In the first issue of The Islander, founder Jerry Cattelane Sr. stated the following:

"Let me reiterate some of the driving forces that led me to the organization of our Lyman association. The first, of course, is my enthusiastic and deep seated appreciation for the Lyman boat as a safe, seaworthy, comfortable, economical and aesthetic water craft. The second is that I wanted a group formed around this classic that would be totally family oriented, and not dictated to by any pressure other than the enjoyment of the Lyman boat. Thirdly, to organize and participate in Lyman-only events all along the St. Lawrence River and Lake Ontario where I knew the concentrations of such crafts existed. Fourth, to strive toward the goal of eventually trying to resurrect the Lyman name and start production of wood Lymans in the future and in the Northeast."

In early Spring 1997, a steering committee of Jay Wason Jr. and Dean Witmer joined the original foursome in order to help ease the burden of management caused by the club's rapid growth. Alan Briggs was added as technical director in Summer 1998, at which time over 250 paid members had joined.

Jay Wason recruited the efforts of Syracuse attorney Carter Strickland to draw up the incorporation documents. Subsequently, the club’s name was revised to the Lyman Boat Society of North America, Inc., and appropriately filed with New York State as a not-for-profit incorporation. Revised at this time was the name of the society’s publication to The Lyman Islander. Late in 1998 Mr. Wason recruited his former law partner, Leslie Westerman, who then wrote the documents to apply for 501-c-3 federal status. Following his efforts, the society was granted teaching, museum status.

The society continued through the later parts of 1998 and early 1999 to take advantage of its IRS status by promoting the donation of boats and funds to the society.

In the autumn of 2005, the LBSNA stopped printing its member magazine and gave back the building it had used for a Lyman museum to the village of Alexandria Bay, NY because of lack of support on the part of its members,and the Board of Directors at that time was no longer interested or able to accept responsibility for such an organization in that physical form.

Although we are not accepting new members, we will continue to provide educational resources for our past members and web readers in the form of archival materials, an up-to-date website with a dynamic classified ad section,and in one-on-one assistance for restoration, preservation and Lyman buying-and-selling issues.