What Canandaigua Boatworks Accomplished with a Surf Event
Last year at the dealer meeting, Rob and Rich from Canandaigua Boatworks (CBW) pulled me aside with an idea: what if the World Series of Wake Surfing came to their lake? A few months later, in February, Ken Scribner (Competition and Team Manager) and Chad Lowe from the WWA made the trip out to scout the venue. What they found was a marina blanketed in snow, quiet, and hard to picture as a competition site.
But CBW didn’t hesitate. They committed the resources, showed up to bi-weekly planning meetings, and trusted the process. That bet paid off in a big way.
When competitors and staff arrived in mid-August for the inaugural Centurion I ❤️ Surf Classic, the transformation was undeniable. The venue was beautiful. The community was primed. And CBW’s team had spent months on local promotion, building buzz well before a single boat hit the water.
The Event Was Never Just About the Competition
What made the I ❤️ Surf Classic stand out wasn’t only the podium finishes from Team Centurion athletes like Tyler Stewart, Ava Stewart, and Kaelyn Hellemn — it was everything built around it:
-A Centurion Salute to Service day, honoring local military and first responders with a free day on the water ahead of the competition.
-A “Ride with a Pro” day, where three Centurion Team pros gave five local families an hour and a half of wake surfing coaching each. One of those families bought a new Centurion afterward.
-Two days of demos run in partnership with Keuka Water Sports, with reserved demo slots for Centurion & Supreme Boats customers on Friday and Saturday.
-Local sponsors and vendors who elevated the entire atmosphere, turning a competition into a community event.
-A gorgeous resort venue for registration and enough surrounding entertainment (including a Sublime concert) to keep out-of-town guests around all weekend.
The result: a dealership that didn’t just host a competition, but used it as a multi-day showcase for its brand, its boats, and its community ties. And it worked — the two 2027 Centurion RS245s that towed the event stayed on for two more weeks of demos afterward, extending the impact well past the weekend itself.
Why This Matters for Your Dealership
CBW’s experience is a blueprint, not a one-off. Hosting a wake surf competition — whether a full World Series of Wake Surfing stop or a grassroots event — gives your dealership:
-Direct access to serious buyers. Ride-along and demo days put your boats in the hands of people who are already engaged with the sport, at the exact moment they’re most excited about it.
-A reason for local media and sponsors to talk about you. Local promotion, sponsor tie-ins, and community honor days (like a Salute to Service) build goodwill that outlasts the event itself.
-A halo effect for your brand. Competitors and spectators associate your marina with the best wave in the industry — and with a team that knows how to deliver a first-class experience.
-Extended demo opportunities. Boats and pros are already on-site. A weekend event can easily become weeks of ongoing customer touch points.
-A stronger relationship with your local lake community. CBW leaned into its ties to the Finger Lakes region, and that authenticity was part of what made the event land so well.
Ready to Explore Hosting an Event?
If your dealership has a venue, a motivated team, and a local water sports community that’s ready to be activated, we want to hear from you. We are actively scouting future stops for the World Series of Wake Surfing tour as well as feeder and smaller grassroots events, and dealer partnerships like the one with CBW are exactly what make these events possible — and successful.
Reach out to us in the Centurion & Supreme Boats Marketing Department to start the conversation. As CBW proved, sometimes the best events start as a snowy, deserted marina with a little bit of vision.
The 2026 WSWS season wraps up October 1–3 in Winter Haven, FL, for the Centurion World Wake Surfing Championship. Bring your VIP customers to experience the new Centurion RS Series.
Amy Mauzy
Vice President, Marketing & Brand Direction