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Originally Posted by WarrenC12
Well, the FastCats were total failures as BC Ferries, that was the first problem. And because they sat around without any maintenance, they became scrap metal. I'm not sure if that is because of their low quality, or that would happen to any ferry.
I can't think of a bigger failure than the FastCats. Being overbudget is one thing, but this project had absolutely zero payoff. They might as well have blasted off a pile of money to explode on the moon.
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They were sold for $20 million to the Washington Group... the same group that just prior to auction offered $60M.
I'm not into taking sides politcally, but I will say one thing... the Fast Ferries were never really about the boats, they were about building an industry. Little experience working with aluminum, design changes, and BC Ferries insisting on Diesel ( Originally designs called for Petrol ), kowtowing to nimby residents ( who didn't want trucks in town, so the ferries weren't built with them in mind ) and other design oversights when building the world's largest ( at the time ) were all considerations.
If they had been successful, it may have turned into a competitive industry for the area. We'll never know if that was possible, as we never stayed the course. These kind of industries require a lot of government capital and backing to get started and like anything, in the beginning there will be problems and teething problems. We never really had the chance to get out of the infant phase on Aluminum-hulled boats.
Neither party has clean hands on this one, I'm afraid.