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2009 Issues Archive
19 August 2009
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All-weather lifeboat transporters take the rough with the smooth
Rugged vehicle maker Supacat has won a £1 million contract from the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) to design and build a pre-production launch and recovery system for its new class of all-weather lifeboat.
The launch and recovery system is a tractor and powered-carriage system which will be used to launch and recover the FCB2 lifeboat over beaches, where RNLI lifeboats cannot lie afloat or be slipway-launched.
Under the contract Supacat will modify and rebuild a prototype system, incorporating design improvements identified during trials over the past three years. The main changes are to the driver’s cab, which will be upgraded to provide improved visibility and will entail a change from steel to composite construction.
There will be upgrades to the electrical system and a new Scania engine will be used to provide drive and operational power. The cradle will be modified to accommodate the new hull selected for the FCB2.
The launch and recovery system features computer-controlled hydrostatic transmission and permanent 4-track drive to give it adequate traction for climbing steep gradients with poor surfaces, such as loose shingle.
The system can operate in water depths of three metres and, in case of breakdown, is designed to withstand submersion in water up to nine metres deep. It can reach a top speed of 10.5mph at a gross vehicle weight of approximately 50 tonnes, including the lifeboat.
The FCB2 will be launched and recovered bow first. This will be achieved by using a turntable built into the boat carriage. This enables the boat to be rotated once recovered, reducing the time and space needed to prepare for re-launch.
The new pre-production standard launch and recovery system is scheduled to undergo a series of dry and wet trials in 2010 and trials with the prototype FCB2 in 2011.
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© PE Publishing, 19 August 2009
