anyway, back to the subject of the lack of maintenance on the Washington State Ferries, I believe the management is so pathetically entrenched and unable to think outside of a very small box that they are moribund in their ability to manage the maintenance of the vessels and that the crews have become so barricaded behind union rules that they have become unwilling to lift a finger to make their own vessels not eyesores and embarrassments.
the entire statement by the WSF spokeswoman claiming 4 months and $7 million to paint a single boat goes miles to show the insular world that the senior management lives in. The first thing that needs to happen is make people with the ferry system accountable but give them carrots to find ways to maintain the boats for less. Financial rewards for a well maintained rust free boat if necessary to give a strong incentive to get the work done. Quit relying on only using expensive shipyards to do any maintenance at all and find ways to maintain while still in service. In a perfect world, the crews would do the maintenance required but know that ain’t gonna happen. I made a proposal on how that can be done and plan to pursue that idea. I know people who know people as WSF management and hope to get in a door there. Could be a nice moneymaker for my business.
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Lesse.
IBU contracts, Eyeman defunding, short runs, cars parked next to the work area, loading and unloading, sanitary duties.
Already they are in doo-doo for cancelled runs for sailing short.
If the boats just SAT not being underway or actively loading/unloading for 18-20 hours a day, your bitch might hold water.
Again, you have no horse in this race, yet you seem to hold an opinion about everything.
[QUOTE=Tom_Tugboat;138820]Lesse.
IBU contracts, Eyeman defunding, short runs, cars parked next to the work area, loading and unloading, sanitary duties.
Already they are in doo-doo for cancelled runs for sailing short.
If the boats just SAT not being underway or actively loading/unloading for 18-20 hours a day, your bitch might hold water.
Again, you have no horse in this race, yet you seem to hold an opinion about everything.[/QUOTE]
like I said “in a perfect world” the crews would maintain the vessels but know fully how difficult that is…
since that is the case, the WSF management should think of new ways to get the maintenance done without costing the taxpayers a fortune (that is my dog in this as I am a WA resident). I also see a business opportunity here with this that I intend to pursue. Paint them either at night while waiting for the next morning’s run or better paint them while they are running with a special truck set up to not get blast grit or paint in the vehicles. The car decks are the worst areas so it will require a contractor with the right equipment but I believe it can be done for way less than Vigor or the other local shipyards would charge. To just neglect the boats and blame Tim Eyesore is lame. These boats are symbolic of our State and to allow them to become bleeding piles of rust, dirt and dingy old paint needs to be ended.
[QUOTE=c.captain;138824] I also see a business opportunity here with this that I intend to pursue.[/QUOTE]
Would an environmental impact study be required?
[QUOTE=c.captain;138675]This only goes to show how the WSF is one of the most inefficiently run maritime operations ever. Government cannot run vessels nearly as cost effectively as the private sector and I have always said that the running of the WSF fleet should go to a commercial contractor much as MSC turns many of its vessels over to the private sector to run. The State owns the vessels and facilities but run the vessels commercially and I bet the operating deficits go away real fast.
Oh but how the ferry crews would howl to actually be made to work for their pay! File a protest with the union! Bunch of effing layabouts!
Somebody pray tell me how other ferries look in the US? Staten Island say or Cape May or North Carolina or Nantuket? Certainly those boats cannot be as pitifully maintained as the WSF fleet? I know the BC ferries are all very nicely maintained as mentioned in the original article by Bruce Buls. There is also the COHO in Port Angeles. A old ship which always is very clean and well maintained.[/QUOTE]
Well Tell you that the staten island ferry are just as bad at least the older vessels JFK (1965) and Newhouse (1985) I wish we deckhands were able to do maintenance but we are just overpaid porters and security guards 
their are just not enough boats to keep the operation on track plain and simple
