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We heard over the weekend that Bob Montoya passed away on Friday, after a lengthy illness.
Bob was very passionate about boat racing, and served as a Mod Category Chairman in APBA for many years. Back in his heyday of racing, it was not uncommon to see Bob show up with a trailer with 4 or more two person runabouts on them, and loan them out to a number of people.
Bob helped found Whidbey Island Roostertails, a small, independent outboard club in Northwest Washington that many of race at or have raced in. Bob's sons Ricky and Terry both raced, and of course Ric is our dealer for Yamato 302 engines and parts. Bob was also a commodore of Seattle Outboard Association in the 1980s. Between SOA and WIR, Bob brought countless people into boat racing in the Northwest. And we all learned from Bob.
As I write this, not long after a similar post I put up this morning about Fred Leland, it strikes me how similar in many ways Fred and Bob were, though I don't believe they knew each other. Like Fred, Bob was a guy who could do it all...build boats, propeller, machine fabrication, you name it.
I would even venture to say that Bob gave outboard racing something we all can be thankful for: The hand launching pit dolly. When I started racing in the early 1970's, we all used saw horses and pipe stands in the pits. Bob started showing up with his D runabouts on hand dollies. Before you knew it, we all had them. He may or may not have thought of the idea originally, but he was the first to do it in the Northwest, and many backs have been saved in the process. Bob always had a better idea, and that one may have been his best. Thank you, Bob.
Race in Peace, Bob.....we'll miss you.
R-19
Bob was very passionate about boat racing, and served as a Mod Category Chairman in APBA for many years. Back in his heyday of racing, it was not uncommon to see Bob show up with a trailer with 4 or more two person runabouts on them, and loan them out to a number of people.
Bob helped found Whidbey Island Roostertails, a small, independent outboard club in Northwest Washington that many of race at or have raced in. Bob's sons Ricky and Terry both raced, and of course Ric is our dealer for Yamato 302 engines and parts. Bob was also a commodore of Seattle Outboard Association in the 1980s. Between SOA and WIR, Bob brought countless people into boat racing in the Northwest. And we all learned from Bob.
As I write this, not long after a similar post I put up this morning about Fred Leland, it strikes me how similar in many ways Fred and Bob were, though I don't believe they knew each other. Like Fred, Bob was a guy who could do it all...build boats, propeller, machine fabrication, you name it.
I would even venture to say that Bob gave outboard racing something we all can be thankful for: The hand launching pit dolly. When I started racing in the early 1970's, we all used saw horses and pipe stands in the pits. Bob started showing up with his D runabouts on hand dollies. Before you knew it, we all had them. He may or may not have thought of the idea originally, but he was the first to do it in the Northwest, and many backs have been saved in the process. Bob always had a better idea, and that one may have been his best. Thank you, Bob.
Race in Peace, Bob.....we'll miss you.
R-19
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