Crew working to remove abandoned boat

A crew is working to remove a derelict boat that’s been sitting on the makai side of Queen Kaahumanu Highway, south of Kua Bay, for more than a month. (Laura Ruminski/West Hawaii Today)
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NORTH KONA — A crew is working to remove a derelict boat that’s been sitting on the makai side of Queen Kaahumanu Highway, south of Kua Bay, for more than a month.

Diamond Auto Workz is currently at the scene. No road closures are in effect.

The state Department of Transportation confirmed to West Hawaii Today earlier this week that the vessel, which was within the DOT right-of-way, would be removed today.

The boat, which has no identifying marks or names on it, was dumped without a trailer in early November on the makai side of the highway, just south of the entrances to Kua Bay and the West Hawaii Veterans Cemetery in North Kona. It’s sat there since, becoming a canvas for graffiti and an apparent dumping ground.

Police Maj. Robert Wagner said the boat’s owner is unknown because all identification was removed. He noted that officers made an abandoned vehicle report in November and forwarded it to the county Department of Environmental Management.