[MikeSz]

if it aint broke, dont fix it. That I suppose is a valid point. I support the lifeboats and always buy from their shops, as to a lot of other people.

However, there are also other things to consider. If they were to be funded by government, then that government would want a say in how it was run - they would want targets and funding objectives - lifeboats would have to reach people in certain times and a number of them would have to be launched every day etc....you can see how it would soon become absurd and lose the public support - imagine then also if, like firemen, they wanted better pay, and went on strike etc. Chaos.
Also consider the many other charities that would then be saying - hang on a minute, we save lives as well...

Then again, they are rescuing people, at their own risk and perhaps deserve a better deal of it. If there was a way of better supporting these brave individuals by better funding then I would willingly support it, but I doubt any government would simply let it be, and at the end of the day, who knows how to run it best - those dedicated volunteers, or politicians looking at statistics in Whitehall?