As part of the replacement programme, and the move to standardisation of power plants the Ministry of Supply tasked the design of the new Seaplane Tender to Messers. J.I.Thornycroft. So confident were the M.O.S. the builders design would meet every requirement, they immediately ordered six craft to be built, and to be classed as Range Safety Launches. This was the first time a new boat had been built for the RAF without a prototype running exhaustive acceptance trials. The resulting craft was once again a development of an earlier design, being the 41ft 6in Broad Beam Seaplane Tender, hence the forward Wheelhouse, Long four berth Cabin, twin Rolls Royce diesels housed in engine boxes on either side, and an open Well Deck aft. The bigger boat meant that a more spacious W.C. could be housed ahead of the Wheelhouse, and the Radio Cabin and Galley moved to the front section of the main cabin, immediately behind the wheelhouse. Although never fitted with radar, they were retro-fitted with MS.9 Dinghies mounted atop the cabin in later life.
Their construction differed from other new boats utilising a combination of sawn and laminated frames with the latter very closely spaced. Like the 63ft Pinnaces, the RSLs had aluminium superstructures, and shared the same Rolls Royce engines. The new RSLs were tough seaworthy craft, very nimble and extremely responsive, and as such, ideal for teaching boat handling to U/T Webfoots. In addition to Range work, they carried out Wet Winching drills, Para-Drop drills, and were the chosen craft for V.I.P. and P/R work.
Two RSLs were broken up during their service as being 'beyond economic repair' (1641 at Gan in 1974 and 1649 at Plymouth in 1979) only one RSL was totally lost. She was 1663, which broke adrift from her moorings during a severe gale at Lyme Regis in November 1959, ending up as matchwood. Prior to this, she had been used as a test bed for Thornycroft gearboxes coupled to handed propellers and carried the suffix 'E' during this time. Subsequent to her loss, the mooring procedures for RSLs were changed from short pennants to long ones.
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