Personal Survival Craft Lifeboats and Life rafts

Lifeboats and life rafts are small, rigid or inflatable boats for the emergency evacuation of a vessel. They provide refuge from open water conditions to increase the survivability of passengers and crew after abandoning an unseaworthy vessel. These rescue craft sometimes have a limited quantity of supplies for passengers awaiting rescue. Certain types are also found on aircraft that have been abandoned at sea.

Lifeboats may have a rigid, fiberglass or wood hull or may be inflatable; generally, life rafts are strictly inflatable. Inflatable rescue craft may have auto-inflation devices such as carbon dioxide canisters or mechanical pumps, or may be inflated prior to deployment. Rigid lifeboats may be collapsible. Dinghies and tenders may have auxiliary functions as lifeboats, provided they remain with the primary vessel while underway. Lifeboats may be launched or retrieved via a hoist or slipway from the vessel. Lifeboats typical include an outboard gas or electric motor. Regular inspection of lifeboats is carried out by crew to ensure operation in an emergency. Due to their larger size and equipment requirements, lifeboats are more common on large commercial vessels.

Important Solas Requirements For Life Rafts
All liferaft provided on ships should be bestowed with its painter permanently attached to the ship.
Each liferaft or group of liferafts should be stowed with a float-free arrangement complying with the requirements so that each floats free. If it is an inflatable raft, it should inflate automatically when the ship sinks.
Liferafts should be stowed in such to permit the manual release of one raft or container at a time from the securing arrangements.
Davit-launched liferafts should be stowed within reach of the lifting hooks unless some means of transfer is provided, which is not rendered inoperable within the limits of trim and list as required or by ship motion or power failure.
Liferafts intended for throw-overboard launching should be stowed to be readily transferable for launching on either side of the ship.