Instruction manual

PROFICIENCY IN SURVIVAL CRAFT AND RESCUE BOATS OTHER THAN
FAST RESCUE BOATS
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- it must provide insulation against heat and cold by means of either 2
layers of material separated by an air gap or other equally efficient means.
Means must be provided to prevent accumulation of water in the air gap;
- its interior must be of a color that does not cause discomfort to the
occupants;
- each entrance must be clearly indicated and be provided with efficient
adjustable closing arrangements which can be easily and quickly opened by
persons clothed in immersion suits from inside and outside, and closed from
inside, the life-raft so as to permit ventilation but exclude sea water, wind and
cold.
A life-raft accommodating more than 8 persons must have at least 2
diametrically opposite entrances;
- it must admit sufficient air for the occupants at all times, even with the
entrances closed;
- it must be provided with at least one viewing port;
- it must be provided with means for collecting rain water;
- it must be provided with means to mount a survival craft radar
transponder at a height of at least 1 meter above the sea;
- it must have sufficient headroom for sitting occupants under all parts
of the canopy.
Minimum carrying capacity and mass of life-raft
No life-raft will be approved which has a carrying capacity of fewer than 6
persons. The total mass of a life-raft, its container and its equipment must not be
more than 185 kg.
Life-raft fittings
Lifelines must be securely around the inside and outside of a life-raft. A life-
raft must be fitted with an efficient painter of length equal to not less than 10
meters plus the distance from the stowed position to the water-line in the lightest
seagoing condition or 15 meters, whichever is the greater.
The breaking strength of the painter system, including its means of
attachment to the life raft, except the weak link, must be:
- not less than 15.0 kN for life rafts permitted to accommodate more than
25 persons,
- not less than 10.0 kN for life rafts permitted to accommodate 9 to 25
persons
- not less than 7.5 kN for any other life raft.
A manually controlled lamp must be fitted to the top of the life raft canopy.
The light must be white and be capable of operating continuously for at least 12
hours with a luminous intensity of not less than 4.3 candela in all directions of the
upper hemisphere.
However, if the light is a flashing light it must flash at a rate of not less than