State aid for US boatbuilders

The American state of Michigan has come up with an incentive package to keep the Four Winns boatbuilding company running after the collapse of its parent company Outboard Marine Corporation.

The deal will keep Four Winns in production at Cadillac, Michigan, and enable it to expand its 33,000 sq m production facility.

The state deal halted a move to shift the plant to Sarasota, Florida, after the OMC bankruptcy and sale of the company to Genmar.

Governor John Engler says keeping the company in the state will create 1424 jobs for Michigan workers.