Vonore, TN – MasterCraft recently launched a new virtual Factory Tour that takes web surfers inside the company’s 300,000 square-foot facility and gives them a behind-the-scenes look at how MasterCraft constructs ProStars, MariStars and X-Series models.

"We’ve always believed that if every prospective customer could take a tour of our factory, we’d never lose a sale," said Rob May, Director of Marketing. "Factory tours are our best selling tool because they reinforce our reputation for quality construction and dissolve the myth that our competitors are delivering an equal boat for less money. They won’t settle for less once we’ve shown them what lies beneath the gelcoat. Now they don’t have to come to Vonore. They just have to get online."
While nothing can compare with a first-hand tour of the waterski and wakeboard boat building Mecca, a virtual factory tour at www.mastercraft.com comes close. The new site is an 18-stop guided tour through the company’s R&D, lamination and assembly buildings. It includes a map denoting your location, editorial on the company’s building processes, still photography and narrated videos that bring the factory to life.

"We chose to show areas of the factory that are critical to the building process and differentiate us from our competitors," said Jason Haines, E-Marketing Coordinator. "You can see pictures and videos of MasterCraftsmen spraying a barrier coat, hand laying fiberglass, pressing in a one-piece liner, and much more. When other ski boat manufacturers say they’re better than MasterCraft you have to take their word for it. MasterCraft’s virtual Factory Tour shows you why we’re Held To A Higher Standard."
Each step of the MasterCraft tour takes visitors through the chronological process of constructing a boat from prepping the mold to testing on Lake Tellico. The tour also highlights how MasterCraft builds Boating magazine’s "Boat of the Year" – the MariStar 280 VLD.

If all that doesn’t satisfy your construction craving, MasterCraft invites web surfers to smell the resin and visit the company’s world headquarters. Web surfers can schedule a factory tour with the click of a mouse.

"We’re definitely seeing an increase in factory tours as a result of the mini-site," said Casey Quilter, Media & Public Relations Manager. "We look forward to having more visitors to the factory and developing a closer relationship with our customers."

To view MasterCraft’s new online virtual Factory Tour, Design-A-Boat or Quality mini-sites simply go to www.mastercraft.com.

MasterCraft strives to deliver consumers the ultimate water sports experience by designing and building the world’s highest quality, best performing sports luxury boats in every significant inboard niche. Tours of MasterCaft’s world headquarters in Vonore, Tennessee, are available Monday-Thursday from 2pm to 4pm. For more information, model specifications, high- and low-res digital images or 35mm running and detail shots, please contact Casey Quilter at 423-884-2221, ext. 1205 or visit www.mastercraft.com