With its sharp entry, conservative flare and 9.5-degree deadrise at the transom, the Miller 60 could best be described as a conservative Carolina design. The result, says builder Mike Miller, is a hull that slices through head seas, tracks true in following seas and sits stable in the water.
Miller builds his 60s using core cell composite construction for light weight, though he does utilize solid glass sections where struts and rudders penetrate the hull for increased strength. With this construction technique and hull design, the 165,000-pound Alvin’s Island, Miller’s newest hull, provides both good speed and fuel efficiency. She tops out at 36.5 knots running 2,350 rpm, while 1,900 rpm gives a cruise right at 30 knots.
More noteworthy, perhaps, is the efficiency of this boat at midrange rpm levels. For example, 1500 rpm, Alvin’s Island runs a highly respectable 24 knots, sipping a moderate 56 gph. At that speed and with 1,200 gallons of fuel, she offers a range approaching 500 nautical miles. (The primary 1,200-gallon fuel tank resides under the cockpit; Miller can add up to 400 more gallons of fuel with secondary tanks.)
As all Millers are custom-built from the hull up, each interior, bridge and cockpit contains its own distinct personality. Inside its three-stateroom/two-head layout, the Alvin’s Island features dark mahogany woodwork, custom carvings, under-counter appliances and a leather interior decor by Sam Rowell Marine Interiors of Stuart, Florida.
The bridge design places visibility high on the priority list. Miller removed the standard overhead boxes in favor of a larger helm console, where all electronics are housed. In the cockpit, Miller included a custom freezer, live well and icebox (plumbed with a 600 gpd Eskimo icemaker) in the forward bulkhead compartments. Concealed in the engine-room access door – while still accessible from the cockpit – is the bait prep center with tackle drawers. A transom fish box holds the day’s catch.
Miller currently builds sport-fishermen in 36-, 60- and 72-foot lengths, though he’s quick to point out that they’ll build a boat of any size.
