The following news was issued today by J.D. Power and Associates.



J.D. Power and Associates Reports:

Bass Cat, Cobalt, Correct Craft, Grady-White, Manitou, MasterCraft and
Regal
Throttle Ahead of the Competition in New-Boat Owner Satisfaction



Despite Quality Improvements Across the Industry, Overall Boat Owner
Satisfaction Remains Unchanged


MIAMI: 14 February 2008 -- Bass Cat, Cobalt, Correct Craft, Grady-
White, Manitou, MasterCraft and Regal each rank highest in new-boat
owner satisfaction, according to the J.D. Power and Associates 2008
Boat Competitive Information StudySM released today at the Miami
International Boat Show.



Now in its seventh year, the study examines the sales, service and
product experience of new-boat owners. Owner satisfaction with new
boats is measured in seven segments: ski/wakeboard; fiberglass bass
boats; small runabouts (16 to 19 feet); large runabouts (20 to 29
feet); coastal fishing (17 to 30 feet); pontoons; and express cruisers
(24 to 33 feet). Overall customer satisfaction index scores are based
on performance in eight factors: cabin; engine; ride and handling;
helm and instrument panel; design and styling; sound system; water
sports; and fishing.[1]



Bass boat segment

Bass Cat ranks highest in the bass boat segment for a fourth
consecutive year, performing particularly well in each of the five
factors that determine overall satisfaction: ride and handling;
fishing; design and styling; engine, and helm and instrument panel.
The company also receives the highest overall index score in the study
for a third consecutive year. Following Bass Cat in the segment are
Ranger and Triton, respectively.



Coastal fishing segment (17 to 30 feet)

For a seventh consecutive reporting year, Grady-White ranks highest in
the segment, performing particularly well in four of the six factors
driving overall satisfaction: fishing; ride and handling; design and
styling; and helm and instrument panel. Grady-White also has the
fewest reported problems of any manufacturer in the segment. Boston
Whaler and Triton, respectively, follow Grady-White in the segment
rankings.



Express cruiser segment (24 to 33 feet)

Making steady improvement in the study for the past three years, Regal
ranks highest among express cruisers for a second consecutive year.
Regal performs particularly well in ride and handling, which is the
greatest driver of overall satisfaction. Sea Ray follows Regal in the
express cruiser segment rankings.



Small runabout segment (16 to 19 feet)

For a third consecutive year, Regal ranks highest in the small
runabout segment, performing particularly well in all six factors that
drive overall satisfaction: engine; water sports; design and styling;
ride and handling; helm and instrument panel; and sound system. Regal
also has the fewest reported problems of any manufacturer in the
segment. Sea Ray and Chaparral, respectively, follow Regal in the
small runabout segment.



Large runabout segment (20 to 29 feet)

Cobalt ranks highest in the large runabout segment for a seventh
consecutive reporting year, performing particularly well in all six
factors that drive overall satisfaction. Cobalt owners report having
the highest satisfaction with the buying experience at a dealership
and are also the most likely to say they "definitely will" recommend
and repurchase from their dealer compared with customers of other
manufacturers in the large runabout segment. Regal closely follows
Cobalt while Four Winns ranks third in the segment.



Pontoon segment

Manitou ranks highest among pontoon manufacturers, performing
particularly well in ride and handling. Manitou is closely followed in
the segment by Bennington, while Harris FloteBote and Premier tie to
rank third in the segment.



"Pontoons in particular have come a long way as far as advancements in
features and technologies," said Todd Markusic, senior director of the
powersports practice at J.D. Power and Associates. "Usage of
technologies such as satellite radio and MP3 players has steadily
increased since 2006. Additionally, the average horsepower of pontoons
has increased steadily as well. Pontoons are certainly reaching a new
level of sophistication."



Ski/wakeboard segment

Correct Craft and MasterCraft tie to rank highest in the ski/wakeboard
segment. The 2008 study also marks the sixth consecutive reporting
year that Correct Craft has received the highest ranking in the
segment. MasterCraft is the only brand in the ski/wakeboard segment to
improve in overall satisfaction since 2007, while Correct Craft
performs particularly well in engine satisfaction. Malibu follows
Correct Craft and MasterCraft in the highly competitive segment.



Industry Findings

The study also examines boat quality, in which performance is measured
as problems per 100 (PP100) boats and lower scores reflect higher
quality. Overall quality across the boating industry is 287 PP100 in
2008, marking an improvement of 4 PP100 from the 2007 study.
Additionally, quality has improved substantially since the 2005 study.



"Boating manufacturers have done well in improving quality year over
year, particularly in light of current conditions across the
industry," said Markusic. "Despite the decline in sales over the past
few years, many manufacturers are still improving their manufacturing
processes--they understand the importance of delivering a product with
zero problems to their customers. It is essential that a brand
delivers on all aspects of the ownership experience--product, sales and
service--in order to satisfy its customers."



At the segment level, while most boating segments have demonstrated
improvements in quality since 2007, both the small and large runabout
segments experienced declines, with the small runabout segment
experiencing the most considerable drop in quality.



"More than 40 percent of reported problems in the small runabout
segment concern the engine and propulsion, which is primarily driven
by the high concentration of four-stroke carbureted sterndrive
engines," said Markusic. "Outside of the small runabout segment, only
15 percent of sterndrives have carbureted technology. However, within
the small runabout segment, 80 percent of the sterndrive engines are
carbureted. Considering the high penetration of carbureted engines--
which on average add 57 PP100 to a brand's score--it's easy to
understand why this segment receives such poor quality scores."



The study also finds the following new-boat owner behavior trends:



¨ In 2008, 68 percent of new-boat owners took their boat to a
service facility. Among them, more than 80 percent took their boat
back to their dealer while nearly 20 percent received service at a non-
dealer facility. Owners who received service at the dealer were more
satisfied, on average, than those who visited a non-dealer facility.



¨ The percentage of owners who report that the dealer personnel
was the key reason for selecting their boat brand is 34 percent--up
from 30 percent in 2005, indicating that the dealer is becoming
increasingly influential in the sales process.



¨ In 2008, 74 percent of owners report experiencing a problem
with their new boat, while 26 percent say they have not experienced a
problem. Owners who report experiencing no problems are 68 percent
more likely to repurchase the same boat brand in the future than
boaters who did experience a problem with their new boat.



¨ Thirty-nine percent of new-boat owners report that engine
technology played a major role in their purchase decision, which is up
from 34 percent in the 2005 study, suggesting that advancements in
engine technology are steadily contributing to the decision making
process among owners.



The 2008 Boat Competitive Information Study is based on responses from
9,718 owners who registered a new boat between June 2006 and May 2007.
The study was fielded from September to November 2007.



Customer Satisfaction Index Ranking: Bass Boat Segment

All charts are based on a 1,000-point scale



Bass Cat
935

Ranger
892

Triton
872

Bass Boat Segment Average
870

Skeeter
865

Stratos
842




NOTE: Nitro is included in the study, but not ranked due to small
sample size.



Customer Satisfaction Index Ranking: Coastal Fishing Segment



Grady-White
886

Boston Whaler
868

Triton
856

Sailfish
846

Triumph
840

Scout
837

Century
831

Sea Hunt
819

Coastal Fishing Segment Average
818

Pro-Line
818

Key West
808

Seaswirl
786

Trophy
777

Sea Fox
772




Included in the study but not ranked due to small sample size a
Angler, Hydra-Sports, Polar, Sea Pro and Wellcraft.



Customer Satisfaction Index Ranking: Express Cruiser Segment



Regal
871

Sea Ray
802

Express Cruiser Segment Average
801

Chaparral
797

Bayliner
764




Included in the study but not ranked due to small sample size a
Formula, Four Winns and Rinker.



Customer Satisfaction Index Ranking: Small Runabout Segment



Regal
880

Sea Ray
826

Chaparral
787

Four Winns
780

Glastron
778

Stingray
770

Small Runabout Segment Average
761

Bayliner
733

Tahoe
732

Maxum
731




Included in the study but not ranked due to small sample size a
Larson and Monterey.



Customer Satisfaction Index Ranking: Large Runabout Segment



Cobalt
901

Regal
896

Four Winns
833

Crownline
831

Chaparral
827

Large Runabout Segment Average
821

Sea Ray
819

Monterey
810

Rinker
802

Larson
784

Bayliner
766




Included in the study but not ranked due to small sample size a
Baja, Formula, Maxum, Stingray and Tahoe.



Customer Satisfaction Index Ranking: Pontoon Segment



Manitou
840

Bennington
831

Harris FloteBote
821

Premier
821

Aqua Patio
813

Crest
809

Swee****er
805

G3 Sun Catcher
802

Pontoon Segment Average
800

Sedona
799

Lowe Suncruiser
786

Crestliner
782

Bentley
772




Included in the study but not ranked due to small sample size a
Avalon, Parti Kraft, Princecraft, Sanpan, South Bay, Starcraft,
SunChaser, SunTracker and Tahoe.



Customer Satisfaction Index Ranking: Ski/Wakeboard Segment



Correct Craft
900

MasterCraft
900

Malibu
884

Ski/Wakeboard Segment Average
879

Tigé
862

Supra
857

Moomba
825




About J.D. Power and Associates

Headquartered in Westlake Village, Calif., J.D. Power and Associates
is a global marketing information services firm operating in key
business sectors including market research, forecasting, performance
improvement, training and customer satisfaction. The firm's quality
and satisfaction measurements are based on responses from millions of
consumers annually. For more information on boat ratings, car reviews
and ratings, car insurance, health insurance, cell phone ratings, and
more, please visit JDPower.com. J.D. Power and Associates is a
business unit of The McGraw-Hill Companies.