Design and Construction
Solaris builds solid fibreglass boats, and the 68 RS follows that philosophy with a hull and deck language described as a modern sports hull beneath an elegant superstructure. The yard's known method of laminating minimum-40mm structural bulkheads to hull and deck to form a rigid monolithic cage, and of resin-bonding interior furnishings, bulkheads and chainplates directly to the structure rather than via fillers, sits behind the documented choice to place the engine and tanks in the central part of the boat to concentrate weight and improve speed data. That central concentration is not merely a packaging footnote; it is the structural logic the builder used to keep the hull balanced while carrying a ton of water and almost the same amount of fuel in substantial capacities, with a 190-horsepower engine option atop the standard 150-horsepower unit on direct drive. Category A certification confirms the offshore envelope the design was built to inhabit.
Rig and Handling
The sailing weapon is built around a carbon fibre rankout, a powerful rig element paired with the cutter configuration and spade rudder that define the platform. The documented placement of engine and tanks centrally is the builder's own stated means of concentrating weight for improved speed data rather than a handling impression supplied by reviewers. With an 18-foot beam, the hull presents the broad, stable platform that the sports-hull description implies, and the option of one or two rudder pens lets the owner specify steering redundancy on a boat suitable for private cruises, receptions and competitions alike.
Accommodations
Below, a comfortable natural wood interior is lit by circular glazing that provides full visibility and light access to the salon, an unusual glazing treatment that opens the raised saloon to the horizon rather than merely admitting light. The boat was offered with a wide range of interior layouts, from a standard three-cabin version to a five-cabin version, and the five-cabin arrangement moves the port side galley displaced aft to preserve cabin count without sacrificing the central social space. The flexibility of the plan reflects a boat conceived both as a private cruiser and as a platform for receptions, where guest flow matters as much as berth count.
Equipment and Owner Choices
From the factory the 68 RS could be ordered with a dinghy garage or a spacious aft locker, a bowsprit, and one or two rudder pens — each a structural or appendage choice rather than a cosmetic add-on. The dinghy garage trades aft stowage volume for concealed tender handling, while the spacious aft locker favours deck gear and cruising spares; the bowsprit extends the downwind sail plan consistent with the carbon rankout's power. None of these were default-fit items across the range, but they define the documented boundaries of how the boat left the yard.
The Verdict
The Solaris 68 RS is a purpose-stated flagship: a Category A certified, solid-fibreglass sports hull with central weight concentration for speed, a carbon rankout, and a glazed salon wrapped around genuinely variable three-to-five-cabin layouts. It is a boat built to compete and entertain, not merely to cruise, and its Soto Acebal pedigree within the Solaris line gives it a coherent design lineage from the 58 onward.
Pros
- Flagship of the One Line, later repositioned as first of the Raised Saloon series
- Solid fibreglass construction with central engine/tank placement for concentrated weight
- Carbon fibre rankout and cutter rig on a Category A certified hull
- Circular glazing salon with three- to five-cabin layouts including aft-galley five-cabin version
- Factory options of dinghy garage or aft locker, bowsprit, and single or twin rudder pens
Cons
- No documented shoal draft option
- No documented production-end year or hull-count figure to gauge rarity
- Rudder-pen and storage configurations vary by order, complicating like-for-like comparison
