Canoe and Kayak magazine has named their Boat Manufacturer, Accessory manufacturer, and Retailer of the year award winners for 2003. This is the 15th annual presentation of these honors, which were voted on by 700 retailers and 650 manufacturers.

Perception walked away with the Boat Manufacturer of the year award. WaterMark's CEO, Jim Clark, said, “We worked our butts off this year to improve service and delivery times (this) lets our people know that their hard work is paying off.”

The Accessory Manufacturer award went for the second consecutive year to AquaBound Paddles out of British Columbia. “We have tried our to keep doing all those little things … and deliver the best product and service we can,” said Joe Matuska, AquaBound president.

Madison, Wisconsin's Rutabaga, won this year's Retailer of the Year award for the fourth time. Co-owner Darren Bush said, “This is fantastic! Our staff deserves much of the credit since they do such a great job of taking care of customers.”