It operates two inshore lifeboats (ILBs), a B-Class rigid-inflatable boat and an inflatable D-Class.

Ships entering the river to Bridgwater have to negotiate sand banks and mudflats.

[1] In 2014, two members of the crew received signed Letters of Appreciation from the Chief Executive of the RNLI for their part in the rescue of 3 teenagers caught in fast flowing water at the end of Burnham-on-Sea jetty the previous summer.

In 2016 Puffin (D-664) a D-class lifeboat, which had been in service for ten years, was replaced by a new craft named Burnham Reach (D-801) after a campaign raised the nearly £50,000 which was needed.

[3] The Atlantic 85, which is launched using a Talus MB-4H[4] launch tractor aboard a Do-Do carriage,[5] can operate in Force 7 winds (Force 6 at night), has a top speed of 35 knots (65 km/h) and a range of 2½ hours at maximum speed.