Upstart center-console builder Solace Boats plans to launch its second model this August, a follow-up to the Solace 345 that made its debut last year.
Work on the first Solace 41 hull had been delayed because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic but work has since resumed at its Edgewater, Florida facility, said Todd Albrecht, president of Solace Boats. The general public should see the new model at boat shows starting in the fall.
“We were fortunate that we make all of our own plugs and tooling here on site. We do not outsource that to someone, so we control our own destiny as far as the timeline of building,” Albrecht said. “Our goal is to have whole one up in the assembly building ready to start rigging in the next three weeks.”
The Solace 41 is a new build from the keel up, Albrecht said, with a twin-step hull and unique features that marine industry veteran and Solace founder Stephen Dougherty is known for. The new model will be available with triple or quad Yamaha outboards. Maximum horsepower is 1,800.
The company launched its first model, the 345, in mid-2019 and found an eager audience for boat. The model features a FishThru transom—a transom that extends between the two Yamaha outboards and allows the boat to run in shallow water.
Albrecht said the company decided to move forward with the 41-foot model after getting requests from customers and dealers. The company plans to eventually launch a 47-foot model before offering additional models in the 30-foot range.
“I wouldn’t say the market is flooded with the mid-30-foot range, but there certainly is a lot of product out there and as you go larger there’s less competition and there’s less product for people to look at,” Albrecht said. “The majority of the customers that we had spoken to are already at that point where they want to be in the 40-foot and above range but they loved everything they saw on the 345 as far as some of the innovations and features and things like that.
“We just knew that there was a void there for us to bring something that wasn’t your typical center- console fishing boat.”
While Albrecht hoped on-water testing would start in June it will likely be August when the 41 is ready for testing. The boat will be at the major boat shows this fall, provided the pandemic subsides and state officials allow for large gatherings such as boat shows.
“The only thing that hurt us as we had a couple of major tournaments that we did want to present the boat and fish it and get the word out,” Albrecht said. “That’s all right. We’ll just start out at (boat) show season. We’ll be ready to go.”