2011 Regal 42SC - Cheerleader

PHOTOS ELLEN DE WAR VIDEO GUY ALLEN
boat Test
regal
42 sport coupe
CHEERLEADER
The Regal 42 Sport Coupe razzles, dazzles and dances to
the entertainer’s tune, says admirer JOHN ZAMMIT
74 t r a d e a b o a t . c o m . a u
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F e at u r e T e s t
C
onfession: I’ve
become a fan of Regal
boats. I liked what
I saw after visiting
its headquarters in
Orlando, Florida (USA), late last
year and getting a close-up look
at the organisation and the people
behind the brand.
Regal’s range of bowriders,
cuddies, deckboats, express
cruisers and sportsyachts from 19
to 52 feet is innovative, the quality
top notch and the people behind
the brand are active boaters,
who live the lifestyle and know
from firsthand experience what’s
important in a boat.
So, when the opportunity
presented itself to test the first
new Regal 42 Sport Coupe to
land in Australia, I jumped at the
chance. This all-new model is
the third in Regal’s lineup of four
Sport Coupes, the others are the
flagship 52 (already tested), the
46, and the 35. Interestingly, on
my factory visit last November, I
saw this actual 42 in production
on the factory floor so climbing
onboard again felt like déjà vu.
The 42 Sport Coupe has a
distinctive, bold, racy appearance.
That’s because it’s designed in
Italy by T4 Design. It’s a look that
quickly grew on me, sort of Alpha
Romeo-ish, both in styling and
performance. Another thing that
soon becomes obvious is that it’s
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a well thought-out boat.
There are lots of clever design
elements, but they aren’t
hastily executed. It’s all about
quality, from the stainless steel
windshield through to the gas
struts on just about everything
that opens and shuts. The
attention to detail… well, how
many other manufacturers do you
know that have LED lighting built
into the anchor well?
Duane Kuck, president of Regal
Marine Industries, speaking
on the release of the 42 Sport
Coupe said: “Our goal was to
take everything that we learned
developing the Regal 52 and the
46 Sport Coupes and distill what
we ascertained into the perfect
42. We did everything possible to
pack a wide range of features into
a more compact envelope and still
deliver strong performance.”
TOP DRESSING
An entertainer, a fast coastal
cruiser or a family getaway
machine, the 42SC delivers with
features and performance. The
hardtop is standard and while it’s
not unusual for a sportscruiser
to come standard with a sunroof
these days, Regal takes the
concept one step further.
Its hardtop is full beam and
slides back at the touch of a
button to create a 3.53m² roof
opening. More a coupe rather than
Move the sunroof back, above and
below, for that real sportsboat
drive. The prime sunning position
is through the windscreen to the
foredeck's double sunbed, right,
with adjustable backrests.
An ent er tainer, a fast
coastal cruiser or a
family getaway machine ,
the 42SC deliver s with
both features and
performance
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F e at u r e T e s t
[ H IGHS ]
› T op-quality product
› L ots of attention to detail
› L oads of standard inclusions
› P erformance and handling
› Italian styling
[ LOWS ]
›C
an’t see the stern from
the helm in this full cockpit
bulkhead model
›N
avy blue hull may be
difficult to keep clean
You can sit facing forward, back or
to port in the cockpit, top. There's
good stowage inside the transom
module under sunbed lid.
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a sunroof. Add a centre-opening
walkthrough windscreen and
you’ve got true open-top boating.
Should the weather deteriorate,
shut the roof and the windscreen,
close the optional rear sliding door
or aft curtain, crank up the 24,000
BTU reverse cycle air-conditioner
and you have a year-round boat for
anywhere in Australia.
Of course, it’s the cockpit where
people spend most of their time in
this style of boat. The single-level
sole, with plentiful seating, places
to lounge about and room to move
freely, gives this cockpit a relaxed
and social ambience. This is a
confident entertainer.
The helm looks good, and works
well ergonomically, too. There’s
a dual helm seat, electrically
adjustable with inbuilt footrest,
and a fully adjustable mahogany
sports steering wheel. A clever
platform that flips down from
below the seat allows the skipper
to stand for an elevated view
underway. With the roof open, it’s
real wind-in-the-hair boating.
A carbon fibre instrument
panel houses electronic engine
gauges and twin 12in Garmin
touchscreens. Regal has made
Garmin electronics standard
and a Garmin technician is
permanently assigned to its
factory. The test boat came with
GPS-plotter, fishfinder, autopilot
and radar, as well as a VHF radio
and Fusion stereo controls with
inbuilt iPod dock.
PENTA POWER
Power comes from twin 300hp
Volvo Penta D4 engines with
IPS400 pod drives incorporating
joystick docking. These match
This Regal 42SC, above, features an
optional bulkhead housing a sliding
door to enclose the hardtop. Aft of
the helm is a wetbar, this photo, and
above a flip-down T V, inset.
perfectly with the OceanTrac
hull, which from the beginning
was designed around the IPS400
system. Paramount in the design
process is Regal’s commitment
to ensuring that all of the key
features came not at the expense
of strong performance.
To this end, it was essential to
keep the boat’s weight in set limits,
a feat achieved by incorporating
high-strength and lightweight
cored material where appropriate,
and extensive use of resin-infusion
techniques. Balancing the 42SC
was another important factor,
hence the fuel tank’s location on
the boat’s centre of gravity.
On the portside and adjacent
to the helm is L-shaped seating
around a removable table, while
aft of the helm is a wetbar
incorporating sink, optional
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F e at u r e T e s t
The living accommodation is
roomy, comfortable and fitted
out with just about e verything
you could possibly need
Central galley abuts the aft dayhead,
while opposite is a U-shaped dinette
and table, below.
[ Tough to
the Core ]
›R
egal’s proprietary LIFECore
construction process allows
the builder to identify
the critical points in a
boat’s usage pattern and
purposefully place fibreglass,
aluminium and composite
materials in exactly the right
places. This is claimed to
minimise stress and increase
the boat’s durability, while
enhancing its usability for an
even more enjoyable boating
experience.
LIFECore, or longitudinally
integrated fibreglass
encapsulate core, relies
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on multiple layers of
strategically placed handlaid
fibreglass, each positioned
specifically for every Regal
model built. Its sportsboats
carry lots of energy into turns
and charge out of the hole,
thereby demanding high
strength-to-weight ratios in
the keel and hull sides. But
Regal says its yachts have
a different set of structural
demands for standing up to
the daily hull punishment
of big water and highhorsepower engines. Regal
says LIFECore ensures that all
its boats aren’t just built for
looks, but built to last.
electric barbecue, icemaker and
refrigerator. Concealed in the
hardtop ceiling is a drop-down TV,
descending on gas struts at the
press of a button. It highlights the
clever and efficient use of space all
over this boat.
The test boat was fitted with
an optional bulkhead and sliding
door that fully enclose the bridge
or helm deck area under the
hardtop. Back outdoors aft is more
seating and a huge sunlounge
with a four-position reclining
backrest. Storage space under the
sunlounge is ideal for water toys,
fenders, lines, and so on.
For those who prefer a more open
boat you could omit the bulkhead
and opt instead for the removable
canvas option that encloses the
cockpit farther aft. That’s what
I would do. I felt the bulkhead
divided the cockpit unnecessarily,
but therein is the beauty of
options. Customers can spec their
boat dependant on how they use it.
Beside the aft sunlounge to port
is a walkthrough leading down
to a large swimplatform. If you’re
entertaining a group, swimming
off the stern, coming and going
in and out of the cockpit, the
starboard corner seat pad can
also be removed providing an
additional transom walkthrough.
Day access to the engineroom
is via a hatch in the cockpit sole.
For greater access, the aft section
rises electrically to reveal a
cavernous engineroom. As well as
twin Volvo’s there’s a Westerbeke
5.7kW generator, Racor fuel filters,
hot-water service, battery boxes,
battery charger, and so on. It’s all
easily accessible, with plenty of
room leftover.
Meanwhile, you have a choice
going forward to the bow. Either
take the safe sidedecks, which
are a little narrow but assisted
by plenty of handholds, or head
through the opening windscreen.
Either way, the foredeck is nice
and wide and features high rails,
the winch is recessed under a
cover (with gas struts, of course),
Master stateroom in the bow,
above, has an island queen bed
angled to port, making room for
starboardside hanging lockers. As
the inset shows, the aft cabin's
twin berths, this photo, easily
convert to a queen-size double
with an infill.
and there’s a cleat. Twin chain
lockers and freshwater washdown
are made even more useful at
night thanks to the LED light.
By day, the large foredeck
sunpad has twin inbuilt backrests
that rise to create a chaise lounge.
The multi-density foam pad is
secured by sail track, ensuring it
stays put underway.
ROLE MODEL
While the 42 Sport Coupe is
geared towards entertaining,
the boat also suits a couple or a
family keen on coastal cruising.
Similarly, it’s primed for some
just-add-water Sunday R&R. As
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Fa ct s & fi g ur es
F e at u r e T e s t
REGAL 42 SPORT COUPE
PERFORMANCE & HANDLING
I
t seems the hard work has paid off for Regal: the 42SC is wellbalanced, produces impressive performance and a smooth,
comfortable ride. Couple that with the turning power and fuel
efficiency of the IPS and the result is a fast but economical cruiser
with sporty handling. She’s fun to drive and child’s play to dock.
Oh, and fast. The engines max out at 3600rpm for a top speed of
almost 33kts, claims Regal. But I found the sweet spot at around
2800rpm, which on the day, produced 22kts, using 74lt/h.
PRICE AS TESTED
sea trials
Twin 300hp Volvo Penta IPS400 diesels
An electrically raised hatch, above,
grants access to the two Volvo Penta
diesels, that give the Regal 42SC, top,
a max speed of 33kts and a sweet
cruise of 22kts. Keeping the foredeck
on a clean, single level is a hatched
anchorwell, bevelled to drain overboard.
82 t r a d e a b o a t . c o m . a u
with the above-deck areas, the
living accommodation is roomy,
comfortable and fitted out with
just about everything you could
possibly need.
The saloon features a large
foldout table surrounded by plush
three-sided seating, high-gloss
cherrywood cabinetry, and cherry
and holly timber floor. There
is Bose surround sound and a
premium LED TV. The portside
galley has long and wide Corian
bench tops, abundant storage
and the full spectrum of modern
appliances. All cutlery and crockery
is included and Regal even supplies
a coffee machine as standard.
At day’s end, retire to the luxury
of the master stateroom with
walkaround queen-size bed,
abundant storage and cedar-lined
hanging lockers. The en suite is
split, with toilet and basin to port
and a separate shower opposite.
One of the advantages of IPS is
more space amidships, the engines
being fitted so far aft. And Regal
has taken advantage, incorporating
a large mid cabin. Spacious and
wide, it comes with twin beds
and an infill to convert to a queen.
There’s plenty of storage and
hanging space, with a vanity
station incorporating basin and a
mirrored cabinet within an alcove
near the entry door, plus a separate
shower room and toilet.
Every room has portholes and/
or skylights or hatches for natural
light and ventilation and, of course,
air-con comes standard. In fact,
there's so much that's standard that
it would be difficult to list it all —
cutlery, crockery, bedding, towels,
coffee machine and even a water
hose, for instance.
Regal has a firm commitment
to customer satisfaction, borne
out by the number of times it has
been awarded the National Marine
Manufacturers Association CSI
award for excellence in customer
satisfaction. Yep, 24 times in
all. And if they keep coming
out with boats like the 42 Sport
Coupe you can bet they’ll keep on
satisfying customers.
SPEED
4.43kts
5.47kts
7.39kts
8.08kts
13.21kts
19.12kts
22.42kts
27.81kts
30.15kts
32.76kts
FUEL BURN
3.03lt/h
6.06lt/h
20.44lt/h
49.21lt/h
53lt/h
70.41lt/h
74.95lt/h
87.82lt/h
10.5.23lt/h
113.94lt/h
* Official sea-trial figures supplied by Regal Marine
OPTIONS FITTED
High-gloss cherry cabinetry, aft cockpit stainless steel enclosure,
forward and aft cockpit tables, electric grill, cockpit icemaker,
cockpit TV, mid cabin TV w/ DVD, autopilot, and Garmin
electronics (depth-fishfinder, HD closed array radar, and second
GPS MAP 5212 plotter)
PRICED FROM
$645,000 w/ twin IPS400 diesel
$619,000 w/ twin 8.1lt IPS550 petrol
layout
MATERIAL: Vacuum infused hull and deck; hull bottom solid
laminate w/ cored topsides
TYPE: OceanTrac monohull with 18-degree deadrise and a fine
bow entry
LENGTH OVERALL: 12.9m
DEADRISE: 18°
BEAM: 4m
DRAFT: 1.04m
WEIGHT: 8.845 tonnes (dry)
CAPACITIES
$679,000
RPM Idle
1000
1500
2000
2200
2600
2800
3200
3400
3600
GENERAL
FUEL: 1154lt
WATER: 284lt
HOLDING TANK: 151lt
CABINS: 2
PEOPLE (NIGHT): 4
ENGINES
MAKE/MODEL: 2 x Volvo Penta D4 w/ IPS400 drives
TYPE: Four-cylinder turbo-diesel
RATED HP: 300 (each)
DISPLACEMENT: 3.7lt
DRY WEIGHT: 559kg
SUPPLIED BY
Premier Marine,
Rose Bay Marina,
594 New South Head Road,
Rose Bay, NSW, 2029
Phone: (02) 9328 0999
Email: steve@premiermarine.com.au
Website: www.premiermarine.com.au
says...
This is a premium sportscruiser from a big
American yard with a 40-year history
of successful boat manufacturing. The
company currently builds more than 1500
boats per year, is family owned and run,
and completely debt-free. But we also like
Regal’s creative approach to boatbuilding.
There’s a lot of great design and even more
goodies bundled in the turnkey package.
This is the Regal 42 in the
USA factory and Steve
Hannes from Premier
Marine, who imported
the boat to Sydney.
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