"How long we've been waiting for the ramp. What's a couple more months?" said fisherman Willie Polendey, 67. He was one of a dozen or so boaters who stopped by the ramp Wednesday morning at Kahului Harbor to watch as workers prepared a dredging barge to begin the project today.

"It's so obsolete and so deteriorating, and the channel is so shallow that it damages our boats," said Paul Vargas, 55. He said the propellers on his 27-foot fishing boat have been damaged twice from hitting the bottom, with repairs costing $1,300 each time.

The Maui Trailer Boat Club has about 60 members, and at least 50 other fishers regularly use the Kahului Boat Ramp, said club commodore Sid Medeiros, a part-time commercial fisherman with a 31-foot boat. The ramp also is used by recreational boaters, and Medeiros said it has become a popular launching point for thrillcraft used for winter tow-in surfing at Jaws, farther down Maui's northern coastline.

The Kahului ramp has not been used by tour-boat companies, but Miles Lopes, Department of Land and Natural Resources harbor agent, said two such operations — one offering charter fishing and the other scuba diving and spearfishing — are planning to open when the improvements are done.

In the meantime, north-shore boaters likely will be using the Kihei Boat Ramp on the south shore.

Healy Tibbitts Builders Inc. is the contractor for the Kahului project. Entrance and access channels will be dredged, the loading dock replaced and a three-lane boat ramp installed. The Army Corps of Engineers is sharing the cost of dredging with the state.

The work is expected to be completed by the end of November.

The DLNR said the Kahului Boat Ramp will be closed weekdays, except for federal and state holidays. It will be open weekends on a limited basis.

Medeiros said he has been talking with the contractor about allowing boaters to use the ramp while some of the dredging work is under way. He also made arrangements for the club to be able to hold its 21st Annual North Shore Hanapa'a Fishing Tournament on July 30 and 31.

Fishermen Vargas and Polendey said that while they are happy the ramp project is finally beginning, they would like to see additional improvements, such as permanent restrooms instead of portable toilets, and a pavilion where boaters and their families can socialize.

"This could be a real nice place if they do it right," Vargas said.

A public blessing ceremony for the project will be held at 8 a.m. tomorrow at the boat ramp.