Before the FPB Fleet, There Were Muffler Men

The unexpected chapter in Steve Dashew’s remarkable career.

– BuzzSprout
– Spotify
– Apple
– YouTube
– iHeart (US Only)

Most people know Steve Dashew as the designer behind some of the world’s most capable offshore cruising yachts.

His name has become synonymous with passagemaking, long-range powerboats and decades of practical offshore experience.

Few, however, know that before any of that, Steve helped create one of America’s most recognisable pieces of roadside culture.

In the latest episode of the Dashew Talking Books, Sue Grant explores one of the most unexpected chapters in Steve’s career: the story behind the giant fibreglass figures that would later become known as the Muffler Men.

An Opportunity Hidden in a Classified Advert

In the early 1960s, Steve was running a small boatbuilding business in California. Winter was always a challenge, with fewer boatbuilding projects coming through the workshop.

Looking for a way to keep his team employed, he answered a small classified advert in the Los Angeles Times.

The business for sale consisted of just a handful of fibreglass moulds, including a giant Paul Bunyan figure.

It hardly looked like the beginning of a nationwide success story.

“This started like most things we’ve been involved with,” Steve explains. “We never intended it to be in the display business.”

Seeing Potential Where Others Didn’t

One of the first figures produced after Steve acquired the business was installed outside a service station in Las Vegas.

According to Steve, the result was immediate. Fuel sales reportedly doubled.

The installation attracted industry attention and soon some of America’s biggest brands were taking notice. Texaco, Phillips 66, Sinclair and Uniroyal all became customers as the business expanded from a seasonal sideline into a national manufacturing operation.

Remarkably, Steve was only twenty-one years old.

Looking back, he laughs at the confidence that came with youth.

“I had no fear. I didn’t know what you couldn’t do.”

It is a quote that captures much more than this particular business. It also offers an insight into the mindset that would later define his approach to yacht design: question assumptions, embrace opportunity and never be afraid to try something different.

Engineering Beyond Boats

Although the products were entirely different, many of the challenges were familiar.

Manufacturing large fibreglass structures required practical engineering, efficient production methods and careful logistics. Steve even developed and patented a trailer system that made transporting and erecting the enormous figures significantly easier.

The same curiosity and problem-solving approach that would later influence the FPB range was already evident years before his career became centred on offshore cruising.

Innovation, for Steve, was never limited to one industry.

From Roadside Icons to Offshore Icons

Eventually, Steve left the business behind as new opportunities emerged.

Boatbuilding once again became his primary focus, leading to the sailing yachts, Deerfoot designs and ultimately the FPB series that established his reputation around the world.

Ironically, the giant advertising figures that were once regarded as temporary commercial displays have enjoyed an extraordinary second life. Restored examples now stand proudly across the United States, celebrated as icons of American roadside history and sought out by collectors, photographers and Route 66 enthusiasts.

Listen to the Full Conversation

The latest chapter of the Dashew Talking Books reveals a side of Steve Dashew’s career that many boating enthusiasts have never encountered.

It is a story about entrepreneurship, innovation and recognising opportunity in unlikely places. More than that, it offers a fascinating glimpse into the experiences that shaped one of the most influential designers in modern offshore cruising.

Listen to the full episode on your preferred podcast platform.

Contact fpb@berthon.co.uk.