It used to be that all a repairman had to know was how to fix a VHF, a depth sounder or a gasoline engine that looked like the one in the truck. Those days are gone, says Roger Hellyar-Brook, systems program manager at the Landing School of Boatbuilding and Design in Kennebunkport, Maine, which says it is the only accredited school in the country training technicians. Boats are far more complex, with complicated electrical systems, air conditioning, refrigeration you name it, he says. These are good times for the yards, which are happily struggling with the maritime demands and trying to keep up with backlogs of job orders in today s booming economy. Fla. Boats are getting bigger, demand is greater, projects are more complicated and sophisticated, and our customers expect more from us and demand good service.
Some projects are so large, in fact, they require project managers.
Last year was the best the yards had in a decade, and there seems to be no letup. Fla. Yards once competed with one another on low bids to get the work. Now the business is year-round, and there are so many boats and so much business, we have to turn jobs down. We just don t have enough people to do the work, and we have no stable of experienced old-timers to help train new apprentices. As sweet as the climate is, the new technologies and good business come with some strings attached.