Eleven were put into service and when replaced by larger boats, seven were sold for further use as lifeboats, mainly in South Africa.

[2] The boats had been too small to operate in extreme weather and surveys highlighted potential problems with structural strength.

Six were bought between 1994 and 2002 by the National Sea Rescue Institute in South Africa,[2] with a seventh boat purchased privately in 2012 to replace Sanlam Rescuer (RNLI ON 1102) which was destroyed by fire awaiting refit.

The Brede was built with a glass reinforced plastic (GRP) hull, a strengthened version of a commercial design by Lochin Marine of Rye, Sussex.

It was fitted with twin 203 hp diesel engines which gave it a top speed of 20 knots (37 km/h) which was faster than any other all-weather lifeboat in the fleet until the introduction of the Severn and Trent classes in 1991.