The three new floating docks at the Ala Wai Small Boat Harbor represent a major improvement from the dilapidated concrete berths they replaced, boater Peter Webb said yesterday.

“;I'm ecstatic,”; said Webb, 48, who has a 25-foot boat named Patience, moored at the C dock. “;It's a huge upgrade for the whole harbor.”;

State officials dedicated docks B, C and D yesterday. Work to demolish the three docks and a cross dock started last November.

Contractors from Hawaiian Dredging Construction Co. began installing the new aluminum floating docks a month later. The new docks replaced concrete ones that were built in 1972.

The cost replacement was estimated at $2.8 million. Officials say the new moorings, made with heavy-duty, polyethylene foam-filled floats, are corrosion-resistant. The aluminum frame is covered with a plastic composite decking.

The material was selected because of durability and low maintenance. The docks also are sectioned to allow for reconfiguration and quick repairs when needed.

Webb, an English teacher at 'Iolani School and sailing coach, said the new material should last longer and withstand environmental stresses better than the concrete docks.

The docks became available just in time for the 2009 Transpacific Yacht Race, a 2,225 nautical-mile event from Los Angeles to Honolulu to start on June 29.

Plans are under way to replace concrete piers at the harbor's transient docks and 700 row of slips as well as improve the water and sewer system at an estimated $2.25 million.