J.D. Power and Associates Reports: Bass Cat, Correct Craft, Cobalt, Grady-White, Manitou, Regal and Sea Ray Rank Highest in Satisfying New-Boat Owners
Dealer Performance Improves While Customer Product Satisfaction Declines
WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif., Feb. 16 -- Bass Cat, Correct Craft, Cobalt, Grady-White, Manitou, Regal and Sea Ray rank highest in customer satisfaction in seven boat segments included in the J.D. Power and Associates 2006 Boat Competitive Information Study(SM) released today.
(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050527/LAF028LOGO-a )
The study, now in its fifth year, measures owner satisfaction with new boats among 78 boat brands in seven segments: ski/wakeboard, fiberglass bass boats, small runabouts (16 to 19 feet), large runabouts (20 to 29 feet), coastal fishing (17 to 28 feet), pontoons and express cruisers (24 to 33 feet). Overall customer satisfaction index scores are based on performance in nine categories: cabin; engine; ride/handling; helm/instrument panel; design/styling; sound system; maintenance; water sports; and fishing.(i)
The study finds that as expectations among new-boat owners increase, overall customer satisfaction has declined in five of seven boat segments. All of the boat segments decline in product satisfaction, with the exception of large runabouts and express cruisers, which improve slightly from 2005. However, a positive trend with dealer performance continues as customers rate their experiences higher than in past years.
"This is the first dip in product satisfaction that we've seen in five years," said Eric Sorensen, director of the marine practice. "This drop is driven in part by an increase in the number of reported problems per boat. In particular, we see a substantial decline in quality in the pontoon and bass boat segments. On a positive note, it appears some of the industry initiatives to improve dealer satisfaction are working, with trending continuously improving over the past four years. The dealership is a crucial component of the boat manufacturer's success. However, fewer than one-half of the dealers are offering their customers a test ride, which is a simple way to improve overall sales and product satisfaction."
While marine sales and service is improving, it still lags substantially behind other industries, including automotive. One of the reasons is a frequent inability to fix the boat right the first time it is brought to the dealer for service. The study finds that service is done correctly just 77 percent of the time. Customers who get their boats fixed right the first time are 60 percent more satisfied with their dealers and boats overall.
While the industry is making efforts to grow boating, there has actually been a decline in the percentage of first-time buyers, falling from 28 percent of all respondents in 2003 to 26 percent in 2006.
"We are seeing a lot of success in the ski/wakeboard segment in attracting new boaters, while pontoons have declined substantially in this area," said Sorensen.
Six boat brands have been added to the study for 2006: Sailfish, Parker and Sea Boss are included in the coastal fishing segment; Champion in the bass boat segment; and Sunchaser and Bentley in the pontoon segment.
Bass boat segment
For a second consecutive year, Bass Cat ranks highest in the bass boat segment. Bass Cat also receives the highest index score in the study. Ranger, Champion and Triton, respectively, follow Bass Cat in the segment rankings. Bass Cat, Ranger and Champion all receive a boost from using high-technology, high-horsepower engines.
Coastal fishing segment (17 to 28 feet)
Grady-White ranks highest in the coastal fishing segment for a fifth consecutive time, receiving the highest segment ratings in the areas of engine and ride/handling, as well as sales satisfaction. Following Grady-White in the rankings are Triton, Parker, Scout and Sailfish, respectively.
Express cruiser segment (24 to 33 feet)
With particularly high ratings in product quality, owner loyalty and dealer sales and service, Sea Ray ranks highest among express cruiser boats for a fourth consecutive time. Regal, with substantial gains from 2005, and Rinker follow Sea Ray in the rankings, respectively.
Pontoon segment
With significant year-over-year gains in customer satisfaction, Manitou receives its first award, ranking highest in the pontoon boat segment. Bennington, Premier, Harris FloteBote and Aqua Patio, respectively, follow Manitou in the rankings.
Small runabout segment (16 to 19 feet)
Regal ranks highest in the small runabout boat segment with the strongest performance yet seen in this segment, improving substantially in satisfaction and quality from 2005. Four Winns, Crownline, Sea Ray and Glastron, respectively, follow Regal in the segment rankings.
Large runabout segment (20 to 29 feet)
Cobalt ranks highest in the large runabout segment for a fifth consecutive time. Cobalt leads the segment by a wide margin, receiving the highest ratings in all seven feature categories. Regal, Crownline, Sea Ray and Chaparral, respectively, follow Cobalt.
Ski/wakeboard segment
Correct Craft ranks highest in the ski/wakeboard segment for a fourth consecutive time, receiving the highest ratings in five of seven feature categories. Correct Craft is followed in the segment rankings by MasterCraft, which records considerable improvements in overall satisfaction from 2005.
The 2006 Boat Competitive Information Study is based on responses from 12,255 owners who registered a new boat between June 2004 and May 2005.
Bass Boat Segment Ranking (Based on a 1,000-point scale) Manufacturer Index Score Bass Cat 925 Ranger 899 Champion 880 Triton 873 Skeeter 861 Bass Boat Segment Average 861 Stratos 836 Nitro 829 Coastal Fishing Segment Ranking (Based on a 1,000-point scale) Manufacturer Index Score Grady-White 888 Triton 871 Parker 838 Scout 833 Sailfish 831 Century 815 Hydra-Sports 814 Boston Whaler 809 Polar 809 Cobia 802 Sea Hunt 802 Coastal Fishing Segment Average 800 Key West 798 Triumph 795 Seaswirl 793 Aquasport 788 Pro-Line 778 Wellcraft 771 Angler 761 Trophy 746 Sea Boss 741 Sea Fox 739 Express Cruiser Segment Ranking (Based on a 1,000-point scale) Manufacturer Index Score Sea Ray 809 Regal 807 Rinker 792 Express Cruiser Segment Average 773 Chaparral 743 Bayliner 727 Pontoon Segment Ranking (Based on a 1,000-point scale) Manufacturer Index Score Manitou 835 Bennington 832 Premier 829 Harris FloteBote 818 Aqua Patio 813 G3 811 Crest 808 Lowe 797 Sweetwater 796 Weeres 794 Pontoon Segment Average 790 Playbuoy 778 Starcraft 774 Bentley 768 Odyssey 763 SunTracker 720 Small Runabout Segment Ranking (16 to 19 feet) (Based on a 1,000-point scale) Manufacturer Index Score Regal 822 Four Winns 793 Crownline 788 Sea Ray 762 Glastron 761 Stingray 754 Larson 744 Small Runabout Segment Average 742 Chaparral 739 Maxum 714 Tahoe 714 Bayliner 710 Large Runabout Segment Ranking (20 to 29 feet) (Based on a 1,000-point scale) Manufacturer Index Score Cobalt 896 Regal 832 Crownline 829 Sea Ray 827 Chaparral 817 Baja 816 Four Winns 816 Large Runabout Segment Average 813 Rinker 808 Monterey 804 Stingray 799 Larson 785 Maxum 769 Bayliner 749 Ski/Wakeboard Segment Ranking (Based on a 1,000-point scale) Manufacturer Index Score Correct Craft 911 MasterCraft 906 Ski/Wakeboard Segment Average 875 Malibu 873 Tige 862 Moomba 828
A PDF version of this ranking chart is available at: http://www.jdpower.com/news/releases/pressrelease.asp?ID=2006026
About J.D. Power and Associates
Headquartered in Westlake Village, Calif., J.D. Power and Associates is an ISO 9001-registered global marketing information services firm operating in key business sectors including market research, forecasting, consulting, training and customer satisfaction. The firm's quality and satisfaction measurements are based on responses from millions of consumers annually. J.D. Power and Associates is a business unit of The McGraw-Hill Companies.
About The McGraw-Hill Companies
Founded in 1888, The McGraw-Hill Companies is a leading global information services provider meeting worldwide needs in the financial services, education and business information markets through leading brands such as Standard & Poor's, McGraw-Hill Education, BusinessWeek and J.D. Power and Associates. The Corporation has more than 290 offices in 38 countries. Sales in 2005 were $6.0 billion. Additional information is available at http://www.mcgraw-hill.com/.
J.D. Power and Associates Media Relations Contacts: John Tews Peter Dadlani Director, Media Relations Supervisor, Media Relations Troy, Mich. Westlake Village, Calif. (248) 312-4119 (805) 418-8103 john.tews@jdpa.com peter.dadlani@jdpa.com
No advertising or other promotional use can be made of the information in this release without the express prior written consent of J.D. Power and Associates. www.jdpower.com
(i) Not all segments include every factor.
Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050527/LAF028LOGO-aPRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com