See the Lake Tahoe yacht, featured on ‘Modern Family,’ up for auction after seizure
The U.S. Marshals Service will auction off a gorgeous luxury yacht docked in a South Lake Tahoe marina after the vessel was seized when a judge ruled the owners owe $848,062 in debt and interest accrued.
The “Sierra Rose” is an 85-foot, triple-level yacht built in 2005 by Fred Finney of Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. It has three bedrooms, three bathrooms and a helicopter pad with hydraulic, motorized handrails and LED deck lights. Other on-board features include a kitchen and fireplace inside and a fire pit and hot tub on the deck.
The yacht was featured in the ninth season of the sitcom “Modern Family,” which aired Sept. 27, 2017. The Pritchett and Dunphy families decide to rent a boat to view the solar eclipse in the season’s opening episode.
In July 2020, federal marshals took the yacht into custody as a result of a federal civil lawsuit, Cap One Inc. v. MV Sierra Rose, which was connected to a $350,000 outstanding balance. The ruling in favor of the plaintiffs was handed down in June 2021.
The dispute arose when “Plaintiff ... and defendant, Sierra Rose LLC, entered into a financing agreement for the construction of the Vessel by the terms of which the Lenders would advance funds as needed for the construction of the Vessel up to the amount of four million dollars ($4,000,000.00),” the lawsuit states.
When the vessel was built, it was considered the largest noncommercial yacht on Lake Tahoe, according to the Tahoe Daily Tribune. In 2008, the yacht was sold at an auction for $3.25 million, the newspaper reported.
A $10,000 pre-bid deposit is required to bid. The deposit money can be applied to the purchase price.
The yacht is sitting in Tahoe Keys Marina.
The online-only auction began Tuesday and runs through June 14. It is being conducted by Apple Auctioneering.
In 2012, the yacht’s lower level sank and was completely underwater while the second level was partially submerged. It was restored.
The yacht is being sold as-is. The purchase is final.
This story was originally published May 31, 2022 at 10:39 AM with the headline "See the Lake Tahoe yacht, featured on ‘Modern Family,’ up for auction after seizure."
