Fred Scopinich, East Quogue master boat builder and naval architect, dies at 99

A master boat builder and naval architect, Fred Scopinich built more than 1,000 vessels including wood ferryboats, custom sport fishermen, many police, government and commercial craft, and plenty of recreational boats.

"I don’t think that there was any type of boat he didn’t design and build himself," said Scopinich’s son, Fred A. Scopinich, of Hampton Bays, who worked at his father’s side for more than 50 years. Scopinich’s grandson, Kevin, continues the tradition. "He would build his own racing sailboats and compete in national and international championships — he was a great sailing competitor."

The East Quogue resident died on Sept. 2, at the age of 99.

Frederick "Fred" J. Scopinich, Jr. was born in Freeport on July 24, 1927. He learned the boating trade from his father and perfected his craft while attending Sparkman & Stevens Naval Architect School. Scopinich and his two brothers purchased an abandoned shipyard, which they named The Hamptons Shipyards. There they built a boating legacy for their family.

Ian Connett, commodore of the SS Class Association, praised Scopinich’s contributions to sailing and preserving the SS class wooden sailboat.

"Were it not for Fred’s unique abilities, restoring boats with care to their original ‘one-design’ specifications, it is without question that many of the vessels we sail today would have been lost," Connett said. "He told stories that made you laugh, and if you listened carefully, shared nautical knowledge that could be put to use on race days."

Scopinich met his wife, Doris Lang, who died in 2014, in Freeport, where she worked on the docks next to his father’s shipyard. The couple got married on May 12, 1951 and moved to East Quogue in 1956, where they raised four children together: Fred; Susan of Fort. Meyers, Florida; and Kathryn "Kit" of Summerland Key, Florida. Their son, Stephen, died in 1979. As a father, Scopinich was a dedicated family man, especially on the weekends.

Weekends for family

"Weekends were always for family. He taught us how to fix things, took us clamming and duck hunting, and we always spent time together at beaches, yacht clubs, and at the family’s Freeport Bay House," said Scopinich’s son "He was always sharing his knowledge of life on the water — boating, boat building, sailing and Long Island Maritime history."

Kathryn "Kit" Jayne said her father worked very hard but "always had the time to be the support we needed growing up."

"He was always there for us. He taught us how to be safe on the water, and he made sure to take us to dinner in the classic wooden boats," she said. "I am very proud to be his daughter."

According to his son, Scopinich was very "proud of his grandchildren and enjoyed joking and playing with them and telling them stories."

"As a grandfather he was very loving. He always told me stories of his life, my mom’s, and my childhood — he loved resurfacing memories for everyone," said Scopinich’s granddaughter Lindsay Jayne of Miami, Florida. "He would always take me to build sandcastles down on the beach in Florida and sung me a song every night before bed up until a few days before he passed."

According to his son, Scopinich loved everything about the water and building boats.

"From teak sawdust, glue, to fiberglass, epoxy and the smell of fresh varnish. At times he would just sit in a chair by the dock and enjoy the wind and water," his son said. "He was always there at the first launch of a new boat, to see that they floated straight and level."

Scopinich enjoyed sailing, clamming, windsurfing, duck hunting, scrapbooking, building model boats and watching the New York Knicks.

"He really had a lot of love for sailing in all forms; racing, building the boats and loved to share the stories behind them," Jayne said. "But I think he would want his legacy to live on through the people he’s touched. Not through material things or his accomplishments, but through the values he taught everyone in his family, the importance of showing up for one another, enjoying the little things and always making time for the people who matter most."

In addition to his children Fred and Kathryn, Scopinich is survived by his daughter Susan Delihas; three grandchildren, Kevin, Brian, Lindsay; and three great-grandchildren, Bradley, Dory, Kevin. He was preceded in death by his son, Stephen. A funeral Mass was celebrated on Sept. 8 at the Immaculate Conception Church in Westhampton Beach. Burial followed at Cemetery of the Holy Rood in Westbury.