(a) Lifeboat and rescue boat release gear must be operationally tested under a load of 1.1 times the total mass of the lifeboat or rescue boat when loaded with its full complement of persons and equipment.
(b) The test must be conducted whenever the lifeboat, rescue boat, or its release gear is overhauled, or at least once every 5 years.
(c) The Sector Commander, or MSU Commander, with COTP and OCMI authority may consider alternate operational test procedures to those under paragraph (a) of this section.
[USCG-1998-3884, 71 FR 57651, Sept. 29, 2006, as amended by USCG-2013-0397, 78 FR 39182, July 1, 2013]