Don’t expect any surprises when you read about J.D. Power’s latest boat and marine engine ratings. Since the marketing information firm first published ratings of recreational boats and marine engines in 2001, the top berths have consistently been claimed by higher-end marques — the Cobalts, Grady-Whites, Sea Rays, Parkers and Regals.

Even so, J.D. Power, best known for its car ratings, has had a profound effect on the boating community, according to Eric Sorensen, director of the J.D. Power marine division and author of the reference book, Sorensen’s Guide to Powerboats. The firm’s “voice of the customer” research is based on feedback from 12,255 owners who registered new boats between June 2004 and May 2005.

J.D. Power conducts customer surveys at its expense, and then sells the results to interested manufacturers. The firm also conducts what it calls proprietary research, which is commissioned by individual company-clients.

When boat ratings were published in 2001, the first year, only 36 different boatbuilders participated. In 2006, that number has more than doubled, to 78. These companies represent most of the boats built in the U.S., but are still just a fraction of the estimated 3,000 or so boatbuilders selling vessels here.

It seems that boatbuilders are taking the survey results to heart.

“A number of boatbuilders have introduced new models, focusing on the study’s findings, to improve their overall rankings, and even aiming to place first in their segment,” Sorensen explains. “Others, concerned [by complaints about] underpowering, have increased the minimum engine power they will allow to be installed on their boats.

“Boat and engine manufacturers are also working more closely with their dealers to improve sales and service delivery to the customer, since manufacturer and dealers’ business success is so intertwined,” he continues. “This includes encouraging dealers to offer a test ride, which increases sales satisfaction, using more EFI (electronic fuel injection) four-stroke and DI (direct injection) two-stroke engines which deliver very high customer satisfaction, and helping the dealer to fix it right the first time, which is key to service satisfaction.”

Still, the results of the 2006 study are not completely rosy. Overall customer satisfaction has declined in the majority of boat segments, with the exception of large runabouts and express cruisers. J.D. Power concludes that the expectations of buyers of new boats have increased in the past five years.

“This is the first dip in product satisfaction that we’ve seen,” Sorensen says. “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.”

Seven different boat types are rated: 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). Boat owners are asked to rate their vessels in nine different areas: cabin, engine, ride/handling, helm/instrument panel, design/styling, sound system, maintenance, water sports and fishing.

Sea trials and service — or lack thereof — are two areas where the industry falls short. According to owner responses, fewer than half of all dealers offer to take customers for test drives prior to purchase. And, the marine industry’s record on service consistently comes up short when consumers compare it to service offered by other industries, especially 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 J.D. Power study concludes. According to consumer feedback, service is done correctly just 77% of the time.

“The marine industry is well behind the automotive industry in terms of customer satisfaction with both the product and the dealer sales and service experience,” according to the study. “Since service is rated very low in satisfaction, but high in importance, dealer service appears to be holding the marine industry back from progress.”

J.D. Power found that, on average, only 42% of people who buy new boats say they would buy the same make again. The highest rated brands’ owners respond positively at nearly twice this level (more than 70%), pretty conclusive proof that service is key to success.

(c) Copyright BoatU.S. Magazine, May 2006