Poole Lifeboats face tough times and go out in a range of weathers day or night with our volunteers being on-call 24/7 at our 238 lifeboat stations around the coast of the UK and Ireland.
Poole Atlantic 85 itself is an extremely busy boat and this year alone has launched over 75 times to help those in need. Inshore lifeboats tend to go for a refit every 5-7 years depending on use and condition of the boat.
Based in East Cowes on the Isle of Wight, the Inshore Lifeboat Centre (ILC) supplies and maintains over half of the lifeboats for all of our lifeboat stations, as well as our lifeguard units.
Within the ILC, a team of 70 highly skilled boatbuilders, fitters, electricians and solutionists work to build and maintain up to 50 boats each and every year. This includes inflatable B class and D class lifeboats, and lifeguards’ inshore rescue boats (IRBs).
The technicians work across two buildings, supported by a team of office workers, store persons and apprentices. There’s a dedicated laminating shop, spray booth, machine shop and welding bay, specifically for the creation of the B class Atlantic inflatable lifeboats.
During the refit of the Poole Atlantic 85 boatbuilders will strip the boat back including the console, deck fittings, rebuild all electrical components, prep and paint decks, check engines over and much more. This will ensure the boat continues to save lives at sea around the coast of Poole.
The RNLI is the charity that saves lives at sea. Its volunteers provide a 24-hour search and rescue service around the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland coasts. The RNLI operates 238 lifeboat stations in the UK and Ireland and more than 240 lifeguard units on beaches around the UK and Channel Islands. The RNLI is independent of Coastguard and government and depends on voluntary donations and legacies to maintain its rescue service. Since the RNLI was founded in 1824, its lifeboat crews and lifeguards have saved over 146,700 lives.
