Southern California boating legend and shipwright Robert Gordon “Bob” Stapp, 91, died Aug. 14 in San Pedro after having served the South Bay community as a boat builder and community leader for over 40 years.
Born in Inglewood on Sept. 16, 1931, Stapp served in the U.S. Navy during the Korean War, during which time he acquired many of the skills that would later contribute to his boat-building acumen. He spent most of his service time at Point Mugu running AVRs (aircraft rescue vessels) and at Norton Sound, Alaska, running PT (patrol) boats during missile testing.
Stapp’s love of the ocean and all things nautical gradually evolved into a deep appreciation of the unique mix of engineering and aesthetics and how they contribute to great boat design. After his discharge from the Navy, he attended college and studied drafting and engineering, which would aid him extensively in his future career as a boat designer and builder.
Later, having carefully observed the designs of U.S. Naval vessels and the extensive variety of small vessels in his home town, he began experimenting with his own concepts upon returning to civilian life in San Pedro.
After sketching a variety of boats, Stapp began laying out the lines of coastal vessels and building them under his new company name, Seaway Boat Company. The small start-up gradually grew, producing high-end fishing boats, plus a series of vessels for lifeguards and other emergency services along the Southern California coast.
From the 1960s until recent years, Seaway built many lifeguard boats and fireboats for the city of Long Beach, along with other coastal communities, at its boat yard on Terminal Island. Until recently, Stapp owned one of the last two remaining wooden boat building businesses on the West Coast.
Seaway boats are known particularly for Stapp’s careful design and his use of cold-molded construction, which is superior to fiberglass in many ways. Fiberglass offers a quick, easy method of construction with hand-laid glass cloth soaked in polyester resin, or a “chop gun” to fill a mold with resin-soaked fiberglass thread, forming a rough mat. Cold-molded construction, on the other hand, is achieved by laying up of thin pieces of hardwood to achieve strength.
The cold-molded technique is especially prized by builders because ironically, instead of using an actual mold, highly skilled boatwrights use their hands to bend and fasten, or “mold,” the thin strips of wood carefully to the vessel’s wooden frame. Applying epoxy between each pair of opposing layers of diagonal wooden strips ensures an extremely strong yet flexible hull capable of withstanding extensive abuse in a crowded harbor or on a rough ocean.
As many California sailors agree, Stapp’s cold-molded motor boats and sailing yachts are highly prized for both their beauty and brutal strength on open water, making them the perfect choice for emergency vessels, crew taxis for cargo ships and high-end sailing and motor yachts.
Beyond boat building and woodworking, Stapp was also an avid restorer of classic automobiles. He completely dismantled and rebuilt a number of antique autos, stripping them down to the frame and reassembling chassis, suspension, engine, steering system and brakes, turning old clunkers into essentially brand-new cars. His superior knowledge and mastery in the use of construction polymers, which he had learned while building and finishing boats, added the finishing touch to his rebuilt automobiles.
Perhaps most telling regarding Stapp’s love of life and nature was his dedication as a conservationist. He was an avid spokesman for the need to protect California’s natural environment, particularly state beaches and waterways. Stapp advocated limiting pollution in his local haunts of Los Angeles Harbor and Newport Beach, and he made an ongoing, focused effort to influence fellow boaters and anglers to follow his example.
Stapp found yet more ways to combine community service with his mastery of boat building. At St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in San Pedro, he was known for his skill and willingness to repair or rebuild church pews and other wooden structures on the church grounds. His woodworking talent and access to a high-end carpentry shop helped keep the St. Peter’s church structure in Bristol condition during his many decades of service to the congregation.
Stapp also served for many years as both a vestry (management council member) and usher at St. Peter’s, where he devoted much of his free time to helping his church community. Church members remember him with respect and fondness as he was always willing to offer a helping hand.
Perhaps Bobbie Cusato, a fellow member of St. Peter’s, best summed up Stapp’s dedication to serving others while pursuing a successful life as a shipwright and avid boater and angler.
She shared a memory from years ago. She was teaching a lesson on Noah’s Ark in a vacation Bible study program, and asked Stapp for some type of tool she could use so her young charges could get an idea of what the ark might have looked like, given the description from the Old Testament.
Fulfilling Cusato’s request beyond her wildest dreams, Stapp built a miniature wooden Ark for the class, combining the vague details available in Genesis with some of the limited available knowledge of boat-building practices in ancient times. To her utter surprise, the vessel was a long rowboat, big enough to fit all the kids in the Bible class.
The example Bob Stapp established for young children and hardened mariners alike will continue to inspire and motivate younger generations for years to come. The next time you see a tough-looking wooden emergency vessel along the coast of Southern California, you will appreciate the dedication and hard work of this amazing man.
