.8 The vertical distance between the floor
surface and the interior of the enclosure or canopy over 50% of the
floor area shall be:
-
.1 not less than 1.3 m for a lifeboat permitted
to accommodate nine persons or less;
-
.2 not less than 1.7 m for a lifeboat permitted
to accommodate 24 persons or more; and
-
.3 not less than the distance as determined by
linear interpolation between 1.3 m and 1.7 m for a lifeboat permitted
to accommodate between nine and 24 persons.