13tests - Regal Boats

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REGAL 2750
As seen
BoatTest2423
Regal 2750 Cuddy
in
Celebrati
ng 50
years
as
The Worl
d's Large
st
Powerbo
at Magazi
ne
all summer long
T
he phrase of the day is power turn. As in bringing the speed up to 40 mph and cutting the
wheel hardover. On sporty boats with welldesigned hulls, you’ll experience a smooth, leaning turn and a bit of an adrenaline rush. It’s fun, but it
also has a real-world application—think emergency evasive maneuvers on a crowded weekend at the lake. On
certain boats (bowriders or muscle boats) you expect a
zippy response, but on a cuddy? Don’t count on it.
Adding that weighty cabin saps some sportiness from its
INTELLIGENT DESIGN. One of the reasons for the 2750
Cuddy’s sporty feel is Regal’s FasTrac hull design, the
bread and butter of its small boat line. Regal employs a
full step amidships, which creates flowing air that reduces
the hull’s wetted surface area and diminishes friction and
drag. The step makes for a more efficient hull with a
flatter running attitude. The 2750 Cuddy’s step is more
forgiving than the more drastic ones found on
performance boats, so it’s not as tricky to handle—any
boater should be comfortable driving this boat.
The 2750 Cuddy planed in a respectable five seconds,
with no appreciable loss of visibility at the helm. Deploy
the trim tabs and it planes a half-second quicker, with
barely any rise at all. For towing sports and rough-water
handling, the boat can hold plane at 14.5 mph and 2100
rpm—12.2 mph and 2000 rpm with the tab. So you’ll be
able to maintain steerage at slow speeds.
The 2750 Cuddy is also an excellent rough-water boat
for its size, thanks to its deep-V and 24 degrees of
deadrise at the transom. Compare that to the Crownline
275 CCR ($88,367 with a 375-hp MerCruiser 496 MAG
Bravo Three), another stylish and sporty cuddy cabin. It
has a flatter 20-degree deadrise, more typical of the
category. The Crownline weighs about 600 more pounds.
The Crownline’s lines are also more standard cuddy
fare, with a domed bow and a stainless-steel bowrail. The
2750 Cuddy has a flat profile that looks more like a
bowrider from the side and no bow rail. The 2750 Cuddy
accents its sporty lines with graphics that are inlaid into
the gel coat. The result is a deep, rich coloring that’s less
likely to fade over time and won’t peel off like sticker
graphics. The result? A sharp-looking boat that will turn
heads at the dock or the launch ramp.
A surprisingly versatile cabin boat with the soul of a
runabout. top end: 52.1 mph.
INSIDE EDITION. Is there a drawback to that sleek
profile? It depends on how you plan to use the boat.
Because of the flat bow deck, the cuddy has less
headroom below than a boat like the Crownline 275 CCR.
With 4'1" of headroom, it’s hard to sit fully upright. I’m
5'11" and my head brushed the ceiling while sitting. Is this
a problem? I don’t think so. I agree with Regal that most
people will spend a minimal amount of time in the cuddy
during real-world use. It’s more of a place to nap out of the
sun, use the head (which stows under a cushion that lifts
on a gas strut to starboard), stow stuff, or maybe overnight
runabout roots. But on Regal’s new 2750 Cuddy, I felt no
such loss of agility.
So the 2750 Cuddy has the function, but what about
the form? Few, if any, boats can do everything an owner
asks of it. But if a boat buyer just happens to be looking
for a cuddy cabin boat that still has enough cockpit space
to entertain and provides performance akin to a straightup runabout, the 2750 Cuddy is up to the challenge.
boating magazine a u g u s t 2 0 0 6
w w w. b o at i n g m a g. c o m
PHOTOS FOREST JOHNSON
Expand your playground. By pete mcdonald
BOATING
Certified Test Results
Regal 2750
The Highs The steering wheel has remote controls for the
stereo embedded into the center hub. Hinges on all the deck
hatches have no exposed screwheads; they’re all through-bolted
from underneath. All hull graphics are gel coated in the mold so
they won’t peel off after a few seasons. The engine hatch gasket
is screwed-on hard rubber with a soft rubber insert—a sturdy
sound-deadening setup.
The Lows The cabin has only 4'1" of headroom, a tradeoff for
the flat bow deck and sleek lines. The bilge pump is accessible
forward of the engine, but it’s hard to reach and will be awkward
to service. Docking light components in the anchor locker could
get nicked or jostled when handling the rode.
speedefficiency
operation
naut. stat. n. mi. s. mi. run sound
rpm knots mph gph mpg mpg range range angle level
1000 5.4 6.2 2.2 2.4 2.8 190 218 0
76
1500 7.0 8.0 3.3 2.1 2.4 163 188 2
71
2000 9.0 10.3 7.0 1.3 1.5 99 114 5
82
2500 17.8 20.5 9.7 1.8 2.1 142 164 4
80
3000 24.1 27.7 10.9 2.2 2.5 171 197 2
82
3500 30.7 35.3 15.6 2.0 2.3 152 175 1
82
4000 36.3 41.8 17.7 2.1 2.4 159 183 1
85
4500 40.8 47.0 25.5 1.6 1.8 124 143 1
87
5000 45.3 52.1 30.5 1.5 1.7 115 132 1
90
Advertised fuel capacity 86 gallons. Range based on 90 percent of that
­figure. Performance measured with two persons aboard, half fuel, no
water. Sound levels taken at helm, in dB-A.
$
Monthly Payment $604
(6.75% interest with 15% down on test boat power, tax not included; 15-year loan to qualified buyers estimated by Excel Credit)
LOA
28'6"
Beam
8'6"
Draft (max.)
3'0"
Displacement (lbs., approx.) 6,100
Transom deadrise
24°
Bridge clearance
5'6"
Max. cabin headroom
4'1"
Fuel capacity (gal.)
86
Water capacity (gal.)
11
Price (w/standard power)
$69,870
Price (w/test power)
$80,326
Standard power Single 280-hp
Volvo 5.7 Gi DP gasoline stern drive.
Optional power MerCruiser or
Volvo gasoline stern drive to 375 hp.
Test Boat Power Single 375-hp
MerCruiser 496 MAG Bravo Three
V-8 gasoline stern drive with 496
cid, swinging a 26" ss propset
through a 2.0:1 reduction.
Standard equipment (major
items) Bow scuff plate; electric
engine hatch; 3-step ss telescoping
ladder; transom shower; ss skitow-eye; battery switch; snap-in
cockpit carpet; 36-qt. removable
cooler; removable trash receptacle;
compass; lockable glovebox; hourmeter; digital depthsounder; 12v
accessory plug; double helm w/
leaning post; power steering w/tilt
wheel; w/radio controls; Kenwood
AM/FM/CD stereo w/6 speakers; CO detector; chemical head;
Bimini top; windshield wipers.
Contact Regal Marine Industries, Dept. B, 2300 Jetport Dr., Orlando,
FL 32809, 800/877-3425, www.regalboats.com.
on occasion. Should you decide to sleep onboard, the
settee’s side cushions unhook and serve as V-berth filler
cushions. The Crownline’s cuddy has a full galley with a
boating magazine a u g u s t 2 0 0 6
wood veneer finish and a separate head, more in tune
with cruising sensibilities.
Regal put its entertainment features in the cockpit,
where people will spend most of their time. Check out the
two entertainment centers behind the forward seats, one
to port and one to starboard. Both have fiddled Corian
counters with a lot of space to cut limes. The port center
has a stainless-steel faucet with room for an optional
refrigerator ($708). Here’s where Regal installs the allweather Kenwood stereo. The face can handle the
elements, so there’s no flimsy plastic pull-down cover to
break off, and you can mount it where the action will likely
be, rather than in the cuddy.
The cockpit seating wraps around the transom, and
there’s an insert for the walkway that conveniently stows
in a locker under the port sunpad. To make a full
tanning bed on the transom, lift the starboard cushion
and a padded insert flips out on a hinge.
To access the removable 36-quart cooler under the
starboard bench, lift the seat cushion and the cooler pops
up on a gas-assisted strut. Regal took the extra step of
molding notches for the cooler handles. The use of gas
struts for stowage hatches is one of my favorite features of
this boat, making it easy to access the underneath
stowage without having to wrestle with the seat cushions.
STYLE POINTS. Look throughout the boat and you’ll
notice Regal has added many more cool features. Notice
how the ladder on the swim platform is mounted to
starboard, keeping swimmers’ legs away from the lower
unit and giving the driver a better view of a swimmer
boarding behind. Also note the pull-up cleats on the
platform so you can cross tie without chafing the gel coat.
Then look at the nonslip on both gunwale topsides to
make side boarding easier, and you’ll realize the amount
of thought Regal put into designing this boat.
Need more? The engine hatch opens aft on a beefy
electric ram suited for large cruiser duty. The aft
opening allows for maintenance work without bringing
greasy tools or footprints into the cockpit. Underneath,
you’ll notice a screwed-in (as opposed to glued-in) hard
rubber gasket around the hatch with a soft rubber insert
that deadens sound and keeps out water. There’s room
for an adult to crouch on either side of the engine for
basic maintenance. The welded aluminum fuel tank sits
on the centerline so the boat will never list as the fuel
level changes. Now look at the screws on the hinges for
the deck hatches. Don’t notice any? That’s because
they’re all through-bolted from underneath—a sturdier
and more corrosion-resistant setup. I could go on with
more details, but you get the point. The 2750 Cuddy is a
well-appointed, well-designed sport cuddy with the
performance chops to deserve its star turn. A
!
EXTRA POINT
The ignition switch works just like a car’s. Turn
the key to the left and you can turn on your radio—and
only your radio—so you can listen to tunes at rest without running down the battery.
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