Two abandoned boats in dry dock at the Ala Wai Yacht Harbor represent more than just an eyesore to Albert Amiot. Ala Wai boats overstaying
their welcomeBy B.J. Reyes
breyes@starbulletin.comThe yard foreman for Ala Wai Marine Ltd. says the derelict boats also attract people who know how to take advantage of the situation.
"They know if they camp out in them sometime Saturday afternoon then the state's off on Sunday and they won't get kicked out until sometime on Monday," he said. "We get drunks and drug dealers setting up house."
The boats -- a 34-footer that has been dry docked since 1999, and a 40-footer that was placed in the parking lot Sept. 19 -- are among the handful of vessels impounded from the water each year due to abandonment or neglect that has rendered them essentially useless.
"It's the equivalent of when somebody abandons their car on the side of the road," said Stephen Thompson, the Oahu district manager for the Department of Land and Natural Resources' Division of Boating and Ocean Recreation. "I don't even think I've ever seen a boat of value impounded. It's always when they're quite derelict."
Amiot said there are "dozens" of boats currently in the harbor that are not being maintained due to owners unable to pay rent. Once a boat deteriorates to the point of sinking, Ala Wai Marine is tasked with removing the derelict craft from the Ala Wai Boat Harbor for the state.
"You can't just untie a boat and cast it off," Amiot said. "But there's no one willing to step forward to say, 'That's my boat,' so there's no one to sue or fine.
For people who are tracked down, "you can order them not to go on the boat, but you're still stuck with the boat," Amiot said. "We are constantly reminding the state about this."
Once a boat is impounded, the owner has 30 days to claim it before it is put up for auction or demolished, Thompson said.
Both boats at Ala Wai Yacht Harbor are on state property, the larger one occupying several metered parking spaces.
Amiot contends state officials "don't have the funds or the ambition to hire a contractor to demolish them."
Demolition can run between $5,000-$6,000 for a 40-foot boat, Amiot said.
Thompson said the state wanted to tow the larger boat to a different location but the vessel simply wasn't seaworthy enough. He also notes that the smaller boat is not taking up parking spaces and adds that "it's not economical to do one at a time."
Now that the 30-day claim period has passed for the larger boat, Thompson estimates that both should be gone by the end of the year.