B-810 Tabbycat is one of the new generation of RNLI B-class Atlantic inshore lifeboats, first developed by the RNLI from a design originated at Atlantic College, South Wales.
James Gordon Samson, from Nottingham, left a legacy to the RNLI, from which the Atlantic 85 lifeboat Tabbycat was funded. Tabbycat was named at the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) in Poole, Dorset, on Friday 20 July 2007.
The hull is made from a carbon fibre and foam core laminate that minimises the internal structure whilst maintaining overall stiffness. The foam is a very tough material that has the ability to absorb and recover from high impact loads such as pounding through waves at speed.
With a crew of four, and two inversion-proof 115hp petrol engines, the lifeboat is capable of speeds in excess of 35 knots, and is fitted with a manually operated righting system which, combined with her inversion proofed engines, allows her to remain operational even after capsize.
At Cowes the boat is launched from a specially adapted airberth which lifts the boat clear of the water while on standby
Equipped with the latest in electronic equipment including radar, a chart plotter and VHF radio direction finding equipment, she has an endurance of 3 hours.
