Regulation 23 - Rescue boats

  (1) General requirements

• (a) Except as provided by this regulation, all rescue boats shall comply with the requirements of regulations 17(1) to 17(7)(d) inclusive and 17(7)(f), 17(7)(g), 17(7)(i), 17(7)(l) and 17(9).

• (b) Rescue boats may be either of rigid or inflated construction or a combination of both and shall:

  • (i) be not less than 3.8 m and not more than 8.5 m in length except where, owing to the size of the vessel, or for other reasons where the carriage of such boats is considered unreasonable or impracticable, the Administration may accept a rescue boat of a lesser length but not less than 3.3 m;

  • (ii) be capable of carrying at least five seated persons and a person lying down or in the case of a rescue boat less than 3.8 m in length, such lesser number as may be determined by the Administration.

• (c) The number of persons which a boat shall be permitted to accommodate shall be determined by the Administration.

• (d) Rescue boats which are a combination of rigid and inflated construction shall comply with the appropriate requirements of this regulation to the satisfaction of the Administration.

• (e) Unless the rescue boat has adequate sheer, it shall be provided with a bow cover extending for not less than 15% of its length.

• (f) Rescue boats shall be capable of manoeuvring at speeds up to 6 knots and maintaining that speed for a period of at least 4 h.

• (g) Rescue boats shall have sufficient mobility and manoeuvrability in a seaway to enable persons to be retrieved form the water marshall liferafts and tow the largest liferaft carried on the vessel when loaded with its full complement of persons and equipment or its equivalent at a speed of at least 2 knots.

• (h) A rescue boat shall be fitted with an inboard engine or outboard motor. If it is fitted with an outboard motor, the rudder and tiller may form part of the engine. Not withstanding the requirements of regulation 17(6)(a), petrol-driven outboard engines with an approved fuel system may be fitted in rescue boats provided the fuel tanks are specially protected against fire and explosion.

• (i) Arrangements for towing shall be permanently fitted in rescue boats and shall be sufficiently strong to marshal or tow liferafts as required by paragraph (1)(g).

• (j) Rescue boats shall be fitted with weathertight stowage for small items of equipment.

  (2) Rescue boat equipment

• (a) All items of rescue boat equipment, with the exception of boathooks which shall be kept free for fending off purposes, shall be secured within the rescue boat by lashings, storage in lockers or compartments, storage in brackets or similar mounting arrangements, or other suitable means. The equipment shall be secured in such a manner as not to interfere with any launching or recovery procedures. All items of rescue boat equipment shall be as small and of as little mass as possible and shall be packed in suitable and compact form.

• (b) The normal equipment of every rescue boat shall consist of:

  • (i) sufficient buoyant oars or paddles to make headway in calm seas. Thole pins, crutches or equivalent arrangements shall be provided for each oar. Thole pins or crutches shall be attached to the boat by lanyards or chains.

  • (ii) a buoyant bailer;

  • (iii) a binnacle containing an efficient compass which is luminous or provided with suitable means of illumination;

  • (iv) a sea-anchor and tripping line with a hawser of adequate strength not less than 10 m in length;

  • (v) a painter of sufficient length and strength, attached to the release device complying with the requirements of regulation 17(7)(g) and places at the forward end of the rescue boat;

  • (vi) one buoyant line, not less than 50 m in length, of sufficient strength to tow a liferaft as required by paragraph (1)(g);

  • (vii) one waterproof electric torch suitable for Morse signalling, together with one spare set of batteries and one spare bulk in a waterproof container;

  • (viii) one whistle or equivalent sound signal;

  • (ix) a first-aid outfit in a waterproof case capable of being closed tightly after use;

  • (x) two buoyant rescue quoits, attached to not less than 30 m of buoyant line;

  • (xi) a searchlight capable of effectively illuminating a light-coloured object at night having a width of 18 m at a distance of 180 m for a total period of 6 h and of working for a least 3 h continuously;

  • (xii) an efficient radar reflector;

  • (xiii) thermal protective aids complying with the requirements of regulation 26 sufficient for 10% of the number of persons the rescue boat is permitted to accommodate or two, whichever is the greater.

• (c) In addition to the equipment required by paragraph (2)(b), the normal equipment of every rigid rescue boat shall include:

  • (i) a boat-hook;

  • (ii) a bucket;

  • (iii) a knife or hatchet

• (d) In addition to the equipment required by paragraph (2)(b) the normal equipment of every inflated rescue boat shall consist of:

  • (i) a buoyant safety knife;

  • (ii) two sponges;

  • (iii) an efficient manually operated bellows or pump;

  • (iv) a repair kit in a suitable container for repairing punctures;

  • (v) a safety boat-hook;

  (3) Additional requirements for inflated rescue boats

• (a) The requirements of regulations 17(1)(c) and 17(1)(e) do not apply to inflated rescue boats.

• (b) An inflated rescue boat shall be constructed in such a way that, when suspended by its bridle or lifting hook:

  • (i) it is of sufficient strength and rigidity to enable it to be lowered and recovered with its full complement of persons and equipment;

  • (ii) it is of sufficient strength to withstand a load of 4 times the mass of its full complement of persons and equipment at an ambient temperature of 20 ± 3°C with all relief valves inoperative.

  • (iii) it is of sufficient strength to withstand a load of 1.1 times the mass of its full complement of persons and equipment at an ambient temperature of —30°C, with all relief valves operative.

• (c) Inflated rescue boats shall be so constructed as to be capable of withstanding exposure:

  • (i) when stowed on an open deck on a vessel at sea;

  • (ii) for 30 days afloat in all sea conditions

• (d) In addition to complying with the requirements of regulation 17(9), inflated rescue boats shall be marked with a serial number, the maker's name or trade mark and the date of manufacture.

• (e) The buoyancy of an inflated rescue boat shall be provided by either a single tube subdivided into at least five separate compartments of approximately equal volume or two separate tubes neither exceeding 60% of the total volume. The buoyancy tubes shall be so arranged that, in the event of any one of the compartments being damaged, the intact compartments shall be able to support the number of persons which the rescue boat is permitted to accommodate, each having a mass of 75 kg, when seated in their normal positions with positive freeboard over the rescue boat's entire periphery.

• (f) The buoyancy tubes forming the boundary of the inflated rescue boat shall on inflation provide a volume of not less than 0.17 m³ for each person the rescue boat is permitted to accommodate.

• (g) Each buoyancy compartment shall be fitted with a nonreturn valve for manual inflation and means for deflation. A safety relief valve shall also be fitted unless the Administration is satisfied that such an appliance is unnecessary.

• (h) Underneath the bottom and on vulnerable places on the outside of the inflated rescue boat, rubbing strips shall be provided to the satisfaction of the Administration.

• (i) Where a transom is fitted, it shall not be inset by more than 20% of the overall length of the rescue boat.

• (j) Suitable patches shall be provided for securing the painters fore and aft and the becketed lifelines inside and outside the boat.

• (k) The inflated rescue boat shall be maintained at all times in a fully inflated condition.