Take a look at this boat, drink in the all-new, completely unique, one-of-a-kind Solace 345, and there’s no mistaking this new center console fishing boat for any other boat on the planet. Which is more awesome: the centered bump-out fishing platform between the outboards, or the flanking 45-gallon livewells with integrated tuna tubes? We’re not sure, but it’s almost unfair to limit yourself to those two choices, however obvious they are, because this boat also has a hydraulic swim platform hidden under the aft platform which extends out from under the opening transom. Oh, and a Shockwave suspension system for the helm seats. Let's take a look at hull number one, which we found at the Annapolis Boat Show.
Other touches include a pair of Yamaha F425 XTO outboards, standard 3DC Seakeeper gyro system, a twin-seat upper station with a fold-down buggy top, a hydraulic mezzanine bench under the rigging station, and of course air conditioning in the console cabin. Naturally, the boat’s construction is in keeping with all these techno-gee-wiz features, incorporating carbon-fiber, Innegra lightweight vibration-dampening hydrophobic fabric, and epoxy-infusion.
Just where in the heck did this creation come from? That may be the only thing about this boat that’s not a surprise – it carries the Dougherty name. Many will remember Bob Dougherty, the long-time Boston Whaler designer who went on to found both the Edgewater and Everglades brands. He passed away several years ago and the banner has been picked up by his son Stephen Dougherty, who also worked on Edgewater and Everglades and has unsurprisingly been immersed in the boatbuilding world his entire life. Now, Stephen Daugherty has designed the Solace.
It must be genetic.
Solace 345 Specifications
LOA – 38'0"
Beam – 10'6"
Displacement – Still TBD as of press time and we're not even going to try to guess
Draft (hull) – 1'10"
Transom Deadrise – 22 degrees
Fuel Capacity – 325 gallons
Max HP – 850 hp
Area Dealers – PYY Marine, Pasadena, MD, (410) 255-1771
For more info, visit Solace Boats.