Five lifeboat stations in Devon are to get new vessels by 2030 as the RNLI updates its fleet, the rescue charity says.
Plymouth would be among the first stations in the country to get the new Coastal design, replacing its large Severn class boat; while Salcombe and Torbay would get new Shannon class all-weather boats, bosses said.
Appledore has received a Shannon while Ilfracombe got an Atlantic 85 Mk3 craft, a high-speed rigid inflatable, to replace its current, larger Shannon class boat, they added.
It said data showed the majority of incidents were now within reach of an inshore lifeboat and 98% of responses were within 10 nautical miles (11.5 miles, 18.8km) of shore between 2017 and 2025.