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Miller Marine

Like quite a few builders, Mike Miller backed into the boatbuilding business while trying to build a charter boat that he could fish for a living. "I was born and raised in Panama City, Florida, where my granddaddy built his first headboat. I grew up working on them as a mate. After running one of the headboats for a couple of years, I decided to buy myself a regular charter boat. After running it for 10 years, I decided to build my own. But by the time I got that first one finished, a 52-footer, John Bayliss' deckhand at the time, Marty Brill, bought it and took it to fish Oregon Inlet. I started on another one and a fellow came down from Dothan, Alabama, and bought that one. We've now delivered 24 boats over the last 21 years," says Miller.

Miller continues to think like a charter boat captain and still likes to build boats with a good ride first and foremost. "We like to start with a good hull design and then build the interior around the hull instead of vice versa. We want our boat to run and ride properly; you just can't do that if you start loading it down with a lot of amenities without considering how the weight will affect the hull design. It all boils down to a balance between weight and horsepower," says Miller.

"We use a core material in the construction of our boats, but it's really not that much lighter. We won't take anything away from the hull's integrity to save a little weight. A light boat just isn't going to ride as well anyway. We are not trying to be

At a Glance: • Great riding boats • Clean Florida lines • Built for fishing first

the fastest kid on the block. With today's lighter, more powerful engines, everybody can reach good speeds, but the fastest guys can only hit their top ends when it's relatively calm. However, with a 36-knot cruise and a 42-knot top end, we feel that we can run with just about anyone," says Miller.

During the past two decades, Miller delivered hulls ranging in size from 40 to 70 feet, but lately he's decided to stick with boats in the 70-foot range. "I'm really tired of jumping around with the sizes. Our last boat just turned out so beautifully and performs so well that I think we are going to stick to building the larger ones for a while," he says.

For more information, contact Miller Marine of Panama City, Florida, at 850-265-6768, or visit www.millermarineyachts.com.
 

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