GENERAL REQUIREMENTS FOR LIFEBOATS

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. 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.
Each lifeboat shall be fitted with a certificate of approval, endorsed by the Administration, containing at least the
following items:
manufacturer's name and address;
lifeboat model and serial number;
month and year of manufacture;
number of persons the lifeboat is approved to carry; and
with approval information including the Administration which approved it, and any operational restrictions.
The certifying organization shall provide the lifeboat with a certificate of approval which, in addition to the above items,
specifies:
number of the certificate of approval;
material of hull construction, in such detail as to ensure that compatibility problems in repair should not occur;
total mass fully equipped and fully manned;
statement of approval.
All lifeboats shall be of sufficient strength to:
enable them to be safely launched into the water when loaded with their full complement of persons and equipment;
be capable of being launched and towed when the ship is making headway at a speed of 5 knots in calm water.
Hulls and rigid covers shall be fire-retardant or non-combustible. Seating shall be provided on thwarts, benches or fixed
chairs which are constructed so as to be capable of supporting:
a static load equivalent to the number of persons each weighing 100 kg for which spaces are provided in compliance
with the
seating requirements shown on Figure 1
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 3 m;
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.
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 that load:
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; or
in the case of other boats, twice the total mass of the lifeboat when loaded with its full complement of persons and
equipment.