Pwllheli Lifeboat Station was first established by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) in 1891 at a cost of £480. The station currently operates a D-class (IB1) lifeboat.

The term Watson-class lifeboat refers to several wooden lifeboat classes operated by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) around the coasts of the United Kingdom and Ireland between 1888 and 1991. The boats had hulls that conformed to the basic design laid down by RNLI naval architect George Lennox Watson.