Inside the Maritime Museum of Sandusky
150 Years of Lyman Boats
Tıdes Tradition OF
Celebrate the stories, craftsmanship and connections that make boating a cherished way of life across generations.
On the Water Ohio Readers, DEAR
Welcome to this edition of OMTA’s On the Water Ohio. We’re glad you’re here, and we are excited to share some stories that speak to the heart of what makes boating so meaningful in our region.
This issue takes you inside the Maritime Museum of Sandusky, where local history and lake life come together in a way that’s both educational and inspiring. It’s a place where stories are preserved and shared, connecting us to the generations who came before.
We’re also celebrating an incredible milestone — 150 years of Lyman Boats. Built by hand, passed down through families and loved by so many, Lyman boats are more than just beautiful vessels; they’re a symbol of the connection between people and the water.
In “Passing the Passion,” we meet families who’ve made boating a tradition. It’s about more than time on the water — it’s the early mornings, the quiet moments and the laughs shared across generations.
And in “Anchoring a Legacy” we highlight the folks who have turned their love for boating into family-run businesses. Their stories are about hard work, legacy and the pride that comes from doing what you love, together, across generations.
Thanks for picking up this issue. We hope it reminds you why boating is more than just a weekend activity — it’s a lifestyle that brings people together.
All the Best, Michelle Burke
MICHELLE BURKE President of the Ohio Marine Trades Association
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CRUISE through HISTORY
The Maritime Museum of Sandusky gives visitors a chance to get up close and personal with local maritime history.
Stories by Ruth Corradi Beach
BEGINNING IN SUMMER 2026, visitors to the Maritime Museum of Sandusky will be able to live history while learning about it by cruising on a fully restored,1939, 24-foot Lyman boat. The Gull was owned by Oscar Lay, who was vice president of Lay Bros. Fisheries, one of the first freshwater fisheries in the area and one of the largest inland freshwater fisheries at the time. The boat is being restored at Classic Marine in Vickery by Dwight Davis and Isaac Zimmerman.
“The Gull is really special, because it takes these two stories of Oscar Lay Bros. Fisheries and Lyman and puts them together in one boat,” says museum Executive Director Molly Sampson.
While the Maritime Museum displays focus on all aspects of local maritime history (including a cannonball from the War of 1812 found at Sandusky Bay), Lyman boats are very important to the museum, just as they are to the Sandusky area. In 1928, Lyman Boat Works (founded in 1875) moved its shop from Cleveland to Sandusky, where it remained until it closed.
Once the Gull is fully restored (with modern safety updates), museum visitors will be able to include a cruise in their visit. “People will
Boat
be touring on a historic boat that was built in Sandusky and owned by a prominent member of the Sandusky maritime business community, so they will be living history while enjoying the water and learning about history as we give the tour information,” says Sampson.
The two- to three-hour cruises will be memorable for many reasons, from the historical aspect to the beauty of the trip, Sampson notes. “We can look at Cedar Point and Johnson’s Island, and we can go across the Sandusky waterfront and look at where Lay Bros. Fisheries was located,” she says. “We’ll try to get a sunset route that ends at the coal dock. The coal docks at sunset [are] absolutely beautiful to see.”
The Gull is currently under restoration at Classic Marine.
Soul Boats with
Lyman Boats celebrates 150 years of family, craftsmanship and love of
IN 1875, BROTHERS BERNARD LYMAN AND HERMAN LYMAN founded the Lyman Brothers Boat Builders and Lyman Boat Works in Cleveland. Now, 150 years later, Lyman love is still going strong. Lymans were built specifically for the waves of Lake Erie and surrounding lakes, and the wooden boats’ impact on boating culture, especially locally, is considerable.
There are many Lymans still in use today, some having been passed down through generations and restored. Other families may acquire their Lymans from a reseller, often accompanied by an oral history of the family who owned it before them. In fact, so beloved are Lyman Boats that finally, new Lymans are again being made — one at a time, by hand, just the way Bernard and Herman intended.
PRESERVING HISTORY
Pat Dietrich of Sandusky Bay Marine Association grew up around the boats he now repairs and restores. Dietrich’s father owned Vacation Land Marina (now Venetian Marina) in Sandusky, just down the street from Lyman Boat Works. While the Dietrich’s marina did not sell Lymans (they were too close to the factory to be given a dealership, Pat explains), Pat and his dad did haul boats for the company.
“I remember getting boats loaded on the trailer,” he says. “I made a lot of trips to New York and Connecticut and out on Long Island, up in that area, delivering boats.”
In addition to hauling them, Pat was surrounded by Lymans growing up, he recalls. “Having the marina, we had a lot of customers who had Lyman boats and would dock them at the marina, but that’s all I knew about them. I didn’t know the construction or anything like that.”
That would change in 1980 when, fresh out of high school, Dietrich stopped by to visit thenowner of Don Forrest Inc., Don Forrest, who was restoring Lymans in a space he rented from Pat’s father. “I said, ‘Do you need help?’ and he said, ‘Well, as a matter of fact, I do.’ So, 45 years later, here I am.”
Dietrich worked for Forrest for 14 years before taking over the business, where he estimates that
99% of the work he does is on Lyman Boats. His customers come from as far away as Texas.
Dietrich notes that the legacy of Lymans is carried on in his business through some of the customers he serves. “I’ve got customers that I’ve had for years — I mean even going back to when Don had the business when I was working for him,” he says.
When asked why Lymans have maintained their popularity for a century and a half, Dietrich explains, “I always say they’re built on Lake Erie for Lake Erie, and nothing rides like a Lyman. But that’s not the whole reason — it’s the design. The boats just have great lines and the lapstrake construction is a part of that. They’re just unique boats. Unfortunately, there’s a lot of them that didn’t survive, but there’s a lot of them that were ready for the boneyard that we brought back.”
Deitrich uses tools like the ones at the original factory. “If we take planks out, that [plank] is my pattern to make the new planks off of. You can’t just pick one up off the shelf,”he says.
A man who grew up on a marina and is now a sought-after Lyman repairman, Dietrich muses, “I’ve got Lake Erie running in my veins, so it seems only fitting that I’m working on Lymans.”
CONTINUING THE LEGACY
Boaters who can’t get their hands on an original Lyman now have a chance to own an official Lyman made using original blueprints
“We’re just trying to build a boat that people will be proud to own and have a lot of fun with and really spend high quality time on the water with their families and their loved ones.” — Nate Sublett
“I’ve got Lake Erie running in my veins, so it seems only fitting that I’m working on Lymans.” — Pat Dietrich
the fun that we had on that boat. It’s something that I wanted to continue,” he says.
In addition to the skilled craftsmen who were already on hand, Sublett hired Kurt Cerny, a marine architect who grew up in North Olmsted and is now based in Annapolis, Maryland. “Kurt came here, and we went down to [see] Doc Lyman’s (Tom Koroknay’s) amazing collection of drawings from the Lyman factory that he rescued when the factory closed down,” says Sublett.
“I’m a little cabinet-builder that always thought that boat building was the pinnacle of my craft,” he summarizes. “I like to call it a forever boat, but I know things don’t last forever. We’re just trying to build a boat that people will be proud to own and have a lot of fun with and really spend high quality time on the water with their families and their loved ones. That’s the goal.”
and updated to meet current boating regulations. Nate Sublett founded Chippewa Boatworks during the COVID pandemic, when his company needed to pivot, he explains.
“My company, Benchmark, has been around for many years,” Sublett says. “We design and build exhibits for museums and trade shows and also high-end interiors. When COVID hit, museums closed up and shows stopped. I had a crew of guys here who are highly skilled craftsman, and me being a totally committed boat guy and a lover of wooden boats decided, ‘Well, let’s put these guys to work building a few boats.’”
Sublett now has two businesses: Benchmark and Chippewa Boatworks. “The reason for that is we’re right close to Chippewa Lake where all the boats get their first sea trials in.”
Sublett became a “totally committed boat guy” thanks to his wife Susan’s grandfather, Bill Reese. Nate and Susan were middle school sweethearts, and he joined her family at Pelee Island on Bill’s Lyman beginning in 1968. By the time Sublett was 30 and he and Sue had three kids, Bill’s Lyman was so well-loved and frequently used that “it became a flowerpot in front of our cottage,” Sublett shares. The family had other boats after that, but “the Lyman had always stuck in my mind. I always loved the way it looked and
The team settled on a drawing for a 1957,16-and-a-half-foot Lyman as the inspiration for the boat. “Kurt did a fantastic job of redesigning the hull so it has all the handling features that we were looking to get, including the legendary great handling for short chops of Lake Erie that Lyman was famous for. But [the newly built ones] handle even better, and the boats meet all the current Coast Guard standards for small boats,” Sublett says.
Chippewa Boatworks has made five Lymans in the last two years, and Sublett hopes to ramp up that number to two boats per month. Cerny, the architect, is updating some old plans for a 23-foot version. Boats are made to order, Sublett notes.
“We offer a list of options that they can choose from. The hull is what it is, but we can fit out the interior as a runabout or as a center console or as a tender, and then all the other things that go along with it; the electronics, a depth sounder GPS on it, 50 horsepower or 70 horsepower outboard motor — all the things that people would want to make it their personal boat. Our customers are involved in the process from the beginning to end, and they get the boat that they really want, with all the craftsmanship the Lyman has, but taking advantage of the new technology and new materials that we can put to use.”
The Lyman community, while a little hesitant at first, has really embraced these brand-new, classic Lymans as the real deal, says Sublett, and he couldn’t be happier about it.
CELEBRATE LYMAN BOATS
Want to celebrate the 150th birthday of Lyman Boat Works? There are lots of options. The sesquicentennial kicked off with a 10,000-square-foot Lyman Museum display at January’s Progressive Cleveland Boat Show. If you missed that, no worries — there’s more to come.
“Going forward throughout the year, many antique boat shows, actually throughout the country, will be celebrating Lyman and the 150th,” says Michelle Burke, president of the Ohio Marine Trades Association (OMTA).
The Antique Boat Museum in Thousand Islands, New York, will spotlight Lyman Boat Works as part of its 61st annual Antique Boat Show and Auction (Aug. 1-3).
The Lakeside Wooden Boat Show and the Maritime Museum of Sandusky will also have special displays.
Show your Lyman Love with a graphic tee that commemorates Lyman through the ages. Clothing and accessory company Lyman Life and Cleveland’s GV Art + Design teamed up to create four terrific styles you can wear for years to come (available at lymanlife.com).
“It’s awesome to get out and go boating with your kids, whether it’s waterskiing or cruising or just going from restaurant to restaurant.” — Jim Armington
Armington got his first boat when he was young, he says. “When I was probably about 7 years old [my dad] got me a little 14-foot aluminum boat with a 9.9 motor on it. I’d head out in Lemon Bay, south of Sarasota, in the mornings and just spend the day out tooling around the bay in my little boat. I thought it was pretty cool he let me do that on my own.”
If 7 years old sounds young for solo boating, Jim Sr. agreed. “I found out later on in life that about 10 minutes after I left, he (Jim Sr.) would head out on his boat and follow me around,” Jim Jr. says with a laugh.
It’s important to Armington that he was able to share his love of boating with his own children and now, his grandchildren. “I was fortunate enough when my kids came along to do a lot of boating, both up here and down south,” he says.
Armington is still boating with his son, James III.
“It’s awesome to get out and go boating with your kids, whether it’s waterskiing or cruising or just going from restaurant to restaurant,” Armington says. “I really have always enjoyed my time on the water with my grandfather, my father and my kids, and now my grandkids as well.”
PASSING the PASSION
For many families, boating is a beloved tradition that brings generations together on the water.
ASK A BOAT OWNER THE BEST THING ABOUT HAVING A BOAT and they’re likely to respond that it’s a terrific family activity. Jim Armington of Buckeye Sports Center notes that a big reason boat sales skyrocketed during COVID is that the sport is so family friendly.
“[Boating is] a great way to keep the family together and spend time together. It boomed so much during COVID because families realized that it gives them a way to be with just their family, a little bit isolated from the rest of the world, and enjoy their time together.”
Armington’s boating history began with his own family. “It started with my grandfather [Stuart] and going out on his boat when I was little, mostly down in Florida. Then my father [Jim Sr.] got a place down there and had a boat when I was very little still, and we would go out boating with him.”
Unlike Jim Armington’s experience, Lara Wilken was introduced to boating by her community rather than her immediate family.
“What I mean by that is we live on the Sandusky Bay and I was a kid who spent a lot of time fishing with the boys,” she recalls. Wilken grew up to marry one of those boys, Jake, whom she met in junior high. “We would go to Bay View and fish off the railroad tracks,” she recalls.
On her second date with Jake (when they were adults), the pair went to Deep Water Marina. It was there that a lifetime of family boating took hold.
“His grandpa was standing on the deck [of his Lyman], just tinkering around,” Wilken remembers. “To this day, we still say that was one of our absolute best dates.”
It was also the moment that a treasured memory was created for Lara. “The very first time I saw Jake at that steering wheel was on our second date. I was sitting in the back of the boat and he was standing (he always stands in the Lyman) and driving.”
This tableau would be repeated over the years, with important changes. “I have this whole imagery in my mind of seeing him standing there, from our second date to watching him throughout all of these years stand there with our children by his side,” Wilken says.
Those children, daughter Delilah and son Lyman (yes, named after the boat!), have been boating their entire lives.
Delilah got her boating license before she got her driver’s license, Wilken notes, and Lyman got his first boat when he was a year old. “We had his birthday party at the Maritime Museum of Sandusky,” she remembers. “I didn’t even
“I have this whole imagery in my mind of seeing Jake standing there, from our second date to watching him throughout all of these years stand there with our children by his side.”
— Lara Wilken
know. Jake said he had to run out and he’d be back, and he pulled up with a 13-foot Lyman for Lyman’s birthday.”
With that comes responsibility to make sure the kids understand boating safety. “Jake always takes the time, whenever we’re out there, to
“Jake and I both have a fascination with water, and we just really love to be on it. We both have very busy lives, and it’s something that really calms us.”
— Lara Wilken
really educate the kids on the safety of boating and to really promote it.”
Jake Wilken grew up in Sandusky as the fifth generation to run the family’s heating and air conditioning company.
In addition to that work, his grandpa Carl worked at Lyman Boat Works for a time. This solidified Lymans as the boat of choice for the family.
For Carl Wilken, Lymans were one of the joys of his lifetime. “One of the very last times Jake spent with him was spent fishing on the boat,” Lara shares. “Jake and his father built a lift for his wheelchair so they could put straps under [the wheelchair] and then lift him onto the boat.”
The Wilken family also includes extended family in Michigan, and the whole group, including cousins, aunts and uncles, gets together to go boating.
When asked what, specifically, it is about boating that has so captured the entire family, Lara Wilken says that the reasons are many.
“It’s kind of a blend of things,” she says. “Jake and I both have a fascination with water, and we just really love to be on it. We both have very busy lives, and it’s something that really calms us. In addition to that, there’s this nostalgic connection, specifically between him and I, because of the fact that we grew up together fishing on the Sandusky Bay and on Lake Erie. It’s all come full circle. It’s just really a lifetime legacy of family, friendship and love.”
YOU CAN START THE TRADITION
If you don’t have a family history of boating, you can be the one to ignite the spark.
“There are boat rental companies where you could rent a boat,” says OMTA President Michelle Burke.
“There are clubs like Freedom Boat Club. You could become a member and try out boating [by reserving a boat to use for a limited time] and see how much you use it before making the investment of buying a boat.”
Experience
If you’ve never been on a boat before, charter one from a boat dealer or fishing charter, captain included. The Ohio Department of Natural Resources offers boating classes, as does the United States Power Squadron. And don’t stress about the costs just yet.
“I thought you had to be rich to have a boat [before I got one]. You don’t,” notes Burke. “You can get into boating at any price point. I thought you had to have a big super yacht. You don’t. There’s Lake Erie, but there are also many inland lakes throughout the state of Ohio that people enjoy. The best thing you can do is get a friend who has a boat,” Burke laughs.
FREEDOM BOAT CLUB
OHIO DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES
UNITED STATES POWER SQUADRON
“That’s why we have stayed in the business of selling boats — because we know the positive effect it can have on a person’s life and their family.”
— Jim Armington
ANCHORING A LEGACY
Buckeye Sports Center and Clemons Boats have preserved their business legacies for generations, nurturing a love for boating and family connections.
MANY FAMILIES HAVE A LEGACY OF BOATING TOGETHER, so it only stands to reason that selling boats might be a family affair, too. Indeed, there are two noteworthy boat sellers in Ohio that are longtime family-run businesses: Buckeye Sports Center in Huron and Peninsula and Clemons Boats in Sandusky. At these businesses, Jim Armington and Jason Clemons, both descendants of boat sellers, are now serving descendants of customers their forefathers sold to. For both, their family legacies of selling boats helps other families start traditions of their own.
BUCKEYE SPORTS CENTER
Jim Armington is now vice president of Buckeye Sports Center. His son, James III (who goes by Bob), is the third generation of Armington men to be president of the company, which was founded by James Armington Sr. (Jim’s father) in the mid 1950s. In 1960, James Sr. built the store that still stands today.
In 1976, Jim Jr. took over for his dad, and at that time, the family decided to narrow the focus from sporting and hunting goods and focus exclusively on boats and snow sports equipment, two items that require specialized knowledge to sell and to service.
“Both [Bob and I], and my father, too — our two greatest passions are boating and snow skiing,” Jim says. “We wanted to stay in that and believed that we could not only have fun at it but make a living at it and help other people and their families get involved in it.”
The family now operates two Buckeye Sports Center locations in Ohio, as well as Marine Center of Indiana. When asked why the Armington family has stayed in the business of boating for three generations, Jim responds, “The love for boating came first. As a result, that’s why we have stayed in the business of selling boats — because we know the positive effect it can have on a person’s life and their family.”
Buckeye Sports Center: 4610 State Road, Peninsula 44264, 330-929-3366; 309 Lake Erie Parkway, Huron 44839, 419-500-9499, buckeyesportscenter.com
CLEMONS BOATS
Jason Clemons is the fourth generation of boat sellers in his family. His great-grandfather, Alan, founded Gem Beach Marina on Catawba, the original Lyman Boat dealer in the area. Then, in 1966, Jason’s grandfather opened Clemons Boats. Jason’s father, John, and uncle, Dan, took over as partners. John and Dan have retired, and Jason is now the owner of Clemons Boats.
“There’s something about running a business that has your name on it,” Jason says. “Keeping the family legacy and family name in boating and keeping it going at a high level is 100% my motivation.” He adds, “It’s all for the family aspect. [Not only is] it a family business, but there’s nothing that keeps people together more than being on the water.”
Clemons Boats: 8009 Barrett Road, Sandusky 44870, 419-684-5365, clemonsboats.com
FOUR GENERATIONS OF THE CLEMONS FAMILY HAVE BEEN IN THE BOATING BUSINESS.
Don't Miss
LAKESIDE WOODEN BOAT SHOW
Hotel Lakeside, Lakeside
July 20, noon-4 p.m.
In 22 years, this show has grown from three boats to more than 80 on display on the grounds of Lakeside, Ohio. “We have a unique venue,” explains director of the Lakeside Wooden Boat Show Mame Drackett. “Most boat shows are held [at] a marina so they can use the docks and the parking lot for boats. We use the shaded lawn of the Hotel Lakeside, so we have a gorgeous Victorian hotel in our background.”
The beautiful setting is the ideal place for the Plein Air Art Festival that happens at the same time. Artists are painting at various places around the grounds for several days up to and including the boat show, so you can watch their art taking shape.
The non-juried Wooden Boat Show is free with entry to Lakeside Chautauqua and features live music by Wally and the Beavs. A picnic-style meal is available for purchase.
For more information or to register your wooden boat, visit lakesideohio.com/events
ALL CLASSICS FESTIVAL
Huron Boat Basin, Huron
Aug. 1-3 for participating boat and car owners (free public boat- and car-viewing takes place Aug. 2 beginning at 10 a.m.)
While the festival is hosted by the Lyman Boat Owners Association (LBOA), boats of all types are welcome, says committee chair Katy Burant. “We see a wide variety of makes [including] Chris Crafts and Lymans,” she notes. Each boat displays information including make, model and type of
engine, as well as identifying the owners and the boat’s home port. Upwards of 60 boats and 60 cars will be on display this year.
Saturday is the public day of the festival. Attendees can grab something to eat at one of the food trucks and listen to fan-favorite DJ Cruisin’ Zeake playing classic hits. The Divots will play live acoustic and country rock at the end of the day.
“The history of the cars and the boats gets people talking and sharing information with the younger generations,” Burant says. “It truly is a family event for everyone to enjoy together.”
For more information, visit facebook.com/ AllClassicsFestival
