🔍 Key Concepts

• SOLAS lifeboat launching arrangements requirements • Differences between wire rope and fiber rope (natural and synthetic) in terms of stretch, UV/age deterioration, and shock loading • Why gravity davits need predictable, non‑elastic control of the boat’s weight

💭 Think About

• Think about what happens to the control of the boat if the falls stretch under load during launching or recovery. Which material would change length the most? • Consider long‑term exposure to weather, salt, and sunlight: which material keeps its strength and dimensions most reliably over years? • Ask yourself which of these materials classification societies and flag administrations typically approve for life‑saving appliance falls on seagoing vessels.

✅ Before You Answer

• Verify in current LSA Code/SOLAS or 46 CFR whether lifeboat falls may be made of natural fiber, synthetic fiber, or must be steel wire rope • Check whether elasticity/stretch is acceptable or undesirable in lifeboat falls for gravity davits • Confirm whether regulations allow a mix of different fall materials on gravity davits or specify a single approved type