"They just said, 'Oh, the ramp's closed — you gotta go to the new place,' " said Young, 74. "And then they handed me a map to this other place over on the Campbell Industrial side of the harbor."

Young used the map to drive the five miles to Kalaeloa, where he got a second surprise. The new ramp was a restructured haulout slip, above which a large lift crane raises boats from the water and moves them to a boat yard.

Because the slip doesn't have a loading dock where Young's boat could be tied up, Young isn't able to launch the boat by himself as he has done at Ko Olina.

Plus, he was informed by people at The Phoenician LLC, which operates the slip, he would have to abide by additional fees and requirements that weren't part of the agreement he and other boaters had at Ko Olina.

Young said he's shut out of Ko Olina and isn't physically able to use the new facility at Kalaeloa.

William Aila, harbor master for the Wai'anae Boat Harbor, which has jurisdiction over the waters outside Ko Olina Marina, said Young is not alone.

Aila has heard complaints from many fishers who had grown accustomed to Ko Olina's easy-to-use boat ramp next to the cozy marina deli and convenience store, a short walk from restroom facilities at one of the resort's scenic lagoons.

Aila said before the development of Ko Olina Resort, there was no access to the waters off Kalaeloa Barbers Point Harbor. To get the zoning changes needed to build the marina, the developer agreed to allow public access to the marina boat ramp.

He said the city is still obligated to enforce that agreement, even though the resort development has changed hands. To its credit, Aila said, Ko Olina has worked to help finance and facilitate the building of a ramp at Kalaeloa. However, the resort didn't do a good job informing the public, he said.

"The fishers are mad because they showed up at Ko Olina and were turned away without being told in advance," said Aila. "And, they're mad because the Ko Olina ramp was closed before the Kalaeloa ramp was brought up to speed. I think they have legitimate concerns."

Many have complained that the Phoenician site has restrooms with no fixtures, wash-down and parking stalls with no painted stripes, and a ramp with high walls, no catwalk, and a strong ocean surge.

They resent the $125 annual membership fees and additional requirements, such as watercraft liability insurance.

"There's a 6- or 7-foot wall you have to climb," said fisherman Ronald Morikawa of Mililani. "They're saying the ladder is going to be there. But what about the elderly gentlemen who go akule fishing? They're not going to do it. They can't do it."

Others say the marina ramp arrangement was never intended to be permanent.

"When the ramp was originally put in there, it was only on a temporary basis," said Mike Nelson, director of marketing at Ko Olina Resort & Marina. "It was built as a private boat ramp but would allow public access for a limited period of time."

Nelson said the resort is converting the ramp area into a multi-use facility that's part of the marina's expansion project.

There are plans to build a floating dock at the end of the slip ramp at The Phoenician site, although work on it has yet to begin. Aila contended the sooner it's installed, the better.

"We're trying to improve things the best that we can," said John Gomersall, operations manager for The Phoenician LLC, who stressed that the facility is sensitive to the concerns of the fishers who will use the ramp.

He said the state has approved the facility's ramp design, and that it has been used by a number of boaters. Some of the particulars of the additional requirements are still being negotiated, he said. Meanwhile, The Phoenician intends to honor fishers with Ko Olina stickers.

"We are a private multi-use facility," said Gomersall. "It's not a state or public launch ramp. But we are going to open our doors to the public. And we invite everybody to come in and use it."