Berthon Collapsible Lifeboat

http://www.berthon.co.uk/about-bertho...

Brian May, owner and MD at Berthon Boat Company, and Ross Monson, Berthon Refit Manager, demonstrate how to build an original Berthon Collapsible Boat, the vessel that would start a long history in lifesaving vessels being built by Berthon, with the most recent being the Shannon class Lifeboat for the RNLI.

There are no complete records of the number of collapsible boats built at Romsey from 1873 to 1917 but research accounts for at least 1400 boats supplied to the Navy, Army, French Navy, Passenger and Troopships. The Army and Navy stores London also commenced retailing the smaller Berthon collapsible boats in 1889 in considerable numbers, as yacht tenders, loch and river fishing craft.

http://www.berthon.co.uk/about-bertho...