Construction Requirements of Lifeboat
1) All lifeboats shall be properly constructed and shall be of 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.
2) 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.
3) Each lifeboat shall be fitted with a certificate of approval, endorsed by the Administration,
containing at least the following items:
a) manufacturer’s name and address;
b) lifeboat model and serial number;
c) month and year of manufacture;
d) number of persons the lifeboat is approved to carry.
4) All lifeboats shall be of sufficient strength to:
a) Enable them to be safely launched into the water when loaded with their full complement
of persons and equipment;
b) be capable of being launched and towed when the ship is making headway at a speed of 5
knots in calm water.
5) Hulls and rigid covers shall be fire-retardant or non-combustible.
6) Seating shall be provided on thwarts, benches or fixed chairs which are constructed so as to be
capable of supporting:
a) A static load equivalent to the number of persons each weighing 100 kg for which spaces
are provided
b) 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 3m;
c) 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.
7) 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 the load:
a) 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;
b) In the case of other boats, twice the total mass of the lifeboat when loaded with its full complement of persons and equipment.
8) 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,
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.
9) The vertical distance between the floor surface and the interior of the enclosure or canopy over 50% of the floor area shall be:
a) Not less than 1.3 m for a lifeboat permitted to accommodate 9 persons or less;
b) not less than 1.7 m for a lifeboat permitted to accommodate 24 persons or more;
c) 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 9 and 24 persons.
Ref: LSA Code
