It’s been nearly a year since Bob Stapp, a legendary boat builder who created a legacy of many sport and commercial boats at Seaway Boats, passed away, but his influence on the industry will be long remembered. Stapp, whose talent and friendship to his brethren for commercial and sport fishermen was second to none, ranged from the boats he built for taking passengers out for a day’s fishing that are still in service to the commercial fleet that gathers fish for the fresh seafood that ended up on numerous plates, He also built the ever so famous Baywatch rescue boats, fire boats, and Sheriff’s boats for many counties in California. With the help of lifeguards and police officers that served on them, his boats saved many lives on our coastal waters. Lifeguards who ran the lifesaving Baywatch-style rescue boats were regulars in the shop as well as law enforcement officers like Sherman Block and firefighters who all respected Stapp for his skills and for his functional designs. I was fortunate to get to know Stapp as a friend and as an employee, and his effect on my life has been monumental.
Stapp served in the military running a boat taking supplies and officers back and forth to San Nicholas Island from Point Mugu Naval Station. He related stories to me about all who he crossed paths, including many iconic types in the field of fishing. He loved to fish and fished commercially for barracuda by jigging several jigs (putters) in the wake of his boat with jig poles making the spread of several lines. His eyes would glow as we sat on our breaks having coffee at the boat yard, and he always said it is time for some HDC. ‘What is HDC?’, I asked. With a smile he said, ‘Hot delicious coffee.’ So now it is part of my vocabulary along with others who worked at the boat yard such as Bill Hefner, Martin Ried, and Ben Mora. Many people in the development of tackle also made appearances such as Earl Pace who made the famous Pep Jig used by many So Cal locals including myself. We built him a sport fisher named Earl’s Pearl of which he gave us all hats and jigs to use. I also talked once and a while to his daughter, Kelli, and Pat McCuiston who had a commercial boat in Redondo and distributed his jigs. Tady, who also made jigs, was one who came in the shop now and then. Many people enjoyed Bob’s company and respected him in many ways. He developed a machine to join the sheets of plywood together to make plywood up to an inch thick. He then developed a
a press that held the joint and baked the glue in less than 20 minutes. The joint was strong and ready for building. To this day, I have not seen another one like it. Innovative to say the least. “The yard had a smell of wood that was comforting and hard to dismiss,” said Casey Kajiyama who had a lobster boat built that was as he said perfect in all ways and provided a livelihood until his sale of the boat. Dependable, durable, and functionable in every way as he described to me in a conversation. And, if you were willing to help on the boat you had made, he would show you how to do it and save you some money that way. You learned, saved, and gained knowledge in the process, sharing years of experience. His boats were works of art, constructed from stem to stern. He could with eyes only, snap a water line on a hull that sat perfect when put into water. Again magic.
The Ashley family had three boats made: the Cortez, the Aztec, and the Pacifica, which are still in use to this day. He built a boat that I worked upon, the New Hustler II, owned by George Mio. In the Morro Bay area, the Diablo and the Marauder. The first Shogun for Norm Kagawa and Frank Lo Preste. Steve Holmes’ Pacific Outdoor and the Spitfire in Marina Del Rey. I believe the last large sport fisher he built is still in service. Some have new names, and they are still out catching fish, filling bags, and making memories. How many people can create this many memories with the talents shared like this?
Stapp had strong faith and shared his woodworking talent with his church by volunteering to fix various projects. He also was on several bowling teams at Palos Verdes Bowl and looked forward to doing that after a day’s work in the boat yard.
He always had a way to share his knowledge in a friendlier way than many.
There were many icons of the fisheries that would pop in for a visit and share dockside info about catches and the health of mutual friends that all kept connected at one time or another. I would be willing to say that every captain and crew of many sport boats and commercial boats were regulars at the yard. I remember on the side work that was done also for captains to upgrade their sportfishing or commercial ventures with the building of custom bait tanks, fish fillet boards, railing that needed to be replaced, and swim platforms. If there was room in the yard, some of the 30 foot or less boats would occasionally use the yard for repair and maintenance with most asking for advice from Stapp on the repair for optimum care of their vessel. The shop was a ‘Who’s Who’ of the California sportfishing scene.
Bob also had an obsession for flyfishing for steelhead in northern California and would take regular pilgrimages in one or his custom built super light 8-foot prams made from 3/8th and ¼th plywood. He showed many of us how to flyfish and got us interested by taking us to Deep Creek and the San Gabriel River for native trout to build our skills. I was used to fly lining a bait and not tossing a Zug Bug in a shallow waterway. But his patience made many of us understand this unique way to fish. Now I spend time doing it and thank him while on a lake in my float tube or a stream reading the water. The gleam in his eyes said it all while discussing a fly trip. Another passion of his was the orange Seaway Logo painted model T antique truck in which he took us rides. My son Justin and I showed up at his house for lunch one day near Point Fermin, and he took us for a ride. His eyes where bright with pride as he drove the Model T he built from the ground up. I miss these times, but I realize they are but a building block in one’s life as they grow older. A strong building block. Many others have passed from his era that I have had the privilege to work with and they all had a block for my foundation as did Stapp. We are lucky to have such people to know. Well, they are all casting and waiting for us I suppose with the landing net to guide us when it is our time.
