LCI Industries : RAND Boats Partners with Lippert Marine Group Europe as Preferred Supplier of Windscreen Solutions

November 28, 2022

Havant, United Kingdom -Lippert™ Marine Group Europe's Taylor Made® glazing solutions has been selected as the preferred glazing supplier of RAND Boats, one of the fastest growing boat companies in Europe. Supporting the RAND design team with unrivalled glass making experience, marine glass specialist Lippert is supplying RAND with Taylor Made glass solutions in no less than 7 projects since the partnership began in 2021.

Utilising decades of experience supplying the marine, recreational vehicle and residential housing industries, Lippert ensures that even the most complex of windshield and glass designs can be realised. Offering a turn-key service, the company can offer competitive pricing, with windshield design, glass capabilities, glass design and extrusion design all in one place.

With the release of the RAND Escape 30, came the first windscreen consisting of two pieces of glass meeting horizontally to form a continuous link from the windscreen to the hardtop. The project was challenging; the glass panels themselves are complex, but nothing overly so for Lippert's capabilities. What was more difficult, was to agree on a design for both top and bottom glass that supported the two pieces meeting accurately while delivering on the desired look of the client.

As the screen is sat pride-of-place at the helm, the join had to be crisp and positioned so that it would not interrupt the eyeline of the pilot. With an unusually tight tolerance envelope, all parts of the design were carefully considered by Lippert's skilled engineers, resulting in a tidy, stylish finish for this unique windshield design.

These particular projects are designed, built and shipped from Lippert's 403 plant in Ireland. Lippert 403 produces some of the most complex of the company's glass parts, as well as the largest curved, single pane windscreens up to 3100 mm.

The RAND Source 22 boasts the design aesthetic of a race car; the fastest electric boat on the market, this model was born for adventure, demanding a centre console glazing panel to protect the helm. Lippert designed a single piece of glass for this model, perfectly embracing the centre console to achieve a seamless finish. Similarly, a single piece Taylor Made screen was sourced for the RAND Spirit 25 model. With its more classical, effortless look, the Lippert team knew that perfectly mirrored curves and a spotless finish were the key to success. The screen sits proudly atop the deck in grey, contrasting with the light interior finish.

The RAND Supreme 27 and Leisure 28 models both required complex screens with opening hatches, allowing access to the bow areas. The requirement was to replace an existing windscreen model, which demanded a keen eye and plenty of development from the Lippert engineering team to complete a full redesign, using Taylor Made extrusion systems. In order to match the look of the original design, a large amount of trial-and-error development was required for the extrusion dies and glass panels.

The Lippert team worked collaboratively with RAND to ensure their vision was achieved. Both models make use of this sleek design, complimenting the performance-ready hull structure which achieves enviable planing speeds.

Lippert Marine Group Europe's Managing Director, Matt Johnston, had this to say about the partnership:

"We are proud to be working with a brand like RAND Boats, whose outward focus on improving the sustainability of our oceans is making waves in the innovation of the powerboat market. We see a synergy in our companies, with the production of equipment for professionals and novices alike, designing to encourage new users into our world with ease and comfort. It is a delight to see our Taylor Made screens a-top these yachts."

RAND Is continuing to explore the vast array of options that Lippert presents to the market, with our Lewmar® Bow Thrusters next to feature on these yachts. Lippert Marine Group Europe comprises three heritage marine brands, Lewmar, Trend® Marine and Taylor Made, enabling boat builders to benefit from the complete range of yachting products.

With two more RAND projects in the works, premiering at Boot Dusseldorf 2023, Lippert's Taylor Made screens will once again feature on board. One 20 ft. centre console model will feature a curved glass panel, almost unseen in yachts of this size in the European market, where acrylic is often used as a low-cost alternative. Lippert's European glazing plants are able to offer glazing at a competitive rate, because of the volumes produced for the US market, where Lippert has a strong foot holding in marine glass systems.

The final complex glass pieces look effortless but are the fruit of the combined efforts of in-house tooling design, skills of the production team as well as a testament to the physical capabilities of the Lippert furnaces. Lippert is pleased to continue to support RAND in delivering these stylish vessels to boating experts and novices alike, and is very excited to see these highly anticipated models unveiled at the 'Boot' fair in January.

About LCI Industries^®

From over 140 manufacturing and distribution facilities located throughout North America, Africa and Europe, Lippert™ supplies a broad array of highly engineered components for the leading manufacturers of recreational vehicles and prefab homes. It also operates in adjacent markets, including marine, bus, industrial vehicles and trains. Lippert™ also serves a wide range of aftermarket segments, providing high quality products for the caravanning, automotive and marine industries. With over 15,000 team members, and a diverse portfolio of best-in-class brands, Lippert™ adopts a team-based business philosophy and has proven that, by putting people first, the possibilities for growth and development are truly endless.

Lippert
3501 County Road 6 East
Elkhart, IN 46514
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