Eliminator Boats founder Bob Leach has landed himself a new gig: General Manager of Interceptor Custom Boats.

Leach was tapped by company owner Kelley Thueson, the Utah-based director of Ross Southern Laboratories (a research laboratory concerned with diagnostic immunology), following the recent resignation of General Manager Troy S. McIntosh. Interceptor is the builder of 2600 and 2800 Kool Kat deckboats, as well as a new 2500 SX vee-bottom available in either outboard or I/O configurations.

“I have owned an Eliminator boat, and that’s how I got to know Bob,” Thueson told Speedboat. “I’ve always thought the world of him, as just about everybody does. Everyone at the company is thrilled by the opportunity to work with a legend like Bob Leach, and his wife Cindy Leach is just a gem. We’re just so pleased. I’m excited that he’s willing to take over the management of this company, and we’re truly honored that he’s willing to give us some direction. I know he’s very optimistic that this will be a good run.”

It has been a tumultuous last couple of years for Leach, who not only lost his company in a bankruptcy sale to new owners in 2018, but who has been undergoing chemotherapy treatment. Then, a few weeks ago, he broke a femur—an upper bone in the thigh—and has only recently been able to start walking again.

At press time, Bob and Cindy were right at the beginning of their new journey, doing preparatory work at the factory in Bloomington, CA, that employs 10. “We’re going to come in, start fixing things and basically take over,” Bob told Speedboat. “We’re just starting today.”

“We’ve got a lot to work with,” added Cindy. “It looks like they have a great bunch of guys working here. We just need to get familiar with everything. There’s a lot of things that we need to do. It’s going to be kind of like starting all over again, but at least we come in with the knowledge of what can be done. So we’ll see.”

Both Bob and an office worker at Interceptor are both dealing with compromised immune systems, so the team has a heightened awareness of the importance of staying safe during the COVID-19 pandemic. “They’re distancing themselves and are wearing masks,” Cindy says. “I think we probably need to start doing daily temperature checks as a precaution.”

The boating industry has missed Bob Leach, and the reverse is also true, Cindy says. “He really misses it, because he truly loves boats. It’s going to be really nice for him to be able to do this.”

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