Running costs
It cost £163.5M in 2018 to run our lifesaving service – all funded by our generous supporters.
Keeping a modern fleet of lifeboats ever-ready to go to the rescue from over 238 lifeboat stations is an expensive business. Add to that crew training, running a lifeguard service on more than 248 popular beaches and campaigning for water safety, and the pounds start to add up.
It cost £163.5M for the RNLI to run in 2018, all of which was generously donated by the public. This might sound like a lot, but we think the 23 people our lifeboat crews rescue on average every day are worth it. Below is a breakdown of the costs of our rescue kit; for more detailed information see our Annual Report and Accounts.

Equipment (2017 costs) |
Pound sterling |
Euros |
Gloves |
£20 |
€27 |
Boots |
£54 |
€73 |
Waterproof trousers |
£249 |
€339 |
Waterproof jacket |
£349 |
€475 |
Drysuit, including boots |
£750 |
€1,020 |
Thermal undersuit |
£225 |
€306 |
Thermal top |
£50 |
€68 |
Lifejacket |
£458 |
€624 |
Helmet |
£263 |
€358 |

Lifeboat Class |
Pound sterling |
Euros |
Shannon class |
£2.2M |
€3M |
B class |
£214,000 |
€291,000 |
D class |
£52,000 |
€71,000 |
E class |
£560,000 |
€762,000 |
Hovercraft |
£400,000 |
€544,000 |

Kit |
Cost |
Full wetsuit |
£245 |
Sunglasses |
£40 |
Shorts |
£30 |
Cap |
£15 |
Fleece |
£50 |

Fleet |
Cost |
Rescue watercraft |
£10,000 |
Inshore rescue boat |
£13,000 |
Patrol vehicle |
£24,600 |
All-terrain vehicle |
£7,000 |