Solace Boats, the Latest Chapter in the Dougherty Family Story

Whaler, Edgewater, Everglades, then Solace

Solace makes more sense once you know the family. Bob Dougherty was chief engineer and later a senior vice president at Boston Whaler, nicknamed Mr. Unsinkable for his work on its foam-filled hulls. His son Stephen joined Whaler's assembly line at 17, and when Whaler moved to a plant in Edgewater, Florida, in 1982, Stephen helped set up the new factory and train its workers.

The Doughertys went out on their own around 1991 with Edgewater Powerboats, a business that reached roughly 100 employees and eight models. A decade later, in 2001, came Everglades Boats, built with Bob Dougherty's Rapid Molded Core Assembly Process, a method that had collected an industry innovation award in 1999. Stephen walked away from Everglades in 2012 and, bound by a non-compete, ran a fabrication company that took on big jobs such as theme park projects. Once the restriction lapsed, those engineers and that plant became Solace.

Building the tooling before building the range

Solace arrived with a winner. Its debut model, the 345, took Boating's Boat of the Year title in 2019. Rather than outsource plugs and molds, the company invested in a pair of five-axis routers, the bigger of which can cut a full boat as long as 60 feet, so hull design and tooling never leave Edgewater. Today's monohulls are the 28HCS, 30CS, 32CS, 35CS, 37CS and 37PILOT, and a catamaran line that includes the 41CT runs alongside them.

At the top now sits the 42CS, our covered model, which was unveiled late in 2025 and reached customers in 2026. It carries forward the stepped running surface of the award-winning 41CS and adds more seating at the helm, an aft bulkhead fitted with glass that opens, and a big fuel load for long runs; the full specifications live on its own page. With its arrival, the 41CS and the diesel 415CS were moved to the company's legacy list.

Who Solace builds for, and buying one used

Solace works through dealers, and that network is where shoppers will find open build slots, demonstrators and help with a trade. The target owner treats a big outboard console as a family cruiser that can still go fishing, and the finish, systems and pricing reflect it, with the 42CS landing above the million-dollar mark new. Because the company is only a few years old, nobody has much long-term depreciation history to quote. Value a secondhand Solace on its power, equipment and maintenance paperwork instead.

• Verify which engines are fitted, their combined horsepower and that the warranty is registered
• Examine both steps and the running surface for signs of grounding or impact
• Operate every opening window, its seals and the electric actuators
• Review how the gyrostabilizer and air conditioning were installed and maintained
• On an early hull of a new model, read the dealer's pre-delivery inspection report