It had been deemed that there were sufficient fishermen resident locally, to be able to crew the lifeboat, which had been transported along with its carriage to Girvan by the London and North-Western and Glasgow and South Western railway companies, the latter being free of charge.

[4] At a ceremony on 1 February 1871, the lifeboat was paraded through the village to the newly built boathouse, and duly named William and Harriot (ON 268), before being demonstrated to the assembled crowd.

[4] At 20:00 on the 23 January 1877, the Ballantrae lifeboat was launched to the aid of the brig Aurora, of Ardrossan, on passage from Belfast.

[2] During the salvage operation of the S.S. Deloraine on 29 January 1909, which had run aground at Ballantrae in a blizzard in December, a storm blew up.

With skilful navigation by the lifeboat coxswain in dangerous rock strewn shores, eight men were rescued from the vessel.