MIDDLEBURY, Ind. — Coachmen RV, one of North America’s most recognized RV brands, today (July 1) announced a partnership with Supersede, an engineered building materials company, to integrate Supersede’s Marine Board composite decking into the floor structure of its Catalina travel trailer brand.
“Catalina’s mission is to continually raise the bar on the materials we use, how we build, and the quality our customers take home,” said Mike Gaeddert, general manager for Coachmen RV. “Supersede’s Marine Board gives our floors a stronger, more durable structure with 100% moisture resistance in our floor decking. For our customers, that means a travel trailer built to last, made with exceptional materials, at the value Catalina is known for.”
Supersede Marine Board is designed to be and positioned as a replacement for plywood or OSB, and is engineered from recycled polypropylene using a patented extrusion process. Made in the USA in its plant in Phoenix, Ariz., the panels deliver strong structural integrity, moisture and rot resistance and reliable fastener retention, according to company officials. They are recyclable, free of formaldehyde and outgassing, resist splintering and warping and the material will integrate into Coachmen’s existing manufacturing workflows without added production steps.
It all started with three friends from college with a combined entrepreneurial drive and the thought, “Hey, I think we can find a new way to make better lumber,” Sean Petterson, CEO and co-founder of Supersede told RVBusiness in a recent interview. Today, their company is an engineered building materials company transforming structural sheathing across marine, RV, specialty vehicles, modular housing and commercial and residential construction. Its flagship product, the Supersede Marine Board, is positioned as a modern, scalable replacement for marine-grade plywood.
Petterson explained that others have tried to manufacture board materials out of recycled plastic before, but weight was a problem. The Supersede weighs the same as ½-inch OSB, he said, but is stronger and stiffer.
“No one’s ever made anything structural,” said Petterson. “That is what we’re most proud of. And for us, the next step was figure out how to manufacture it. That took about two years of writing patents and figuring out the right machinery and doing the material science. Since it is 100% waterproof, the obvious entry point for us was the marine world. So we launched at the end of 2024 in marine, the IBEX boat show.”
Petterson said it was actually the IBEX show where he was fortunate enough to meet those in the RV world.
“Mike over at Forest River and Coachmen was one of the first people to say, ‘Hey, let’s give this a shot. Our customers would love this,’” Pettersn said.
Gaeddert reported that the new partnership also advances Catalina’s sustainability goals.
“Supersede’s buyback program lets Coachmen recycle offcuts and end-of-life panels back into new products, helping reduce manufacturing waste,” he said.
“Coachmen Catalina is raising the bar for quality and sustainability in the RV industry,” added Petterson. “By building with Supersede Marine Board, they are delivering a product that is stronger, longer-lasting and better for the environment.”
Petterson said since last July his firm has conducted rigorous engineering tests, on-road tests and innovating the tongue and groove joining systems found on RV OSB flooring.
“We were able to effectively develop some new patents and some new machines to run from concept to full production for tongue and groove and launched it with Coachmen,” he said. “So, the semi-hollow profile we extrude takes the weight out but achieve that strength to weight ratio we’re looking for. So it is truly a drop-in replacement for their current operations, which is what made the launch so smooth and able to happen so quickly.”
“I’ve been on the hunt for a composite decking for several years now,” Gaeddert added. “We’re really trying to focus on, and not just in decking, but better materials are part of the process of building a better unit. We are just super pleased having a new awesome partner into this industry, and certainly guys that are forward-looking and looking to help better this industry as a whole. I mean, at the end of the day, making our customers happier customers helps us all.”
