Centurion will be closeing their doors

[David 0]

Ski centurion web page has not been updated with the 2010 boat models. That makes me a little nervous. Hope they survive…

[duramat 462]

Centurion will still be around and Im sure they are fine.

 

M&M and Centurion have parted ways. The two werent able to agree on certian issues. M&M was Centurions dealer of the year for 2007, 2008, and 2009 and they will continue to be, unfortunately it will be with another brand. (yet to be announced). M&M has been in the business for 20 years and know what they are doing and will be just fine. My Hats off to M&M

 

Utah Watersports, wait and see I geuss. I do know that they were the largest MC dealership west of the Missippi and 6th largest dealer in the nation. They have a nice showroom floor....hopefully its large enough for more Centurion Models.

[Bigcatpt 408]

Centurion will still be around and Im sure they are fine.

 

M&M and Centurion have parted ways. The two werent able to agree on certian issues. M&M was Centurions dealer of the year for 2007, 2008, and 2009 and they will continue to be, unfortunately it will be with another brand. (yet to be announced). M&M has been in the business for 20 years and know what they are doing and will be just fine. My Hats off to M&M

 

Utah Watersports, wait and see I geuss. I do know that they were the largest MC dealership west of the Missippi and 6th largest dealer in the nation. They have a nice showroom floor....hopefully its large enough for more Centurion Models.

 

I called and talked to Adam at M&M watersports and got the same info. Sounds like they tried to work something out with Centurion but did not feel comfortable with what Centurion was requiring of them for 2010. He assured me that can still do centurion service and warrantee work but will not carry centurion boats any longer. Utah Water Sports will carry the Centurion brand now. This could be interesting. Things must be pretty bad if Centurions best dealer in the country drops their line.... Doesn't sound good!

 

Dura, also doesn't sound good for your warrantee work that still isn't done...

[Tucker 0]

Ken thank you and I have no hard feelings either. I started off with a big oops, hopefully it will be my last.

 

Centurionskier, I had never been on the site until my first post. I had only heard about it. I know nothing about Ken or his buisness.

 

Bigcatpt I do live in Utah and have talked to the owners. Sadly it is true that they will nolonger carry Centurion Boats. I do believe they are the best surf boat out there, bar none!

[600 0]

sorry to hear m&m will no longer be a centurion dealer. They are very well known even here in canada. i purchased my first centurion, a brand new 07 t5 from them a few years back. adam made the transaction go quite smoothly considering it was mostly done over the phone. wish adam and the crew the best of luck for the future.

 

tucker - as far as canadas largest dealer i'm not sure who that would be or was. from what i understand there are several dealers mostly located in western canada that represent other boat manufacturers as well. over the years there has been many changes with different dealers selling centurion as canada has always been a limited market. gilligans boat world out of airdrie ab was one of the largest untill approximateley 4 or 5 years ago which was unfortunate because they also have a very good reputation. i think the dealers we now have in alberta are also doing a good job considering again the market conditions and competition with other manufacturers. i do believe we have seen the worst of it and things will slowly improve for both the manufacturers and dealers.

[WakeDoc 471]

THIS might answer some questions and give some insight.

[desotodave 0]

I called and talked to Adam at M&M watersports and got the same info. Sounds like they tried to work something out with Centurion but did not feel comfortable with what Centurion was requiring of them for 2010. He assured me that can still do centurion service and warrantee work but will not carry centurion boats any longer. Utah Water Sports will carry the Centurion brand now. This could be interesting. Things must be pretty bad if Centurions best dealer in the country drops their line.... Doesn't sound good!

 

Dura, also doesn't sound good for your warrantee work that still isn't done...

 

Hey all,

 

I am a long time lurker here on the site, although I do not post very often. Here are my 2 cents worth.

 

I have purchased my last 2 new boats from M&M Watersports here in Utah. It is true they are not going to be carrying Centurions any longer. Prior to my purchase of my Elite V 4 years ago I was an avid Mastercraft fan. I have always been a slalom skier and loved my prostar. BUT, I HATED UTAH WATERSPORTS (the new Centurion Dealer in Utah)! I would do everything in my power to avoid having to deal with the dealership. It even got the the point that I would purchase parts from a dealer in California, and then have an independent install them. It is my contention that they are the WORST boat dealer in America (great at selling product, support non-existent). I finally made the decision to sell my beloved prostar as my kids were getting old enough to want to wakeboard and I wanted a crossover type boat. My final determination was that I would own anything BUT a Mastercraft, I just could not deal with it any longer. I finally made my way down to see the guys at M&M watersports. As others have indicated Adam down there is the BEST, not to mention Troy and Shane. Whenever I need anything they do ANYTHING in their power to see that it gets fixed. They even ran a battery out to me (30 miles, and they were there in 35 minutes) when my was dead. This is without a doubt the best service I have ever received from any type of vehicle dealership anywhere I have lived. Indeed M&M was dealer of the year the last 3 years! Now I am not privy to the private goings on at Centurion and M&M, but I am dumbfounded that a dealership that has lived Centurion for over 20 years, and was 100% committed to bringing their clients the best possible product is now no longer selling these boats! From a dealership standpoint, I would assume that things would have to be REAL bad at Centurion for them to want to look elsewhere. Now, lets look at this from the other point of view. Lets say that the decision was Centurions and not M&M's. What kind of idiot would make a business decision to pull the franchise for their dealer of the year the last 3 years, and give it to a dealership who I have never had a positive experience with.

 

Either way I see bad things in the future for Centurion. If I was Rick Lee I would get down on my knees, ask M&M for forgiveness and beg them to come back. Nothing good can come of this.

 

Additionally, I am also friends with a number of the riders who are "sponsored" by Centurion. What a dissapointed group of great guys. It seems like being a Centurion sponsored rider now means that Centurion can use your name and likeness on their website, and the riders get......well their picture on the Centurion website.

 

I now own a 23 foot Enzo, and surfing is our passion. My wife, I and my son all went to the World Wakesurf Championships in Nasville in 2008. We love surfing! I have sold tons of Centurion boats due to my unbridled enthusiasm about the product, surfing and the good experience I have had with M&M. I have 2 friends in Washington, 1 in California, not to mention family members and friends who have bought one locally. But, I can't support a company that would treat their dealership base this poorly. If things don't change for the better, I will not purchase another Centurion product.

 

I know that the poster who originated this thread got off on the wrong foot, but the point that he raised at first is a good one WTF is going on with Centurion.

 

Dave

Edited January 19, 2010 by desotodave

[Bigcatpt 408]

Hey all,

 

I am a long time lurker here on the site, although I do not post very often. Here are my 2 cents worth.

 

I have purchased my last 2 new boats from M&M Watersports here in Utah. It is true they are not going to be carrying Centurions any longer. Prior to my purchase of my Elite V 4 years ago I was an avid Mastercraft fan. I have always been a slalom skier and loved my prostar. BUT, I HATED UTAH WATERSPORTS (the new Centurion Dealer in Utah)! I would do everything in my power to avoid having to deal with the dealership. It even got the the point that I would purchase parts from a dealer in California, and then have an independent install them. It is my contention that they are the WORST boat dealer in America (great at selling product, support non-existent). I finally made the decision to sell my beloved prostar as my kids were getting old enough to want to wakeboard and I wanted a crossover type boat. My final determination was that I would own anything BUT a Mastercraft, I just could not deal with it any longer. I finally made my way down to see the guys at M&M watersports. As others have indicated Adam down there is the BEST, not to mention Troy and Shane. Whenever I need anything they do ANYTHING in their power to see that it gets fixed. They even ran a battery out to me (30 miles, and they were there in 35 minutes) when my was dead. This is without a doubt the best service I have ever received from any type of vehicle dealership anywhere I have lived. Indeed M&M was dealer of the year the last 3 years! Now I am not privy to the private goings on at Centurion and M&M, but I am dumbfounded that a dealership that has lived Centurion for over 20 years, and was 100% committed to bringing their clients the best possible product is now no longer selling these boats! From a dealership standpoint, I would assume that things would have to be REAL bad at Centurion for them to want to look elsewhere. Now, lets look at this from the other point of view. Lets say that the decision was Centurions and not M&M's. What kind of idiot would make a business decision to pull the franchise for their dealer of the year the last 3 years, and give it to a dealership who I have never had a positive experience with.

 

Either way I see bad things in the future for Centurion. If I was Rick Lee I would get down on my knees, ask M&M for forgiveness and beg them to come back. Nothing good can come of this.

 

Additionally, I am also friends with a number of the riders who are "sponsored" by Centurion. What a dissapointed group of great guys. It seems like being a Centurion sponsored rider now means that Centurion can use your name and likeness on their website, and the riders get......well their picture on the Centurion website.

 

I now own a 23 foot Enzo, and surfing is our passion. My wife, I and my son all went to the World Wakesurf Championships in Nasville in 2008. We love surfing! I have sold tons of Centurion boats due to my unbridled enthusiasm about the product, surfing and the good experience I have had with M&M. I have 2 friends in Washington, 1 in California, not to mention family members and friends who have bought one locally. But, I can't support a company that would treat their dealership base this poorly. If things don't change for the better, I will not purchase another Centurion product.

 

I know that the poster who originated this thread got off on the wrong foot, but the point that he raised at first is a good one WTF is going on with Centurion.

 

Dave

 

You make some great points! Nothing about this is a good thing for Centurion, M&M, or us centurion owners locally... Doesn't look good.

[desotodave 0]

You make some great points! Nothing about this is a good thing for Centurion, M&M, or us centurion owners locally... Doesn't look good.

 

Yes very sad

[elc 2]

centurion owners locally...

 

This is key "locally".

Companies make changes in bad economic times to stay nimble and return to profitability. Who knows what happened to the M&M relationship. From a consumer stand point it sounds like M&M was a great dealer but honestly I have never heard of them until now. By them getting rid of the line, it doesn’t affect my perception of Centurion. It sounds like you guys had a great dealer and it is disappointing that you guys lost this relationship.

 

Does it mean Centurion is closing its doors? I doubt it. It means the company is restructuring to be more nimble when the economy rebounds. Over the last couple of weeks I have seen a new dealership picking up Centurion every time I view WW or this site.

 

I always found the sponsorship thing kind of funny also. Is a thirty - fifty year old couple (someone with money) really going to be persuaded if Aaron Rathy is riding behind a certain boat??? Yeah, I understand it gives the riders the opportunity to help push the sport... So it also sounds like a pretty smart decision to cut sponsorships.

[rizza32 0]

I have both the wakeboard mag and water ski mag boat buyers guides and this is the first time I havent seen a Centurion in either one for as long as I can remember. But Fineline said they were in production. Recently called over with a question and they have switched to pcm from merc and are also using a diferent prop than acme.

[desotodave 0]

This is key "locally".

Companies make changes in bad economic times to stay nimble and return to profitability. Who knows what happened to the M&M relationship. From a consumer stand point it sounds like M&M was a great dealer but honestly I have never heard of them until now. By them getting rid of the line, it doesn’t affect my perception of Centurion. It sounds like you guys had a great dealer and it is disappointing that you guys lost this relationship.

 

Does it mean Centurion is closing its doors? I doubt it. It means the company is restructuring to be more nimble when the economy rebounds. Over the last couple of weeks I have seen a new dealership picking up Centurion every time I view WW or this site.

 

I always found the sponsorship thing kind of funny also. Is a thirty - fifty year old couple (someone with money) really going to be persuaded if Aaron Rathy is riding behind a certain boat??? Yeah, I understand it gives the riders the opportunity to help push the sport... So it also sounds like a pretty smart decision to cut sponsorships.

 

Sure I am talking about my local dealer. I don't know how Centurion is financially, but I do know that it seems like they are making some real screwy business decisions. Parting ways with your oldest dealership, who just happens to be the DEALER OF THE YEAR for the last 3 years in a row does not seem to me like they are making good decisions. On the other hand, maybe M&M decided to part ways. If that is the case, I trust them enough to think that where there is fire there is smoke!

[elc 2]

Again DEALER OF THE YEAR means nothing to anyone except the guys that purchased from them. I have recent first hand experience of parting ways with a great partner to become more nimble and profitable. In fact is was a very good decision.

 

Customers are obviously upset about loosing a great dealer which I don't blame them. But this is fairly irrelevant from a macro level.

[WakeDoc 471]

I have both the wakeboard mag and water ski mag boat buyers guides and this is the first time I havent seen a Centurion in either one for as long as I can remember.

 

I have the same question WHY? Think it might have something to with the fact that they were not advertising with the mag in that issue? I think it is a JOKE that a magazine that "represents the indusrty" including boats, gear, riders, etc. decide who can and cannot be in there gear guide depending on who is paying and who isn't, way to be non bias. Why not just have a gear guide that based on the highest bidder says, x-boat is the best, x-board brand is the best and so on and we as consumers can disregard it just like we do today.

[CenturionSkier 43]

I contacted Les Clark at the Fineline East plant via email tonight and he gave me a call at home. He confirmed that they have switched to PCM for sure. They have been using them on all 2010 models. The East plant had been offering them for about 5 years as an option. He said the KK would not offer them to the dealers out West. He also told me that they are much quieter than the Mercs, have a digital throttle system, have a smoother shifting transmission and are able to operate the Pro-Vision Dash with a engine based Cruise Control system standard. Mercury refused to make their engines intergrade with the Pro-Vision Dash system. One other difference is that PCM is able to continue to offer the less expensive Non-Cat engines until January 1 2011 everywhere but in the state of California, but MerCruiser because of the size of the company had to switch to CAT engines on January 1 of 2010.

 

He also said they have had a long term relationship with Acme Propellors and are still using them on every boat they built. He has no idea where that rumor came from.

 

There production is up from last year, they have orders on their production board all the way out to the end of May as of right now and the boat show season is just starting. The Merced plant just opened back up and they have orders all the way out to May as well. Things are looking good right now.

 

Seems to me he was really excited to talk to me and wanted me to know the facts as they are at this time.

[elc 2]

I contacted Les Clark at the Fineline East plant via email tonight and he gave me a call at home. He confirmed that they have switched to PCM for sure. They have been using them on all 2010 models. The East plant had been offering them for about 5 years as an option. He said the KK would not offer them to the dealers out West. He also told me that they are much quieter than the Mercs, have a digital throttle system, have a smoother shifting transmission and are able to operate the Pro-Vision Dash with a engine based Cruise Control system standard. Mercury refused to make their engines intergrade with the Pro-Vision Dash system. One other difference is that PCM is able to continue to offer the less expensive Non-Cat engines until January 1 2011 everywhere but in the state of California, but MerCruiser because of the size of the company had to switch to CAT engines on January 1 of 2010.

 

He also said they have had a long term relationship with Acme Propellors and are still using them on every boat they built. He has no idea where that rumor came from.

 

There production is up from last year, they have orders on their production board all the way out to the end of May as of right now and the boat show season is just starting. The Merced plant just opened back up and they have orders all the way out to May as well. Things are looking good right now.

 

Seems to me he was really excited to talk to me and wanted me to know the facts as they are at this time.

 

Thanks for the good information!

[desotodave 0]

Again DEALER OF THE YEAR means nothing to anyone except the guys that purchased from them. I have recent first hand experience of parting ways with a great partner to become more nimble and profitable. In fact is was a very good decision.

 

Customers are obviously upset about loosing a great dealer which I don't blame them. But this is fairly irrelevant from a macro level.

When you consider Dealer of the Year means they sold the most boats, does not make it just a local issue. I think that losing their OLDEST and highest volume dealer should make everyone sit back and ask why. And no, the dealer is not struggling financially.

[WakeDoc 471]

When you consider Dealer of the Year means they sold the most boats, does not make it just a local issue. I think that losing their OLDEST and highest volume dealer should make everyone sit back and ask why. And no, the dealer is not struggling financially.

 

Dave, no offense you are starting to beat a dead , we all understand you are upset, I would be to, give it a little time I am sure the facts will come out and give you a better understanding of why this happen.

[MANDC 0]

Dave your right. What did M&M do that Centurion felt like the were not a good dealer for them?

[desotodave 0]

Let's take a look at Centurion 3 years from now. My money is they will either no longer be in business, or be owned by someone different. Mark this on your calendar, I will reply in e years.