Bob H. Hammond

Bob H. Hammond (1920–2014) was an innovative American entrepreneur and boat builder who revolutionized the fiberglass boating industry as the founder of Glastron, one of the first companies to mass-produce affordable fiberglass pleasure boats in the post-World War II era. Born in Iowa and raised in Texas, Hammond initially worked in the oil fields before entering the nascent boating market in 1956, when he established Glastron in Austin, Texas, with a small team and a focus on durable, lightweight vessels that appealed to the growing middle-class leisure market. Under his leadership, Glastron pioneered iconic designs like the V-162 "Seabreeze" runabout and the revolutionary "Gokart" personal watercraft in 1960, which became a cultural phenomenon and precursor to modern Jet Skis, propelling the company to national prominence with annual sales exceeding 10,000 units by the mid-1960s. Hammond's vision emphasized quality craftsmanship, bold marketing, and rapid innovation, transforming Glastron into a multimillion-dollar enterprise before he sold it to the Ford Motor Company in 1968 for $16 million; he later pursued ventures in real estate and philanthropy, leaving a lasting legacy in recreational boating that democratized water sports for generations.