Bob Dougherty 1931 - 2016

Bob Dougherty died with his family by his side at his New Smyrna Beach, Florida home on March 23, 2016 at the age of 85.  A tough Irishman from South Boston, before experimenting with fiberglass in the fifties and entering the boating industry Bob was a school teacher.  He brought his craft and passion to the marine industry which spanned sixty years, which started as in in 1960 he joined Boston Whaler, designing most of there craft in his thirty years career till 1990 at the company.  At Boston Whaler Bob will become the chief designer and senior vice president over the years and will be instrumental in the success of the famous unsinkable boat builder.  Bob will leave Boston Whaler in 1990 and founded Dougherty Marine and RJ Dougherty and Associates, building OEM windshields and other parts.  Along with his son he also builds an eighteen foot center console unsinkable boat he marketed as the Marlin in 1992.  He will sell this company to the North Technology Group in 1994 and will become in 1996 the EdgeWater Boats as its line-up expands.  Following this Bob will then go on to refine the unsinkable closed-cell foam flotation technique with the creation of the Rapid Molded Core Assembly Process which won an industry Innovation Award in 1999.  He then takes this knowledge of unsinkable construction and creates Everglades Boats the next company he founded with his son Stephen in 2001 which will debut with the 243cc model in 2004.  Everglades was sold in the fall to Grand Crossing Capital Partners.  The Everglades 435 center console, the company’s flagship model, launched in 2014 was Bob Dougherty’s final design.  A disciplined and visionary leader, Bob always took pride in doing the right thing, and always placed people first, taking care of them as he would his own family.  Dougherty is survived by his wife, Barbara, daughters Laura and Gail, sons Rob and Stephen, and ten grandchildren.