The RNLI has pledged to provide every all-weather lifeboat crew with a 25-knot lifeboat by 2019. But the links in our supply chain are increasing and the availability of lifeboat building expertise is unpredictable. Our innovative solution? To bring lifeboat building completely in-house. And thanks to your support, it’s becoming a reality

This is the facility where we will build, refit and maintain our all-weather lifeboat fleet: the All-weather Lifeboat Centre, or ALC.

Based at our headquarters in Poole, Dorset, it will give the RNLI control over the cost and quality of the craft that keep our volunteers safe in the worst conditions.

Among the first people to take a tour of the site as it took shape were volunteers from Scarborough and Swanage: crews that need new all-weather lifeboats.

John Senior was on a family Christmas cruise aboard the Lakonia in 1963 when fire broke out. Lifeboats and nearby ships saved many of the passengers, including John (then nearly 4 years old) and his parents. But 128 people lost their lives. ‘I actually still have memories of it,’ says John. ‘It was a terrible disaster and my eyes have been open to the dangers of the sea ever since.’ Over 50 years on, John now volunteers as Lifeboat Operations Manager of Scarborough Lifeboat Station in Yorkshire.

Becky Mack, a volunteer crew member at Swanage Lifeboat Station, has always enjoyed the sea and giving something back to the local community. ‘When we launch, we place complete trust in our lifeboat,’ says Becky. ‘At its worst, it’s hard to imagine anything more powerful and ferocious than the sea – so we’re grateful for the best lifeboats the RNLI and the supporters can give us.’

John and Becky’s lifeboat crews both use 17-knot Mersey class lifeboats, which are due to be replaced as we bring our all-weather fleet up to 25 knots. So theirs are just two of many stations that need new Shannon class lifeboats, and the RNLI must build six a year if we’re going to meet our 2019 target. Doing that in-house, while maintaining and repairing the fleet, is a big operation – which explains John and Becky’s reaction when they first enter Building A at the ALC: ‘It’s massive!’

Building A is 85m x 30m. The whole site has a workshop floor space of 5,000m2. Why so big? ‘The more you can get into one location, the more efficient and agile your work can be,’ explains Angus Watson, Head of Construction and Refit. ‘We can work on several boats at once here, constructing, maintaining, repairing. And that is essential, because our lifeboats are more sophisticated than ever. Fewer and fewer UK and Irish boat builders can meet our specifications, which is a risk to our supply chain. We had to take control.’

Working on lifeboats in-house is not a brand new concept for the RNLI: we have built our own inshore lifeboats for decades, at the Inshore Lifeboat Centre on the Isle of Wight. And when we took over a facility in Lymington, Hampshire, back in 2009 (which became known as SAR Composites), we ensured the future of all-weather lifeboat hull production.

Under construction
That first stage of lifeboat building – constructing composite hulls and spraying bare materials with protective coating – will all move to the ALC’s Building A. A huge oven will cook layers of fibre and resin to create hulls, decks and wheelhouses. There are two cranes mounted to the ceiling, each with two lifting hooks. Using all four hooks together, lifeboat hulls can be moved swiftly around the building as work on them progresses. The building’s height makes winching the hull out of its mould for the first time a safe and controlled operation.

Meanwhile, spray booths will be used to apply primer, coats of paint and antifoul. One, the ‘blast booth’, is designed especially for painting metal components. A dedicated filtration and extraction system maintains air quality for the technicians. Hull repair, as well as construction work, will take place here, and there’s an inshore lifeboat area dedicated to looking after RNLI College’s training fleet.

‘Having it all on one site is hugely efficient,’ remarks John, who has joined the tour after a day of training at the College with fellow volunteer lifeboat operations managers. ‘It’s our role as launch authorities to sound the pagers and send the crews to sea – so you have to have great faith and trust in the lifeboat. I can see how cost-effective this is, and how the RNLI will be able to keep up the quality and improve it.’

‘Bringing it all in-house makes complete sense to me – it’s like RNLI College,’ nods Becky. ‘It has more than paid for itself since it opened 10 years ago. I’ve done crew training there and the standard is really high. Now we’ll be supplying our own lifeboats – the inhouse expertise will give the crews even more confidence.’

The B side
From the outside, Building B is almost a mirror image of Building A. But what goes on inside will be very different in this paint-free ‘clean’ area. This is where new lifeboats will be fitted out and existing ones refitted or repaired. The bays here are big enough to house seven Severn class lifeboats, the biggest in the RNLI’s fleet – or 10 Shannons. A mezzanine with gating on the first floor overlooks the lifeboat decks, so engineers can easily and safely step aboard when they set to work.

Building B includes a visitor area, where supporters will be able to watch lifeboats take shape. The buildings are bridged by a covered courtyard area, which shelters boats as they move between bays, or to and from the launch area at the seaward end of the site. This area has a slipway, pontoons and a dock where lifeboats can be lifted in and out of the water.

The facility should open for maintenance and refit work by early 2015 and full production of the Shannon class will begin later in the year. ‘As well as building Shannons, we will be refitting existing lifeboats, to bring the onboard technology up to date,’ says Angus. ‘And then we’ll build the next generation of rescue craft.’ By the end of the tour, John is looking forward to sharing his experience with his fellow volunteers. ‘When the lifeboats launch, it’s when the brave get very brave,’ says John. ‘This is an efficient, innovative way of giving them what they need. It will clearly help the RNLI save lives well into the future.’