Everglades Boats for Sale
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Everglades Buyer's Guides
(1 guide)Updated 1 January 2025 · By Hulls.io Editorial
About Everglades
Everglades Boats occupies a unique position in the American boating industry: founded by the man who literally invented the modern unsinkable fishing boat, built using a patented construction process that improves upon three decades of Boston Whaler engineering, and manufactured in a purpose-built facility designed from the ground up around that process.
Bob Dougherty's story is inseparable from the history of the American centre console. Born Robert Joseph Dougherty, he was working as an industrial arts teacher in Boston in the late 1950s when he met Dick Fisher of Boston Whaler at a boat show in 1959. By 1960, Fisher had hired Dougherty as Chief Designer, and for the next thirty years — from 1960 to 1990 — Dougherty designed every Boston Whaler model produced. He developed the unsinkable hull concept, created the first V-shaped Whaler hull, and in 1987 orchestrated the move of Whaler production from Rockland, Massachusetts to Edgewater, Florida, establishing what would become a boating industry hub in Southeast Volusia County.
After leaving Boston Whaler, Dougherty and his son Stephen founded Edgewater Power Boats in 1990. They built the company to approximately 100 employees and eight models before selling in 1995. Then came the breakthrough: while building hardtops and fibreglass components for other boat manufacturers through R.J. Dougherty Associates Inc. (founded 1996), Bob invented RAMCAP — the Rapid Molded Core Assembly Process.
RAMCAP represents a fundamental advance over Boston Whaler's foam injection process. Where Whaler's Unibond method injects liquid polyurethane foam between pre-made hull and deck mouldings (with approximately 45 seconds to complete each fill before the foam begins to rise), RAMCAP moulds the high-density structural foam core separately, ensuring the foam is exactly where it needs to be with no voids, before building it into the hull structure. The result is a lighter, stronger, more precisely engineered unsinkable structure — a boat that is genuinely unsinkable not because of marketing claims but because of verifiable, consistent engineering.
In 2001, Bob and Stephen Dougherty founded Everglades Boats to build boats using the RAMCAP process. The company operates from a custom-built, 111,000-square-foot facility in Edgewater, Florida — the same town where Dougherty had established Boston Whaler's manufacturing base fourteen years earlier. Bob Dougherty passed away in March 2016 at age 85, but the company continues under his son Stephen's leadership, perfecting the vision of the man who spent a lifetime pursuing the ideal unsinkable fishing boat.
Today, Everglades offers centre consoles from 23 to 45 feet, all built with RAMCAP construction, integrated hardtops, and a level of fit and finish that places them at the top of the premium centre console market. The boats are not inexpensive — they compete at or above Boston Whaler pricing — but buyers who understand the engineering pedigree and the construction quality recognise the value. The brand is now owned by Grand Crossing Capital, a Chicago-based private equity firm that has supported continued investment in product development and manufacturing capability.
On the used market, Everglades boats command strong prices and sell quickly. The combination of RAMCAP construction, the Dougherty heritage, limited production volume, and a devoted owner base creates a market dynamic where clean, well-maintained Everglades boats rarely sit unsold for long.
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Frequently Asked Questions About Everglades
What is RAMCAP construction?
RAMCAP (Rapid Molded Core Assembly Process) is Everglades Boats' patented hull construction method, invented by founder Bob Dougherty. Unlike Boston Whaler's foam injection process, RAMCAP moulds the high-density structural foam core as a separate precision component before building it into the hull. This ensures the foam is exactly where it needs to be with no voids, producing a lighter, stronger, and more consistent unsinkable structure than injection methods can achieve.
Who founded Everglades Boats?
Everglades Boats was founded in 2001 by Bob Dougherty and his son Stephen. Bob Dougherty served as Chief Designer at Boston Whaler from 1960 to 1990, designing every Whaler model during that period. After leaving Whaler, he founded Edgewater Power Boats (1990), then invented the RAMCAP construction process before launching Everglades as the ultimate expression of his unsinkable boat engineering.
Where are Everglades boats built?
All Everglades boats are built in a custom-designed, 111,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in Edgewater, Florida. Bob Dougherty chose Edgewater because he had previously established Boston Whaler's manufacturing there in 1987, and the area had developed a deep pool of skilled marine industry workers and suppliers.
How does Everglades compare to Boston Whaler?
Both brands build unsinkable foam-core centre consoles, but they use different construction methods. Boston Whaler uses the Unibond foam injection process (injecting liquid foam between hull and deck moulds), while Everglades uses the patented RAMCAP process (moulding the foam core separately for precision placement). Everglades tends to be priced at or slightly above equivalent Whaler models. Both hold value extremely well. The brands share heritage — Everglades founder Bob Dougherty designed every Whaler from 1960 to 1990.
Do Everglades boats hold their value?
Everglades boats hold their value exceptionally well — comparable to or better than Boston Whaler in many size ranges. The combination of RAMCAP construction, limited production volume, strong brand following, and the Bob Dougherty engineering pedigree create strong demand on the used market. Well-maintained Everglades boats typically sell quickly with minimal negotiation.