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A SPECIAL REPORT: BOATING

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HOME GROWN: No danger of Japan eroding America’s lead in pleasure-boat building, says Keiji Tanada. He bought Innovator Boats in Newport Beach two years ago and produces $100,000 fishing boats. . . . “Making pleasure boats in Japan doesn’t make any sense,” because the market’s too small and material costs are too high, he says. . . . And located in Newport Beach, he still gets Japanese buyers, who are willing to pay $1,000 to fly here and $5,000 to ship their boats back to Japan. The reason: Once imported to Japan, American boats cost twice as much.

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