One of the most famous—or infamous—boats on Lake of the Ozarks is on a farewell voyage, sent by its new owner to warmer waters.
Miller Time, a 68-foot Sunseeker Predator yacht made its maiden voyage at the Lake in 2014. The boat was admired by many, and often seen at major events on the water. But others railed against the huge vessel; for them, it was the microcosm of the Lake’s boat wake woes. Though perhaps polarizing, the multi-million-dollar yacht was indubitably well-known, at the most popular recreational lake in the nation.
PHOTOS: Miller Time's Maiden Voyage (story continues below)
Predator's Maiden Voyage
There's a new Predator on the Lake of the Ozarks. On Thursday, May 1, the Millers, a local boating family, lowered "Miller Time," a 68-foot Predator, into the Lake.
Photography by Lake Shots
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Now she’s been renamed Timber, according to Michel Noort, who has been a fan of the boat for years and made a connection online with the yacht’s first mate.
Timber is headed south—down the Mississippi River to the Gulf of Mexico and then across to Florida, where it will remain. The reason behind the name? The new owner reportedly owns a lumber company in Canada.
Michel made a Facebook page to follow the boat’s journey, and it’s gathered a bit of a following. A lifelong powerboating fan, Michel lives in the Netherlands, where—much to his chagrin—there’s not much interest in big, fast boats. He owns a Cigarette Mistress, and guesses there are probably only about 20 recreational powerboats in the entire country that are over 35 feet long.
“All my life I am very interested in your beautiful country and culture including powerboats, only here the powerboat lifestyle isn't that big as in the USA. So that's why I follow a lot of American fb pages,” he wrote in a recent Facebook message to LakeExpo staff. He started the Facebook group just for fun, but has been surprised at the interest it has garnered: the page now has 115 likes and his updates always garner attention. (Meanwhile, the LakeExpo.com crew has noticed a sudden spike in views on our 2014 photo gallery of Miller Time’s first launch at the Lake!)
Michel says he’s never been to Lake of the Ozarks, but would love the chance to come to the Shootout some day. Flights are expensive, though, and he runs his own business, so it’s tough to get away. “But it’s on my bucket list,” he says. That, and a cove party at Lake Havasu.
