Question 1508 Deck Safety

The correct answer is A) 80 feet. The length of the sea painter (the line used to secure the lifeboat) must be at least equal to the hypotenuse of a right triangle formed by the vertical distance (40 feet) and the horizontal distance (200 feet) from the bow to the lifeboat's stowage location. Using the Pythagorean theorem, the length of the sea painter is calculated as sqrt(40^2 + 200^2) = 80 feet. The other options are incorrect because: B) 160 feet is too long, C) one-third the length from the bow to the lifeboat is not the correct calculation, and D) the requirement is based on the lifeboat's stowage location, not the vessel's list angle.