Rescue boat idled by lack of money

By Jim Dooley
Advertiser Staff Writer

A $260,000 rescue boat owned by the state Department of Transportation has been out of service since September because the state doesn't have the money to fix it.

The state purchased the Koa Kai in 1997 for $260,000. Five months ago, $47,471 in repairs were done on the vessel, but transmission and hull problems could add another $45,000 to the bill. Eugene Tanner • The Honolulu Advertiser

It's also another link in a chain of expensive and embarrassing problems inherited by Gov. Linda Lingle's administration since taking control of the Transportation Department.

The rescue boat, called the Koa Kai, was purchased by the state in 1997 from SeaArk Marine Inc., of Arkansas, and housed in a specially built boathouse adjacent to the airport fire station at the end of Lagoon Drive.

Five months ago, the twin-diesel, 32-foot craft was hauled to the Marisco ship-repair yard at Barbers Point deep-draft harbor for $47,471 worth of repair and maintenance work.

"We rehabbed the engines, straightened the shafts, fixed the throttles, changed the batteries and did quite a bit of other work," said Fred Anawati, Marisco's president. "We were originally supposed to do more, but the state cut back on the scope of work because they didn't have the budget for it."

Anawati's firm won the job for an estimated $99,971 but agreed with the state to do only half the work originally called for in the contract specifications because of cost concerns. Another bidder, Pacific Shipyard International, quoted a price of $196,811.

After the repairs were finished, Anawati's workers found that the transmission still needed an overhaul, he said.

"A marine surveyor took a look at the boat to certify its seaworthiness and he said the hull is shot," he said. "Salt water got in between the inner and outer hulls, so there's a lot of internal corrosion."

Anawati estimated the additional work would cost $25,000 to $30,000 for hull repairs and another $10,000 to $15,000 for the transmission work.

"It's been out here since September, and every time I call the state and ask them what they want to do, they say they're looking for more money," Anawati said.

Scott Ishikawa, spokesman for the Transportation Department, did not respond to repeated requests for comment.

The litany of problems associated with the airport rescue boat goes back to the early 1990s, when the state spent $1.3 million to design and build a boathouse to hold the rescue craft.

The boathouse was finished in 1994, but by that time, $175,000 in the airport budget to buy the new boat had lapsed, according to state officials.

A 21-foot Boston Whaler boat was stationed at Fire Station 2 for rescue duties, but it was kept on a trailer outside the firehouse rather than inside the boathouse.

The boathouse stood empty until 1997 when the state purchased the Koa Kai. By that time, the price tag had risen to $260,000. It was equipped with the latest navigation and communications gear as well as a state-of-the-art flotation device release system for seaborne emergency rescues.

Then, a new problem emerged: the pulley-and-hoist system in the boathouse, meant to suspend the aluminum-hulled Koa Kai above the waters of Keehi Lagoon when it was not in use, had rusted shut and was inoperable, according to state officials.

That meant the Koa Kai had to be kept on the water inside the boathouse instead of suspended above it, which led to regular maintenance problems, according to fire and rescue personnel.

Officials said that algae and other material would periodically clog the intake valves of the twin inboard diesel engines, causing overheating problems and requiring the boat to be hauled out of the water for maintenance.

The state fixed the boathouse hoist system in 2001 and held a news conference to dedicate what it called the "new" Koa Kai rescue boat, not mentioning that the Koa Kai was actually 4 years old and had undergone a series of maintenance problems because of the broken boathouse hoist system.

Now there are extensive new problems with the Koa Kai. The state put the repair work out to bid last year, with bids opened June 30. With just two bids of $99,961 and $196,811, the work was far more expensive than the state expected, said Anawati of Marisco, the low bidder.

It's the latest equipment problem encountered by Transportation Director Rod Haraga since he took the reins at the department last year.

A $156,000 pothole patching machine, purchased in 2001, never worked because it required a special kind of asphalt mix unavailable on O'ahu. Haraga has said he hopes to find a buyer for the vehicle on the Mainland.

And a $70,000 "command vehicle," purchased by the state three years ago for airport fire and rescue emergencies, has never worked properly because of electrical problems. Officials said they plan to finish repairs and put the vehicle into full service.

Reach Jim Dooley at 535-2447 or jdooley@honoluluadvertiser.com.