HOW TO BUILD A LIFEBOATPAGE NAME HERE
continuous use in RNLI service,” adds Dan.
Elsewhere on the floor, there are other
components being manufactured, such as
bulkheads and engine beds. Upstairs,
smaller items are laid up using a wet
vacuum epoxy laminating process before
being married up with the main hull form.
With the hull completed and the main
structure fitted-out, the water jets are
installed and in excess of 2,500 epoxy
glass pads with captive fastenings are
fitted. These require precise alignment as
they will hold the masses of equipment
and cabling. The hull then moves into the
spray booth for painting. Next door is a
ready painted hull glistening in its striking
RNLI blue hue.
As we pass a display cabinet we see a
very worn water jet impeller.
“That was taken from the water jet fitted
to a lifeboat we used for testing the effect
of long term exposure to gravel shingle
straight in to the water jet pump,” explains
Dan. “The damage is quite obvious.”
Last on the tour is the fit-out/refit
department. Here, the equipment is
installed in the wheelhouse including the
electronics management and
communications systems, power unit and
steering controls, air conditioning system,
instrumentation, navigation and CCTV for
rescue surveillance and engine room
monitoring. Then comes the subsidiary
equipment which includes items such as
winches and life saving equipment with
specific focus on adding as much as
possible to the interior of the hull before
the wheelhouse is bonded in place.
At this stage the wheelhouse is offered
up to the hull to ensure a snug fit with
7mm spacers to provide a gap sufficient
to accept the adhesive, which is injected
from both sides.
Finally, the wiring loom – with its integral
glands to ensure a watertight join – is
passed through the wheelhouse sole
ready for connection to the myriad of
electronics. Here the SIMS display units,
navigation and other aids are installed
along with the shock-reducing fullsuspension seats and other components.
Alongside the Shannon class assembly
line two Severn class lifeboats are going
through a refit, which involves a major
strip out, repairs to the hull and cabin, and
then installation of new equipment ready
for their next tour of duty. Clearly, the
workload doesn’t stop.
n Tours of the boatbuilding facility take
place twice a week. The tour lasts
approximately one hour and costs £5 per
person. For bookings see rnli.org.ukLength: 13.60m (44ft 8in)
Beam: 4.50m (14ft 9in)
Draught: 0.98m (3ft 2in)
Displacement: 18.5 tonnes
Crew: 6 – coxswain, helmsman,
mechanic/radio operator, navigator,
crew of 2 (including a member who acts
as a paramedic)
Endurance: 10 hours at 25 knots with
a range of 250 nautical miles
Speed: 25 knots
Power: 2 x Scania 650hp D113
seawater cooled turbocharged diesels
driving 2 x Hamilton HJ364 water jets
Fuel: 2.5 tonnesCasualty capacity: 79 – 6 seated, 4
standing in survivor space, 13 in
wheelhouse, 56 standing on deck
Electronics: System Information
Management System (SIMS)
workstation display units with trackball
control, comms including VHF, MF/HF
radio and intercom, navigation
electronic chart system with DGPS,
autopilot, CCTV monitoring of engine
room, survivor space and forward from
mast
Wheelhouse: air conditioned, hot
water facility, Nova 70 anti-glare
windows, full suspension seatsnThe RNLI has 238 lifeboat stations
and a total of 431 lifeboats.
nIn 2018 lifeboat crews launched
8,964 times assisting 9,412 people
nThe RNLI has more than 5,500
vounteer lifeboat crew members and
more than 20,000 volunteer
community fundraisers.
nFind out more about the lifesaving
charity at RNLI.org.uk
nThanks to Marsden Butler, Dan
Sharp and Luke Blissett for
assistance with this article.Shannon class lifeboat specification
RNLI in numbers
BELOW The latest
Shannon class
build soon to be
rolled out of the
factoryTesting the Shannon involved operating in
shallow gravel shingle water to see how
the jet water pump faredA Watson class lifeboat of 1909Shannon class cutaway view