Abstract: A buoyant vessel in the shape of a rigid closed cylinder is disclosed to replace conventional lifeboats on a ship. The cylinder has a hermetically sealable door in its sidewall as well as portholes. It also has a rigid outer skin made of aluminum, an inner skin contiguous with the outer skin made of asbestos and a relatively thick layer of foam material contiguous with the inner skin to provide insulation and buoyancy. The interior of the vessel has two vertically spaced-apart circular rows of seats adjacent the side wall of the cylinder. The lower row adjacent the floor of the cylinder is upside up and the upper row is upside down so that, if the cylinder is overturned in heavy seas, the upper row will assume right side up position and vice-versa. To this end, the cylinder is symmetrical about its middle horizontal plane. Ventilation apertures are provided in the upper and lower surface of the cylinder respectively and a skeletal structure of hollow metal tubing is also provided.