Centurion Boats, owned by Fineline Industries, is a manufacturer specializing in the production of water sports boats, primarily tow boats for wakesurfing and wakeboarding. It was founded by current owner Rick Lee. Its headquarters and manufacturing operations are in

Merced, California Merced (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Mercy") is a city in, and the county seat of, Merced County, California, Merced County, California, United States, in the San Joaquin Valley. As of the 2020 Census, the city had a population of 86,333, up ...

History

Centurion Boats was founded by Rick and Pam Lee. They acquired the trade name from a Salt Lake City company, and took their first order by phone in 1976. The first products were inboard ski boats, which were produced in a leased 10,000 square foot facility in Southern California. In 1986 the first V-Drive ski boat was brought to market. As business increased, the facility was expanded to 121,000 sq feet, set on about six acres, including a test lake for research and development. Centurion later manufactured mainly boats designed for

Wakeboarding Wakeboarding is a water sport in which the rider, standing on a wakeboard (a board with foot bindings), is towed behind a motorboat across its wake and especially up off the crest in order to perform aerial maneuvers. A hallmark of wakeboardin ...

and

Wakesurfing Wakesurfing is a water sport in which a rider trails behind a boat, riding the boat's wake without being directly pulled by the boat. After getting up on the wake, typically by use of a tow rope, the wakesurfers will drop the rope, and ride the ...

. In 1990 the company developed C.A.T. fins, and by 1992 they had developed a computerized management system to monitor and control boats' features and performance. In 1995 Centurion began manufacturing 'The Wave', a boat specifically designed to create large wakes for Wakeboarding and Wakesurfing. By 1997 the new UCS construction system was introduced, eliminating wood from the boat structure. In 2003, Centurion introduced the Tsunami model, a cabin cruiser with a large fuel tank. Centurion developed sideswipe exhaust in 2003. The Avalanche model for wake riding and the similar but smaller V-Drive Cyclone model were introduced in 2004. After developing VTF Fins in 2005, Centurion collaborated with NASCAR in 2007 to produce a series of licensed waterskiing boats. For several years Centurion sponsored the Watkins Glen sprint racecourse, leading to the unusual title "Centurion Boats at the Glen". In 2015 the

Correct Craft Correct Craft is a United States-based builder of powerboats primarily for waterskiing and wakeboard use. It was founded in 1925 by Walt C. Meloon as the Florida Variety Boat Company. Correct Craft is the oldest family-owned and operated boat manu ...

company bought a majority interest in Centurion Boats.

Current models

As of 2013, the company's best-selling line was the Centurion Enzo, a V-Drive tow boat geared towards producing

waves. That year an Enzo was the official towboat of the World Wake Surfing Championship. Another newer model was the Avalanche C4, a V-Drive boat for both wakesurfing and wakeboarding. The Elite V C4 model is a less expensive V-Drive boat, with a narrower beam and shallower draft. The Carbon Pro is an inboard ski towboat, geared towards tournament ski competition performance.

References

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External links

Centurion Boats Official Website

Centurion Owner Forum
American boat builders Manufacturing companies based in California 1976 establishments in California American companies established in 1976 Vehicle manufacturing companies established in 1976 Water sports equipment manufacturers Sporting goods manufacturers of the United States