A shortage of skilled workers in major boat repair has left local boatyards struggling to meet a huge spike in demand for work following Hurricane Fabian.

And at least two boatyards are approaching Government for permission to bring in foreign workers, at least temporarily, in order to address the growing backlog of boats in need of repair. Craig Faries, owner of St. George's Boatyard, said without an influx of labour, boat owners could be facing waits or a year or more for major repairs.

"There are only a couple of very good quality fibreglass repair men," Mr. Faries said. "Maybe half a dozen altogether but only three, maybe four, really good guys. There is also a great lack of quite good quality spray paint guys."

St. George's Boatyard does not employ repair specialists in-house but rather funnels work out to independent operators.

"There is a severe shortage of quality Bermudian people," Mr. Faries said. He attributed that shortage partially to a lack of a proper technical training programmes for youngsters interested in boat repair. "We probably need to allow some quality people in, maybe temporarily," to get through this post-hurricane period, Mr. Faries said. "There is no way we can handle the existing amount of work."

He and his partner are considering making a proposal to Immigration to bring in emergency staff. Mr. Faries said he knew of one boatyard that processed 140 quotes just last week. "They cannot do all that work," he said.

Normally a shop that size might have two to three jobs on the go, he said, and maybe a half dozen waiting but the post-Fabian wreckage however has created a ten-fold spike in demand.

And demand for the best of the boat workers is even higher.

"People are going to want the cream of the crop," Mr. Faries said. "I have 12 boats in the yard at the moment, damaged in one form or the other. Estimating each job could take a month, that means some people will be waiting a year for repairs."

The delay will have a knock-on effect on the 2004 boating season as well, he said.

"People with normal maintenance and repair needs will not be able to get in for work," Mr. Faries said. "This will include commercial boats and could create huge problems. There, simply, is no manpower. And all the boatyards are full. So, in addition, there is no real estate available to pull more boats up."

West End Yachts in Dockyard are facing similar challenges, owner Martin Purser told The Royal Gazette. He said he has $100-million worth of boats sitting waiting for major repairs.

The influx of boats needing repair has been so heavy that his yard is overfull and boats are now being stored on the roads of Dockyard with the permission of Wedco.

"At the moment we are only processing estimates, huge numbers of them," Mr. Purser said. "There is so much work at the moment it will take at least six months for all of it to happen. It will be an incredibly difficult time.

"Most people within the company were already working well into the night, pulling boats prior to the storm. They worked even more since then. We're scrambling, there is a lot of pressure."

Mr. Purser said his yard is currently seeking workers to meet the demand from overseas but even foreign workers in major boat repair are in such high demand that it could take months to fill positions.

"There are less and less people in the world doing the work and more and more boats," he said. "Normally we have to advertise in five to six countries for normal staff."

Many of the boats waiting in his yard are five-figure repair jobs, he said, and there is easily enough work to keep busy for the next six months, even with additional staff, due to the surge of post-Fabian demand.

"Everybody is in the same position," Mr. Purser said of the other boatyards. And he echoed Mr. Faries feelings that tech training is no longer a priority in Bermuda's schools. In expensive Bermuda, it is hard to draw people to the trade, he said: "It is too smelly, too sweaty."

But, Mr. Purser said Government has agreed to do everything it can to help the boatyards bring in workers to meet this weather-induced demand spike. The backlog is affecting the processing of marine insurance claims as well with long waits simply for assessments. "There are not sufficient boatyards and skilled professionals - in particular in major fibreglass repair - available," said BF&M president and CEO Glenn Titterton. "There are only two or three really skilled workers for big works. There are many people available for minor repairs, but for boats that require major work (there will be a backlog)."

Mr. Titterton said many boats are still lying underwater at different points of Bermuda.

Mr. Purser estimated West End Yachts may still be processing estimates from Fabian damages for the next two weeks but said generally, he has heard from his customers that the insurers are doing a good job trying to stay on top of claims.