Enjoying Our Time

by Glenn Perich member of the Blue Ridge chapter

Our introduction to boating started originally in 1979 with the purchase of a fiberglass boat. As time went on, children and work made us too busy to enjoy boating. We sold the fiberglass boat in 1984. Fast forward; to the summer of 2013 we were enjoying a beautiful day on Lake Hartwell with friends of ours who had a 19′ Lyman. While on the lake my friend received a telephone call from an individual in Temperance, Michigan who had the 1957 Lyman for sale. Originally he had been interested in buying this boat but had found the boat we were currently enjoying. On the spot, my wife said we should buy the boat. This was our introduction to historic wooden boats.

On January 1, 2014 we started the original restoration of the boat. Photographs don’t always show the actual condition of a boat. Upon arrival in Temperance, Michigan we determined that the boat was in rougher condition than had originally been anticipated. This however did not stop us from the purchase of the boat. The restoration of the boat took approximately two and a half years with numerous hours of labor as there was rotten wood, sun faded mahogany, dull bright work, broken ribs and the keel was warped. The restoration of the boat was finally completed in the summer of 2017.

We enjoyed numerous days on Lake Hartwell and had entered it in the Blue Ridge Chapter Boat Show. Much to our surprise we won the first prize for the best restored outboard motor. All of the restoration was completed by friends including my friend who originally got me interested in wooden boats. As you can discern from the attached photographs it’s come a long way from its original purchase condition.

This has also led us to join ACBS of which we are members in the Blue Ridge Chapter. We regularly attend their annual boat show and have made a number of very close friends as a result of our membership. I had never done any actual woodworking and after time felt comfortable utilizing the various woodshop tools necessary to complete the restoration.