Starved of money for nearly a decade, the nation's largest ferry system has hit rough water.

The ferries that cruise Puget Sound and surrounding waters have become symbols of the Pacific Northwest, recalling its rich maritime history and figuring prominently in movies and television shows such as "Grey's Anatomy." But beneath their cheery green-and-white paint scheme, the aging ferries are rusty, old and unreliable.

Some boats have been yanked from service for repairs. Routes have been canceled and schedules thrown off. Washington state commuters are frustrated.

"We have a love-fear relationship with the ferries. It's our highway and there's always massive uncertainty," said Pete Gillis, 38, as he caught a ride to Bainbridge Island in Puget Sound, en route to Port Townsend, north of Seattle.

The system's problems date back to 1999, when voters repealed a vehicle-registration tax that provided much of the money to build, maintain and operate ferries. That caused fare increases, cuts in service and delays in maintaining and replacing boats.

"We had this aging, deteriorating fleet that was ignored and put on the back burner," said Democratic state Rep. Sherry Appleton, whose district west of the Seattle mainland includes three ferry runs.

State Transportation Secretary Paula Hammond says relief is on the way in the form of 13 new boats to be built over the next 20 years.

"We've allowed the system to limp along, ignoring the long-term consequences," she said. "We were delaying the inevitable, and now we see the problem square in the face."

The Washington ferry system hauls 24 million passengers each year, about a quarter of all U.S. ferry passengers. Its 24 vessels range from a tiny boat that links Tacoma to Vashon Island, to a tourist-friendly international run that winds through the scenic San Juan Islands to Vancouver Island in British Columbia.

On upscale Bainbridge Island, thousands of commuters take the ferry to work in downtown Seattle, filling boats that can carry 2,500 passengers on each 30-minute crossing.

For many riders, it's a pleasant time for drinking coffee and reading the morning paper. Some catch up on work using free wireless Internet access. Others just catch a few extra winks.

It's not cheap, even though the state subsidizes the system. A walk-on passenger pays $6.70 a day — $134 a month, minus commuter discounts. Driving a car onto the ferry costs $11.55 each direction, or $460 a month for 20 workdays.

But many commuters cheerfully swallow those prices, making up the difference on cheaper real estate across the water from pricey Seattle.