......and will be of interest to those who put a lot of stock in such
things.


The following news release was issued today by J.D. Power and
Associates. To view the release and accompanying ranking charts on our
Web site, please click he
http://www.jdpower.com/corporate/new...asp?ID=2007026



J.D. Power and Associates Reports: Bass Cat, Cobalt, Correct Craft,
Grady-White, Harris FloteBote and Regal

Rank Highest in Their Respective Segments in New-Boat Owner
Satisfaction



Small, Privately Owned Boat Companies Dominate the Boat Awards in 2007



MIAMI: 15 February 2007 - Bass Cat, Cobalt, Correct Craft, Grady-
White, Harris FloteBote and Regal rank highest in customer
satisfaction in seven boat segments included in the J.D. Power and
Associates 2007 Boat Competitive Information StudySM released today at
the Miami International Boat Show.



Independent single-brand boat companies continue to dominate the award
rankings. These manufacturers appear to be particularly dedicated to
optimizing quality and satisfaction, and as a result, have led the
rankings virtually every year since J.D. Power and Associates first
launched the study in 2001.



"There are exceptions, but as a general rule this group of independent
boat builders tend to outperform the larger builders when it comes to
overall customer satisfaction," said Todd Markusic, senior director of
the powersports practice at J.D. Power and Associates. "These
companies tend to be more nimble than the larger builders in making
changes, correcting problems and adopting new technologies, whereas
larger companies naturally face challenges in implementing the same
processes. That's not to say that it's impossible for the larger
builders to produce quality boats and provide an excellent sales and
service experience for their customers. For example, Harris FloteBote,
part of Brunswick Corporation, ranks highest in the pontoon segment,
and Sea Ray, another larger Brunswick company, also performs well in
the study."



Now in its sixth year, the study measures owner satisfaction with new
boats among 76 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 and handling;
helm and instrument panel; design and styling; sound system;
maintenance; water sports; and fishing.[1] Scores are measured as
problems per 100 (PP100) boats, with lower scores reflecting higher
quality.



The number of owner-reported problems has decreased compared with the
2006 study and are at the lowest levels in the study's history (309
PP100 in 2007 compared with 327 PP100 in the 2006 study). The most
dramatic quality improvements are in the segments for coastal fishing
(40 PP100 improvement compared with the 2006 study), bass boat (26
PP100 improvement) and ski/wakeboarding (10 PP100 improvement).
Additionally, quality improvements have a positive impact on overall
customer satisfaction, as satisfaction levels in 2007 are at their
highest since the study was first launched.



"It is evident that manufacturers are listening to their customers,"
said Markusic. "However, despite the improvements, not all boats have
high quality, and not all customers are happy. We continue to see
companies that struggle with quality and satisfaction year after year,
and given the competitiveness of the marine industry, these companies
must work harder by improving quality and listening to the voice of
the customer to succeed."



While quality and product satisfaction are essential, the dealership
experience-both sales and service-are also crucial to customer
satisfaction. The study finds that, on average, boat owners are more
satisfied with the dealership experience than they were in 2006.



While 27 percent of boat owners report that they have not had their
boat serviced, 79 percent of owners who have had service work
performed did so at the boat dealership, and 16 percent had their boat
serviced on-site by a dealer service. Among owners who received
repairs or service, 79 percent indicated the work was done right the
first time-up slightly from 77 percent in the 2006 study.



"Sales and service satisfaction levels are much lower in the boating
industry when compared with the auto industry," said Markusic.
"However, the two industries are very different as boating dealerships
are exceptionally busy during the boating season and then slow greatly
in the off-season. Customer expectations for service on their boat are
based partially on their automotive experience, so they expect their
boat to be repaired in the same timely manner as their vehicle. Also,
given the relatively short boating seasons in many parts of the
country, the last thing owners want is to have their boat tied up in
maintenance service for an extended period of time."



Bass boat segment

For a third consecutive year, Bass Cat ranks highest in the bass boat
segment, leading in each of the six factors that determine overall
satisfaction. The company also receives the highest index score in the
study for the second consecutive year. Bass Cat owners report
experiencing high levels of quality, recording 84 fewer PP100 than the
second-ranked brand in the segment. Triton, Ranger and Skeeter,
respectively, follow in the segment rankings.



Coastal fishing segment (17 to 28 feet)

Grady-White ranks highest in the coastal fishing segment for a sixth
consecutive time. Grady-White, which has the fewest problems
experienced in the segment (154 PP100 compared with the segment
average of 298 PP100) also performs well in dealer sales and service.
Following Grady-White is Boston Whaler, which had the greatest year-
over-year improvement in the segment. Scout and Century, respectively,
follow Boston Whaler in the segment rankings.



Express cruiser segment (24 to 33 feet)

Having made substantial improvements in the study during the past two
years, Regal ranks highest among express cruises. Regal receives the
highest ratings in the segment in ride and handling, design and
styling, engine satisfaction, quality, cabin, helm and instrument
panel, and maintenance. Sea Ray follows Regal in the segment
rankings.



Small runabout segment (16 to 19 feet)

Regal ranks highest in the small runabout boat segment for a second
consecutive time. Regal performs particularly well in ride and
handling, which has the greatest impact on overall satisfaction in the
segment, while also posting strong results in service satisfaction.
Crownline, Sea Ray, Stingray and Chaparral, respectively, follow in
the segment rankings. Crownline records the fewest problems
experienced in the segment at 249 PP100. Chaparral experiences the
largest improvement in the segment, improving 54 index points from the
2006 study.



Large runabout segment (20 to 29 feet)

Cobalt ranks highest in the large runabout segment for a sixth
consecutive time. Cobalt receives segment-leading scores in each of
the seven factors of overall satisfaction, and performs particularly
well in sales and service. Regal, Sea Ray and Four Winns,
respectively, follow Cobalt in the segment rankings.



Pontoon segment

With substantial year-over-year improvements in customer satisfaction,
Harris FloteBote receives its first award in the study, leading the
pontoon boat segment with high ratings in six of the seven
satisfaction factors. Bennington, Premier, G3 Sun Catcher and Parti
Kraft, respectively, follow Harris FloteBote in the rankings.
Bennington receives high ratings in ride and handling, while Parti
Kraft records the fewest problems experienced by owners in the segment
with 167 PP100, compared with the segment average of 287 PP100.



Ski/wakeboard segment

Correct Craft ranks highest in the ski/wakeboard segment. Correct
Craft, which has ranked highest in the ski/wakeboard segment each of
the five years since the segment was added to the study, leads the
segment in engine, ride and handling, sound system, and maintenance,
and performs particularly well in sales satisfaction. Correct Craft
is followed in the segment rankings by Malibu, which records
considerable improvements in overall satisfaction from 2006. Malibu
receives segment-leading scores for helm/instrument panel, design and
styling, and water sports, and performs particularly well in service
satisfaction.



The 2007 Boat Competitive Information Study is based on responses from
12,140 owners who registered a new boat between June 2005 and May
2006.



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 (NYSE: MHP) 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 280 offices in 40 countries. Sales in 2006 were $6.3 billion.
Additional information is available at http://www.mcgraw-hill.com.



J.D. Power and Associates Media Relations Contacts:

Jeff Perlman
Syvetril Perryman

Westlake Village, Calif.
Westlake Village, Calif.

(805) 418-8976/ cell: (818) 317-3070 (805)
418-8103






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/corporate



# # #



NOTE: Seven charts accompany this release. To view them, please click
he

http://www.jdpower.com/corporate/new...asp?ID=2007026





__________________________________________________ __________________

Syvetril Perryman

Media Relations

J.D. Power and Associates

2625 Townsgate Road

Westlake Village, CA 91361

805.418.8103 | 805.418.8900 fax