Boys and girls,
The National Marine Manufacturing Association "CERTIFICATION" and CSI Awards for customer satisfaction is a joke. I know of several people of one company who are extremely dissatisfied with a particular boat model, since 2004, and the manufacturer somehow got this Customer Satisfaction Award from the NMMA 6 years in a row.

Boats that are sold by companies touting the value of being "Certified" by the NMMA are misleading. The NMMA is a marketing ploy by boat manufacturers to make boat buyers believe that the NMMA somehow is a watchdog over the boat manufacturers to make sure they build boats to a certain standard. When in fact a boat manufacturer pays dues to be a member and the NMMA takes those dues and pays the NMMA surveyors to inspect the NMMA members boats. Low and behold those manufacturers who pay their dues get this mythical "certification". On my boat the NMMA surveyor missed the engine hatches, not being to ABYC standards, and water tight. So how did MY boat get "certification"? Hmmm.

In reality, the NMMA has NO interest in looking out for the consumer, this was relayed to me by Tom Marhevko V.P. at NMMA. He said the NMMA is not a consumer watchdog, but an association for manufacturers.

One boat manufacturer, who is NOT an NMMA member
said

"NMMA CERTIFICATION IS A SCAM. THE NMMA MAKES PEOPLE THINK THAT THE NMMA OFFERS SOME FORM OF PROTECTION TO THE CONSUMER, WHICH THEY DO NOT. MANUFACTURERS HAVE TO BUILD BOATS TO THE ABYC STANDARDS AND USCG STANDARDS WITH OR WITHOUT THE NMMA".

So any of you potential boat buyers beware if the manufacturer or the sales people start blowing the NMMA horn or bragging about CSI awards because it MEANS NOTHING, NOTHING, NOTHING!!!!!