Son of Fred Lidgard the first of his designs was launched in 1948.
John named his first boat after his girlfriend Heather. Today John still has both Heathers. His building business is now run by his son Duthie and they share a loose association in design efforts. Cousin Jim runs the Halsey Lidgard sailmaking group.
In 2016, at the age of 85, he still competes in the annual Lidgard Memorial event.