A SPECIAL REPORT: BOATING

. . . AND BUST: First the luxury tax, then the recession have dealt heavy blows to local boat sales. The result: The most expensive new boat in local inventory reportedly is a mere $800,000. . . . Newport Beach dealer Gordon Barienbrock says his inventory has slipped from $6 million last year to about $2 million now. . . . The pinched market has him talking like a car dealer: “It’s probably the best time to buy. The prices are cheap, the deals are better. We have to move our inventory.”