At the Supersede facility in Arizona, sheets of the company’s Marine Board come off the production line. PHOTO:SUPERSEDE

From the Arizona start-up Supersede, whose plywood replacement Marine Board is already in use by boatbuilders and RV makers, to Superwood, which is scheduled to come to the market later this year, there are new alternatives to natural wood. Molecular-restructured wood projects are in the lab too, with a goal of creating materials that are lighter, stronger, more sustainable and rot-proof.

The marine-grade plywood market totals $12 billion, according to various estimates. Overall, plywood is a $50 billion market that’s projected to grow to $74.5 billion by 2033. Supersede, which is based in Phoenix, aims to tap into that market with its Marine Board, which is extruded from recycled polypropylene using a zero-waste process. The result is a polymer panel engineered to match the dimensions, fastener pull-out strength and density of ¾-inch marine ply. Marine Board is waterproof, rot-proof and splinter-resistant, and has none of the chemical treatments of marine plywood.

Marine Board won the 2024 IBEX Innovation Award in the Boatbuilding Methods and Materials category. Earlier this year, Supersede closed a $10 million funding package for production and equipment expenses to ramp up production. “There are boatbuilders and RV manufacturers using Supersede Marine Board,” Sean Petterson, CEO and co-founder of Supersede, told Soundings Trade Only. “We’ve begun production with several prominent brands. Thus far, our partners’ feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. Supersede boards have exceeded expectations in performance, ease of use and compatibility with existing build processes.”

Supersede is currently testing the product’s bonding capacities to fiberglass, Petterson says, after focusing on decking for pontoons and RVs. The goal is to make it a true replacement for marine-grade plywood, including drilling and cutting. “Builders can use the same saws, drills and fasteners they’re already using with wood,” he says. “There’s no need for special tools or additional steps. Unlike wood, which creates hazardous dust, Supersede produces clean plastic chips that are easier and safer to manage during production.”

One builder using Supersede is Brunswick Boat Group’s Thunder Jet Boats in Clarkston, Wash. The material is standard on all 2026 model-year boats. It’s being used for all flooring, kickboards below the dash, and the transom board. “We are covering it with marine vinyl in place of anywhere we previously used plywood,” says Thunder Jet general manager Brian Buggenhagen. “We are currently working on the implementation of Supersede with our in-house seating products. We are specifically targeting the removal of wood in the boats, and Supersede has replaced all the decking and bulkhead use of wood in our boats.”
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Source: tradeonlytoday.com