Powerboats account for a quarter of RNLI emergency call-outs

POWERBOATS accounted for one in four emergency calls to the lifeboat service last year.

Boating professionals link the phenomenon to a surge in the numbers of expensive craft on our waters — often piloted by people with scant or no training or experience.

Powerboats sell for around €20,000 to €400,000 for luxury cruisers. Fuel-guzzling craft costing upwards of €150,000 are said to represent the biggest increase in the type of pleasure craft plying our inland waterways.