The handbrake is the manual brake fitted on the winch barrel/gear of the lifeboat arrangement. Typically it takes the form of a lever-operated band brake acting on a drum mounted on the main shaft driving the winch, connected through a worm/wheel gearing. In many installations the brake is a centrifugal brake combined with a lever-actuated band. On the low-speed (wire) lowering, the handbrake lever when released allows the boat to lower; when pulled it applies friction to stop or hold the boat.

Testing: the brake is tested by lowering the lifeboat at the designed speed with the boat fully loaded (or with a test load), ensuring the brake engages smoothly and brings the boat to a halt at a controlled rate (not exceeding about 1 m/s lowering speed for the hand-operated brake, and ensuring it can arrest the load). The brake is also tested during weekly lowering of the boat and at the annual thorough examination by an approved service station, where a load test verifies the brake can hold the fully loaded boat against descent and stop it within the specified travel. Wear of the brake band and correct adjustment of the linkage is inspected.

The centrifugal brake is an automatic friction brake that governs the lowering speed of the lifeboat independent of the operator. It comprises weighted shoes pivoted on a spider mounted on the shaft. As the shaft speed increases during lowering, centrifugal force throws the shoes outward against a fixed drum/brake ring, generating friction that limits the rate of descent. It therefore acts as a speed-regulating device ensuring the boat lowers at a safe, almost uniform speed whatever the load. The hand brake is used mainly for arresting and holding, while the centrifugal brake limits speed.

Testing: the centrifugal brake is tested by carrying out test lowerings with the boat empty and then with the approved test load (or with the boat ballasted to the full load), measuring the lowering speed, which should be approximately uniform and within the range of no more than 1 m/s for an automatic system (0.9-1.1 m/s typical) and no less than a safe rate. The annual service and the 5-yearly thorough examination by an approved station include stripping, cleaning, re-lubricating and re-setting the brake, and performing an operational speed test to confirm the brake holds speed at successive positions.

(i) The roller ratchet (ratchet/ratchet-and-pawl) is a safety device fitted in the fall wire system, generally at the interface between the winch drum and the wire, which permits the lifeboat to be lowered (the wire paying out) but automatically locks to prevent the boat being raised inadvertently or the hook being released unintentionally. It normally consists of a pawl engaging with a ratchet wheel, the pawl riding over the teeth in one direction and locking against the teeth in the other, plus a roller that takes the load so that the pawl is not carrying the full weight during normal lowering. Testing is carried out by lowering the boat a short distance and observing that the pawl engages and holds the drum immediately the wire stops moving, preventing any reverse motion; the test is included in the weekly lowering checks, the annual operational test and the 5-yearly thorough examination.

(ii) Purpose of the ratchet: it is incorporated to prevent the lifeboat from being lowered or hoisted in an uncontrolled manner and, in particular, to prevent the sudden release of the falls or the boat from running away by providing an automatic one-way lock. It also prevents the wire drum from over-revving in the hoisting direction and ensures that, should the operator stop lowering, the load is held securely, contributing to the intrinsic safety of the embarkation/lowering operation. This is crucial because a lifeboat dropping uncontrolled, or being inadvertently raised, endangers personnel.