Watson-class lifeboat

The Watson-class lifeboat is a design of wooden lifeboat operated by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) around the coasts of the United Kingdom and Ireland between 1888 and 1991. There were several variations over the years but all the boats had hulls that conformed to a design by George Lennox Watson, the RNLI's naval architect from 1887 until his death in 1904.

The majority of lifeboats in service with the RNLI during the second half of the nineteenth century were of the Peake self-righting type, designed to operate in rough seas close to the shore. Some stations which required a better sea-going boat preferred the greater stability of a non self-righting boat such as the Norfolk and Suffolk. G.L. Watson designed a new non self-righting hull shape for the RNLB Edith and Annie which was built in 1888.

42 pulling and sailing lifeboats to Watson's design were built, the last in 1915 some 11 years after his death. They came in a variety of lengths to suit the needs of the different stations where they were based, the commonest being 38 ft (12 m).

The RNLI began experimenting with motor lifeboats in 1904 when a 38 ft Self-righter was converted. In 1906 three other lifeboats were converted to motor but none of these was a Watson. However, when in 1908 the first new build motor lifeboats were constructed, two of them were Watsons. Over the next 55 years, 171 boats of various designs were built based on Watson's hull design.

There were 11 lengths of boat of 8 different types:

The first Watson motor lifeboats were based on the most common pulling and sailing hulls, the 38 ft, 40 ft and 43 ft types. Apart from the addition of an engine and propeller, there was little to distinguish them from their sail- and oar-powered predecessors. The engines in the early motor types were regarded almost as an auxiliary and the boats, which had an open deck with end boxes, retained sails and oars. Engines from Tylor, Blake and Wolseley were used, although the Tylor was the most satisfactory and the two Blake-engined boats were re-engined with Tylors in 1914. Power output of the Tylors was 40 bhp which gave a speed of around seven knots.

The first standard class of Watson motor was the 45-ft design. This began with the conversion of a pulling and sailing boat in 1912. Production of new boats began in 1919 and 22 were built between then and 1925.

A new design appeared in 1926, marking the transition from single-engine to twin-engine layout. The first two 45 ft 6in boats were single-engined, but the rest were twins. 23 were built up to 1935.