Bernard Lyman was the co-founder of Lyman Brothers Boat Builders and Lyman Boat Works. Lyman founded the company with his brother, Herman Lyman, in 1875. He designed and built the
clinker (boat building)
Clinker-built, also known as lapstrake-built, is a method of boat building in which the edges of longitudinal (lengthwise-running) hull planks overlap each other.
The technique originated in Northern Europe, with the first known examples using ...
built boat, the Lyman. The Lyman boat has a reputation for, as Tom Koroknay says, "mastering the rugged chop of
Lake Erie
Lake Erie ( ) is the fourth-largest lake by surface area of the five Great Lakes in North America and the eleventh-largest globally. It is the southernmost, shallowest, and smallest by volume of the Great Lakes and also has the shortest avera ...
.
However, the Lyman name would ultimately span far beyond Ohio and Lake Erie. In the 1950s, Lyman introduced multiple product lines that were marketed toward fishermen, jet-setters, and everyone in-between. The company was aggressively marketed, and their naval architecture was essentially similar in design to
Great Lakes
The Great Lakes, also called the Great Lakes of North America, are a series of large interconnected freshwater lakes spanning the Canada–United States border. The five lakes are Lake Superior, Superior, Lake Michigan, Michigan, Lake Huron, H ...
builders such as
Chris-Craft out of
Detroit, Michigan
Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...
. Sleek, modern wood lines, and attention to detail defined the brand, along with the "dual-pane" glazing on most models' front bow/cockpit. Models such as the "Islander" and "Runabout" (between 17' and 22' in length) were most popular. Although they are rare to find today, they still have a sort-of
cult-following, and are widely regarded as pioneers in the design of modern sport boats for usage in the Great Lakes, and other places around the world.
References
External links
Koroknay's Marine Lyman Boats
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lyman, Bernard
American boat builders