Construction and equipment
Governing: STCW Code Table A-VI/2-2; LSA Code performance as summarised in USCG NVIC 3-00; REG Yacht Code Part A 13.4 and 13.6. Builds on: Proficiency in Survival Craft & Rescue Boats (PSCRB).
What 'fast' means
A fast rescue boat is a rescue boat approved as such under the LSA Code. USCG NVIC 3-00 summarises the Code's performance standard: able to operate for at least 4 hours at not less than 20 knots in calm water with a crew of 3, and at not less than 8 knots with a full complement of persons and equipment. Construction may be rigid, inflated or rigid/inflated.
Under SOLAS III/26, as NVIC 3-00 notes, ro-ro passenger ships must carry at least one fast rescue boat, each with at least two trained crews. No other ships are required to carry one.
Why yachts care
Many superyachts carry high-speed RIBs as rescue boats, and some have boats approved or designated as fast rescue boats. The REG Yacht Code sections read for this course require a rescue boat (Part A 13.4, Part B 7.19), not specifically an FRB. Where a yacht's boat is designated a fast rescue boat, its crews need PFRB. Employers of bosuns and senior deckhands on larger yachts often ask for it regardless.
Construction
| Element | What to know |
|---|---|
| Hull | GRP or aluminium deep-vee on RIBs; rigid boats may be foam-filled |
| Tubes | Multiple buoyancy compartments with individual valves |
| Engine | Inboard waterjet or diesel, or outboard; kill cord |
| Righting | Some boats carry a self-righting system; others rely on manual methods (L2.2) |
| Lifting | Single-point lifting frame and release hook |
| Seating | Jockey seats or bench, with handholds and footstraps |
Table A-VI/2-2 requires knowledge of construction and outfitting of fast rescue boats and individual items of their equipment, maintenance and emergency repairs, and normal inflation and deflation of buoyancy compartments on inflated boats. The assessment criteria include identifying the components and required equipment.
Colour and visibility
REG Part A 13.4 requires a rescue boat to be a highly visible colour or carry covers or patches of a highly visible colour of at least 1 m2, in no more than two parts, attachable to the top of the boat. White and grey do not count.
Crew protective equipment
- REG Part A 13.6(2): at least two immersion suits for the crew of any rescue boat are included in the yacht's allocation.
- REG Part B defines an anti-exposure suit as a protective suit designed for rescue boat crews and marine evacuation system parties.
- Helmets, lifejackets suitable for high-speed operation, gloves, knives and personal lights are standard on approved courses.
Equipment check before launch
Use the boat's inventory, and at minimum confirm:
- Tube pressures and valve caps.
- Fuel level, kill cord and spare.
- Paddles, bailer, painter, towline, boathook, knife.
- Handheld VHF charged, waterproof torch.
- First aid kit and thermal protective aids.
- Casualty recovery aids (sling, net or stretcher) as carried.
WARNING - A partial boat is not a rescue boat 'We're only going round the bay' is how boats leave without radios. If the boat is not complete, it is not ready.
TIP - Photograph the fit-out Keep a laminated photo of the correct equipment stowage in the boat. New crew restock faster and nothing is missed.