The story starts below, please send any comments - I'd love to hear 'em.

Grant Turner,
P.O. Box 809
Manchester Center, Vermont 05255-0809
Ph. 802-362-7318
Fax 802-362-4956
EMail grantt@sover.net

ENDION

Endion is a 20 foot long utility-style runabout made by Lyman Boats Works of Sandusky, Ohio in 1950 -51.  Its hull number is X-1008, and Lyman aficionados will recognize it as one of the few remaining examples of the nineteen original so-called "X" boats.

The boat was ordered by Commander Eugene McDonald of Chicago, founder and the Chairman of Zenith Radio Corp and was customized in a group effort by Lyman and some of the Zenith electrical engineers. McDonald was, among many other pursuits, an avid fisherman, and the boat was intended to be used as a fishing boat at his island home in the North Channel of Lake Huron. All modifications made to the otherwise typical 'utility runabout' were aimed at making it the high- tech fishing machine of its day. Commander McDonald named the boat Endion, an Ojibwa Indian word meaning "place of my home" - McDonald had a well-known sense of humor, which may shed a little light on the idea of naming your fishing boat "a place of my home"!

The Endion is from a time of evolution at the Lyman Boat Works. Like the other boats produced post WWII, the hull is planked with plywood planks (3/8" mahogany, in this case), although they were still dry-fit - no sealing compounds were used between the laps. Below the waterline, all the planks are riveted to each rib (copper nail and burr rivets) with another rivet through the laps between each rib. Four clinch nails (cut nails, not duck-billed) were also used between each rib. Above the waterline the planks are screwed to the ribs, with only clinch nails on the laps between them. The boat is 20' long with an 86" beam. Some of the details (like the steering wheel and windshield) seem to be the same as those used on the earlier, but bigger, 1947 22' Runabout, so I think of it as a little brother to that beautiful series. However, Endion doesn't seem to have as many planks as the 22' – on the Endion the typical plank reveal is about 4 5/8”.

Although it was likely intended to be a regular production boat, Lyman only made nineteen copies of the 20 foot "X" series. At the time of this writing it is my understanding that the reason they stopped production of this model was that they had trouble with leaks at the seams between the planks. It seems the jig to bevel the planks was improperly set up and, combined with the absence of any rubber sealants at the time, this made for a leaky hull – you can imagine that owners were unhappy with their new boats sinking! Lyman eventually went to the trouble of taking one of the finished boats apart to locate the source of the leaks, discovering the problem with the jig. Apparently, although they were able to identify the problem, the market wasn't strong enough to re-introduce that size boat (or maybe they hoped it was better forgotten), and the twenty-foot size boat was not seen again until 1955, and then in a slightly different hull. I hope to get more definitive information on this in the future, although the condition of the Endion's hull would certainly back up this story.

The interior is a mix of Honduras and Philippine Mahogany, with the Honduras typically being used on the custom parts. The still-original engine is a 125 hp  Chrysler Crown Special (model M47S),and the boat is fairly consistent with other utilities of the era - it has forward seating accessed via hinged seat backs port and starboard, there is a "dog house" engine cover, and a full width rear seat. The sole is covered with linoleum, and there are no ceiling boards. Beyond that, it starts to get interesting.

McDonald's desire was to have a gas-powered boat to get him to a fishing spot, and an electric motor to power the boat for trolling once there (Walleye was a favorite species). The electric motor would be completely silent and allow very slow trolling speeds. He also wanted to have a remote control (wired, not wireless) so he could fish from different positions in the boat and still run it when trolling (He had a similar remote control system made for his pre-war 32' custom-built Lyman cruiser called the "Mizpah"). The gas engine would charge the large battery bank used to power the electric motor – what we now call a “Hybrid” power system.  

The 20 foot model Lyman was offering in 1950 would handle any weather McDonald would likely find at his summer home, and the 125 hp Chrysler Crown Special would have plenty of power. The solution to his other demands was to fit a small dog-clutch gear box inline directly behind the gas engine and mount an electric motor directly on top of it. Lyman put a small engine box with a hinged lid over this electric motor. Driving the gearbox via a chain, the electric motor had two sets of armature windings and commutators - one set wound in parallel and one in series - and was connected to a battery bank through a set of relays that allowed either a 6 or 12 volt circuit. This gave the motor three speeds in each direction, and no loss of energy through variable resistance.  Also, there was a small electric motor mounted at the base of the Gemmer steering box that engaged a large gear welded to the steering shaft - it could be run in either direction to spin the steering wheel and steer the boat. All these functions were available through buttons and a little control wheel mounted on a fist-sized remote control that could be plugged in to sockets in a wiring circuit that was routed under the gunwale around the perimeter of the boat. The battery bank was installed under the forward seat, and was charged via a belt-driven alternator attached to the gas engine (the standard generator charged a starting battery).  

Other little goodies included an extendable lightning rod on the forward deck (why have a looming storm chase you off  a good fishing hole?), a  second, smaller instrument panel for battery management, a gas fume detector, and various two-way radios that came and went over the years.  For the fisherman, there was a folding jump seat with a swiveling rod holder on each side, and there were also two live-wells under the rear seat, both plumbed in a way that fresh water  constantly flowed through either  or both of them as the boat traveled forward.  There were four mounting points to hold the remote control so you could clip it in place and sit in a variety of positions in the boat and still be in control. A wonderful large (loud!) siren was added to the forward deck in later years.

McDonald was a famous promoter, and often used his own personal property to promote the efforts of Zenith Radio Corporation. In this case, the unique features of the Endion were published in a regular feature called "Modern Design" in the October 1, 1951 issue of Design News Magazine - a technology magazine for mechanical and design engineers still in publication today. Author Tom Koroknay included information on the Endion in his 2004 book, " Lyman Boats: Legend of the Lakes".

As mentioned earlier, the Endion shows all the signs of a boat that has had major leaking hull issues for a long time. Of course, it's pretty hard to tell when this all happened in a boat that's almost 60 years old, but every piece of wood below the waterline is beyond its useful life. The solid oak ribs and keel/stem/gripe are not much more than cell walls - brittle and blackened. The plywood glue is mostly gone - the laps fall apart all along their length, and the bottom of the transom is punky. One could say this can be expected in an old boat, but it was always in the same family, and always cared for by a full-time caretaker (although there was a normal turnover in personnel). It's been said that Commander McDonald, who died in 1958 never had much luck with the customized electrical systems in the boat - he had to continually "fiddle" with it. My mother remembers him telling her that he enjoyed cruising the remote shorelines near his island and quietly sneaking up on the wildlife, and lots of people went out fishing with the Commander, so it did work at least some of the time.  Also, the boat has had a few moments of bad luck, such as when it hit a semi-submerged deadhead log that punctured the hull (ouch). The rudder has been bent, and repaired many times. Also, I've found evidence that the engine was stored with water in it over a winter, and the misguided repairs to that situation were evidently the creation of many more problems. Unfortunately, one of the solutions to the continuing engine problem was to remove the extra inline gearbox and the remote steering motors – the relay panel went out, too.  Some work was begun on the oft-patched hull in the mid 1980's - there were thoughts of fiberglasing the hull - but in the end it went into a storage barn and became the home of a wide variety of small animals and birds until we pulled it out in 2003.

So, at this time, the engine has been rebuilt to zero hour condition, but I don't have the custom gearbox and electric motor, or the motor and drive for the steering system. The hull is stripped of bad planks and being prepared for new oak structure. Upgrades will include an electronic ignition, sealant between the planks, and a propeller guard. One area of planning concerns the ventilation of the engine compartment – the original layout made no allowance for the air supply to the engine, and

 I have plans to reassemble everything to the point where if, at some future point, I can afford the time and money to recreate the custom systems installed in the Endion (or, with luck, locate the originals!), it can be brought back to its original design. The presence of the custom-made remote control box is certainly encouraging.

The Endion's story continues to evolve, and I look forward to its return to its original home waters. The beautiful black hull screams "Lyman" and it will be fun to push the old Chrysler hard. Stay tuned, and if there is any information available that will help me do the best job I can, I would appreciate any help.

Grant Turner

Grant Turner, P.O. Box 809 Manchester Center, Vermont  05255-0809 Ph. 802-362-7318 Fax 802-362-4956  EMail grantt@sover.net web:www.LongAgoAndFArAway.com/endion.htm