The boat can be used for over-the-horizon transportation, inserting lightly armed raiding parties or reconnaissance teams onto beaches, piers, offshore facilities and larger vessels. The CRRC can be inflated in minutes by foot pump, compressor or CO2 tank and can be deployed from shore and a variety of vessels. Additionally, it can be launched from several types of aircraft and submarines equipped with a special
lockout chamber or a
Dry Deck Shelter. Its chief advantages are light weight, compact size when stowed, stealth, versatility, and the safety imparted by its super-buoyant nature (which gives it the ability to operate in relatively high seas). A total of eight individual airtight chambers comprise the FC470. The main hull or
gunwale contains five intercommunicating chambers, which are separated by internal
baffles and
valves. This means that a single leak will not result in loss of pressure throughout the boat, and that air can be bled between chambers to compensate for loss in one. Two additional chambers, located below the gunwale on either side and called "speed skags," provide cushioning for the boat's occupants and additional
buoyancy in case of pressure loss in the hull. The final chamber is an inflatable keel tube which runs the length of the craft and gives the bottom of the hull a "V" shape, imparting directional stability and additional shock absorption. A wooden "transom" board at the stern provides a mounting point for the
outboard engine(s). The deck (floor) is composed of four interlocking aluminum plates, which are fixed to the "thrust board" at the bow end and the transom at the stern. This
rigid structure, spanning the entire internal area of the boat, prevents the hull from collapsing or "taco-ing" under power. go ashore in a CRRC during a 2003 exercise. A ready-for-use craft includes an outboard engine (two in some configurations); removable aluminium deckplates or roll-up slatted decking; paddles; a bow line for securing the docked boat and a "righting" line which is used to flip the boat in the event of capsizing. At the bow of the boat are storage bags for equipment (foot pumps, extra lines, etc.) and a special fuel bladder, which can be of either 6- or 18-gallon capacity and which feeds the engine via a flexible hose. Deflated and rolled up, the boat and all necessary equipment can easily fit into the bed of a small pickup. Most military CRRCs use a
two-stroke engine with a
pump-jet propulsor, which consists of a shrouded impeller. ==Specifications==