Japanese Firm Plans to Build Boats in O.C. : * Exports: Innovator Boats is targeting its sport-fishing models for Japan and Europe. A local builder will help with their construction.

While U.S. boat sales are in the doldrums, a Japanese boat builder said it will begin building sportfishing boats in Orange County for export to Japan and Europe.

Innovator Boats, a small boat builder acquired by Japanese businessman Keiji Tanada last year from Transamerica Corp., plans initially to build a 30-foot pleasure boat model that will retail for about $100,000. The company said it expects to sign an agreement with a local builder to help construct the boats in Orange County.

The company claims to be the first Japanese-owned builder of sportfishing boats in the United States, said Douglas Patterson, national sales manager.

Recreational boating has become increasingly popular in Japan as the government encourages workers to increase their leisure activities.

“The Japanese bought more pleasure and sportfishing boats from the United States in the late 1980s, and they’re now turning their attention to boat manufacturers for investments,” said Erni Davis, publisher of Davis Overstreet, a Costa Mesa publisher of boating directories.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if Innovator Boats will be adding features that are appealing to the Japanese market,” she said. Those may include sleeker designs, high-tech equipment and customized power engines. She added that Innovator Boats is known for building quality leisure boats.

The fiberglass Innovator 30 can sleep up to five people. It costs between $98,000 and $112,000, depending on options.

Innovator Boats is entering the market at a time when the U.S. boating industry is mired in a prolonged slump that started in the mid-1980s. Overproduction in the industry in the late 1980s and the recession have been among the factors hurting boat sales.

According to Davis, recreational boat sales were off 25% nationwide last year.

But Innovator Boats executives are not concerned about the U.S. slump because they plan to sell their boats in Japan and Europe, where the market remains strong, said Toshi Ohashi, a marketing executive at the company.

Patterson said the company plans to build 12 to 15 boats a year. The company currently has seven employees.

“We plan to subcontract some of the boat-building operations to an Orange County boat builder,” he said. He declined to identify the company.

Patterson said the company intends to improve the design and engineering of a 5-year-old model that the company sold when it was owned by Transamerica. He said the Japanese are eager to learn U.S. boat-building technology.

Tanada, who is president of Innovator Boats, is also president of Santech International Corp., a Tokyo-based seller of private label merchandise.