By Jeremy Goldstein member of the North Coast Ohio chapter
Having owned the1970 23’ Lyman Offshore since 1999 and being the third owner, she’s hull # 6 of only 41 ever built. Not only was she built in Sandusky Ohio at Lyman Boat Works but Sandusky has been her only home port her entire life.
As the owner of Custom Marine Inc. (also in Sandusky Ohio) my company now in its 26th year which specializes in vintage boat restoration and yacht Interiors, performed a keel up restoration on it. The entire bottom was replaced , all new seats and floor were installed , the factory dash board (which in my opinion was one of the only underwhelming orig. design elements on this boat) was replaced using a very tasteful combination of teak and curly maple . Since the initial restoration back in 2003, Bella Blue has won several awards at boat shows around the country but, don’t let that fool you. This boat is no Trailer Queen as I have thoroughly enjoyed using this rare Lyman and have logged over 3500 miles at its helm. Some places Bella Blue has been include Lake Erie, Lake Muskoka, Portage Lakes, Buckeye Lake, Indian Lake, Lake Huron, Lake Norman, Lake Lanier, Lake Ontario, Ohio River, Kentucky River, Muskingum River, St Lawrence River, St. Johns River, Sandusky River Tennessee River, and Arkansas River.
Probably not to surprising but my first mate Erin Whipple and I had one of their very first dates aboard Bella Blue. However, in all the excitement of that day, I inadvertently managed to flood Bella’s carburetor while pumping the throttle (Way too many times). Needless to say, that date ended up being dockside.
Bella Blue Still sports her original 210HP 307ci Crusader V-8 Engine which has been religiously maintained and pampered, still performs well and burns no oil. However, with Bella’s hour meter now proudly displaying nearly 2500 hours, a new engine will eventually find a happy home in her teak motor box in the near future to ensure many more years of boating adventures for Erin and I.
