Following demanding evaluation trials, KNRM (The Royal Dutch Lifeboat Association) has ordered 12 class 50 DuroWipers for the latest four hulls of its newbuild KNRM 18m RIBs.
Currently in build at the Habbeké Shipyard at Hoorn in The Netherlands, the new class of aluminium-hulled rigid inflatables is the latest purpose-designed and built coastal Search And Rescue (SAR) vessel from a design family well known for its legendary seakeeping ability.
Noel Gould, CEO at DuroWipers is clear on the important role that high quality windscreen wipers play on vessels of this nature, “As these are cabin RIBs, the performance and reliability of their wiper systems are fundamental to the success of their Search And Rescue duties. Indeed, we’ve been told that aside from major engine or safety equipment issues, the only other thing that would stop these boats putting to sea would be a wiper problem. For Search And Rescue, it really is that critical to be able to see out of the screens at all times and in all weathers.”
Search And Rescue is a tight knit community internationally, hence it was no surprise to UK SME manufacturer DuroWipers that KNRM originally discovered their products through direct recommendation by the RNLI - the UK’s largest sea rescue institution and a hugely influential organisation worldwide.
For the past decade the RNLI has been using Class 50 DuroWipers on its Shannon class all-weather lifeboats and has been so impressed with the performance and reliability of these wipers on the Shannon it has also signed a nine-year contract to steadily refit its older Severn class vessels with the same dependable systems.
The Class 50 DuroWipers being supplied for each of the KNRM boats will come with DuroWipers’ standard commercial three-year warranty. DuroWipers have been designed and engineered to outlast any other wipers on the market and are already well proven in the demanding search and rescue and military sectors.
Noel Gould concludes, ”There are few more demanding roles for a marine windscreen wiper than aboard a high-speed, all-weather Search And Rescue boat, and in the KNRM we are delighted to have yet another household name in sea rescue organisations give DuroWipers the nod of approval.”
