Article: Boats cast off wood in favor of plastics.(Brief Article)

Wood is no longer welcome in the boating industry.

At a recent marine trade show in Chicago, engineered thermoplastics and composite materials dropped anchor as never before. The use of plastics -- whether in extruded sheet or injection molded form -- ruled the waves at the International Marine Trades Exhibit and Conference.

Several parts suppliers propped up signs signifying the shift from wood to plastics. Some had placards with the word wood, surrounded by a circle with a slash mark through it. Composite supplier Kayco Inc. of Grand Prairie, Texas, admonished booth visitors to let Kayco "get your wood out."

Meanwhile, several leading makers ...

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