(February 20, 2025) Merced, CA-Grant Korgan, pro-wake surf and foil athlete and longtime Centurion ambassador, along with his wife Shawna, visited the Centurion & Supreme factory in Merced, CA on February 20, 2025. It’s been nearly one decade since they built their first boat with Rick Lee. Now, the pair find themselves at the factory building and ordering a new Ri265 to be ready for the 2025 boating season.
Grant’s connection to Centurion started in the second grade when he met Duncan Lee, son of Centurion founder, Rick Lee. The pair became fast friends on the school playground in Lake Tahoe and have been best friends ever since. Now, Grant is a Centurion ambassador and athlete who shares his love for water sports and Centurion with all who will let him.
“We are here to lay out the design of this year’s boat,” Grant shared, “Each year we build a boat, take perfect care of it and put in the hours to break in the boat perfectly. When we get a new boat, we pull it out of the plastic, set it up, and then I take it to Lake Tahoe. For 25 hours, I drive around the lake, ensuring the engine is broken in to perfection before we ever take it out for wake surfing,” Grant explained.
This level of dedication shows their respect for their boats as more than just a machine, they see them as works of art and vessels for life-changing experiences.
Beyond the water, the Korgans use their Centurion boat to inspire and uplift others.
“Our boat is a platform for incredible moments. We host masterminds, bring people together, and share experiences that create lasting impacts. Shawna and I both speak publicly, and after our talks, we take people out on the water to experience something transformative,” Grant shared. “A couple that has overcome a spinal cord injury gets to wake surf and foil together, and then we anchor, have lunch, and create memories. This boat is more than just a ride—it’s a movement.”
Their connection with Centurion runs deeper than just the boats themselves.
“It’s the relationships,” Grant said. “From the early days with Rick Lee and his son Duncan, who was my childhood best friend, to now with Shane, Amy, Paul, and Daniel—it’s family. The passion and care that go into every Centurion boat are unmatched, and you can feel it.”
The relationships Grant built at Centurion helped him to get back on the water after an accident that left him paralyzed. In 2010, while snowmobiling in the Sierra Nevada mountains, he suffered a severe spinal cord injury which left him paralyzed from the waist down. Instead of shattering Grant’s dreams and goals, a flame ignited in him. Since the accident, Grant has been determined to not only rehabilitate but pioneer ways to once again participate in the sports he loved. In 2015 he joined Team Centurion as a pro wake surfing athlete with his board modified to help him shred behind the world’s best waves, wake and ride.
At Centurion we aspire to wake waves of positivity and that shines through with ambassadors like Korgan’s. Over the years, Grant and Shawna travel the world sharing their stories at public speaking events and while running their non-profit, Moment Foundation which executes aviation-related humanitarian missions. From rescuing abandoned dogs with Pilots for Paws to helping veterans who are reacclimating to civilian life with Operation Wake Surf, Moment Foundation aims to lift people up and bring positivity into their lives.
With their new Ri265, the Korgan’s will continue to share the healing power of water with all that they bring together on Lake Tahoe.
About Centurion Boats: Creating the World’s best waves, wakes and ride since 1976, Centurion is a towed water sports boat manufacturer built on innovation and commitment to excellence. As a Correct Craft Company, we are charged with “Making Lives Better”. We embody this phrase with the boats we build along with the lives we live on and off the water. Centurion Boats is the perfect ride every time. To learn more about Centurion Boats, visit http://www.centurionboats.com.
About Correct Craft: Celebrating 100 years of excellence in the marine industry, Correct Craft is a Florida-based company with global operations. Focused on “Making Life Better,” the Correct Craft family includes Nautique, Centurion, Supreme, Bass Cat, Yar-Craft, SeaArk, Parker, and Ingenity boat companies, Pleasurecraft Engine Group, Indmar Marine Engines, Velvet Drive Transmissions, Mach Connections, Merritt Precision, Osmosis, Watershed Innovation, and Aktion Parks. For more information, please visit www.correctcraft.com.