NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE

No. 190


(6) Each seating position shall be clearly indicated in the boat.

(7) All boats shall have a boarding ladder that can be used on either side of the boat to enable persons in the water to board the boat. The lowest step of the ladder shall be weighted if of buoyant material and shall float at a level not less than 0.4 metres below the boat’s light waterline.

(8) The boat shall be so arranged that disabled persons can be brought on board either from the sea or on stretchers.

(9) All surfaces on which persons might walk shall have a non-skid finish.

(10) All boats shall have inherent buoyancy or shall be fitted with inherently buoyant material which shall not be adversely affected by seawater, oil or oil products. Such buoyancy shall be sufficient to float the boat with all its equipment on board when flooded and open to the sea. Additional inherently buoyant material, equal to 280 newtons of buoyant force per person shall be provided for the number of persons the boat is permitted to accommodate. Buoyant material, unless in addition to that required above, shall not be installed external to the hull of the boat.

(11) Every boat, when loaded with 50 percent of the number of persons the boat is permitted to accommodate seated in their normal positions to 1 side of the centreline, shall have a freeboard, measured from the waterline to the lowest opening through which the boat may become flooded, of at least 1.5 percent of the boat’s length or 100mm, whichever is the greater.

(12) All boats shall:

(a) be not less than 3.8 metres and not more than 8.5 metres in length;

(b) be capable of carrying at least 5 seated persons and a person lying down.

(13) Unless the boat has adequate sheer, it shall be provided with a bow cover extending for not less than 15 percent of its length.

(14) All boats shall be capable of manoeuvring at speeds of at least 6 knots and maintaining a speed of 6 knots for a period of at least 4 hours.

(15) All boats shall have sufficient mobility and manoeuvrability in a seaway to enable persons to be retrieved from the water, marshal liferafts and tow the largest liferaft carried on the ship when loaded with its full complement of persons and equipment or its equivalent at a speed of at least 2 knots.

(16) The boat shall be fitted with an inboard or outboard engine complying with the relevant parts of Clause 3 of this performance standard.

(17) Arrangements for towing shall be permanently fitted in rescue boats and shall be sufficiently strong to marshal or tow liferafts as required by subclause (15) of this clause.

(18) All boats shall be fitted with weathertight stowage for small items of equipment.

(19) Hulls and rigid covers if fitted shall be fire-retardant or non-combustible.

(20) Each boat shall be of sufficient strength to withstand a load, without residual deflection on removal of that load:

(a) in the case of boats with metal hulls, 1.25 times the total mass of the boat when loaded with its full complement of persons and equipment; or

(b) in the case of other boats, twice the total mass of the boat when loaded with its full complement of persons and equipment.

(21) All boats shall be fitted with a protective stowage cover and shall be kept covered at all times when the boat is not in use. The cover shall be arranged for quick removal in an emergency.

3. Rigid Rescue Boat Propulsion—(1) Inboard engine

Where a boat is powered by an inboard engine it shall be of the compression ignition type. No engine shall be used for any boat if its fuel has a flashpoint of 43°C or less (Closed Cup Test) and the engine shall:

(a) be provided with either a manual starting system, or a power starting system with 2 independent rechargeable energy sources. Any necessary starting aids shall also be provided; the engine starting systems and starting aids shall start the engine at an ambient temperature of −15°C within 2 minutes of commencing the start procedure unless, in the opinion of the Director having regard to the particular voyages in which the ship carrying the boat is constantly engaged, a different temperature is appropriate. The starting systems shall not be impeded by the engine casing, throttles or other obstructions;

(b) be capable of operating for not less than 5 minutes after starting from cold with the boat out of the water; and

(c) be capable of operating when the boat is flooded up to the centreline of the crank shaft.

(2) Outboard Engine

(a) A petrol-driven outboard engine with an approved fuel system may be fitted to a boat provided the tank is specially protected against fire and explosion.

(b) A petrol engine shall be provided with either a manual starting system, or a power starting system. Any necessary starting aids shall also be provided. The engine starting systems and starting aids shall start the engine at an ambient temperature of −15°C within 2 minutes of commencing the start procedure unless, in the opinion of the Director having regard to the particular voyages in which the ship carrying the boat is constantly engaged, a different temperature is appropriate. The starting systems shall not be impeded by the engine casing, throttles or other obstructions.

(3) Unless the propeller is so arranged so as to avoid its rotation constituting a danger to people in the water adjacent to it, the drive arrangement between the prime mover and the propeller shall be such that the propeller can be brought to rest without stopping the prime mover. Provision shall be made for ahead and astern propulsion of the craft.

(4) The exhaust pipe shall be so arranged as to prevent water from entering the engine in normal operation.

(5) All boats shall be designed with due regard to the safety of persons in the water and to the possibility of damage to the propulsion system by floating debris.

(6) The boat engine, transmission and engine accessories shall be enclosed in a fire-retardant casing or other suitable arrangements providing similar protection. Such arrangements shall also protect persons from coming into accidental contact with hot or moving parts and protect the engine from exposure to weather and sea. Adequate means shall be provided to reduce the engine noise. Starter batteries shall be provided with casings which form a watertight housing.