Blue Lady

by Stephen Ogilvy member of the New England chapter

I have owned this 1967 Lyman Hardtop Cruisette Blue Lady since the fall of 2013, purchased in Vermilion, OH. This is the second wooden boat I have purchased from this area of Ohio. Previously I had bought an 18′ 1955 Chris Craft Sea Skiff in Port Clinton, OH. Living in Falmouth, MA on Cape Cod and boating in Vineyard Sound, Nantucket Sound and Buzzards Bay with the 18’Chris-Craft I discovered I needed a slightly bigger boat to handle the seas more comfortably and allow more boating days for me and my family.

I researched the Lyman’s and found the Cruisette a perfect seating arrangement for my family and my boating needs. The hardtop also provides dry cruising to keep everyone happy.

At the time I bought her, there were a number of Lyman Cruisettes and other 26′ models for sale in the Ohio area I was becoming familiar with. One trip was all it took to see a half dozen boats and make my decision.

Originally, named North Wind, the boat was in a shed and had not been in the water for over a year. It was in very good shape and needed very little to get her up and running. With the help of a boatyard, Moes Marine Service, I was able to have it put in the water, tested and approved for purchase. That only left shipping back to the east coast which I arranged from home.

In the spring of 2019, I repowered Blue Lady with a 5.7L Crusader 350 inboard. Although the boat is from 1967, Lyman hull # 1019, the engine was a 1970 Chrysler 318 V8 that from past records I was able to decipher was installed in 2003. After one season with the new engine I am happy to report that I am very satisfied and look forward to many more seasons of boating.