By Andy Adams

Penthouse Luxury with Convenience

Regal is a front runner in the new style of sport coupe cruisers. Instead of the old-style of express cruisers that were essentially open cockpit boats with cabin space below and only canvas above, the Regal 46 Sport Coupe has a fully glassed in bridge deck under a particularly big electrically retracting sunroof.

Press the button and the Regal 46 sunroof literally opens up as much of the bridge deck as is structurally possible leaving just the outside 10 inches to support the side glass. There’s also a swing open center section in the windshield, a pair of sliding side windshield windows and then a multi-section aft cabin bulkhead that is also all glass in heavy, handsome stainless steel framing, allowing you to virtually open up the boat almost like it was a runabout.

The big attraction of this design is convenience. There’s no canvas to unzip, rollup or store. You come on board the boat, unlock back door, slide it open, open the roof and you’re ready to go. Nothing to stow when you’re back in port either.

Also consider that in many areas of North America this past summer, we broke all-time records for sun and great weather. It was so hot that being onboard a canvas covered boat was like sitting in a sauna. The 46 Regal Sport Coupe allows you to close everything up and blast the air-conditioning to stay cool and comfortable for your vacation onboard.

The latest design thinking is spread all through this boat, starting at the transom.

The swim platform is quite large with transom gates and walk-throughs on port and starboard. Across the center is an enormous bench seat and the backrest swings forward to turn into an aft facing sun lounge. Underneath this is a substantial storage area accessible both from the swim platform and on top.

A very innovative idea that Regal came up with is a movable corner seat. Depending on where you normally moor your boat, you can place the corner seat away from the side you want to walk through. You can also remove the seat entirely.

All the other seats in the cockpit have storage underneath. Other convenience items include remote controls for the audio system, a transom shower, speakers and overhead lights on the cabin roof overhang.

The hardware on the sliding glass bulkhead door is very handsome and it opens to invite you into the bridge. It’s all on the same level and right inside the cabin door is what we’ll call the upper galley with drink holders, a sink under a counter cover, another cover that reveals an optional Kenyon electric grill and below that, our test boat had a Vitrifrigo refrigerator and icemaker. An enormous air-conditioning outlet there circulates cool air all around the cabin. Directly above the upper galley is an optional electrically operated swing down flatscreen television and at night, everybody can relax around the port side L-shaped companion seat to watch a movie or TV.

We like the molded in steps up to a very large walk-through area for the windshield across the huge dashboard. There’s a big bin on the companion side for charts and small items.

The helm is to starboard and Regal has really outdone themselves with an electrically adjustable helm seat that slides fore and aft and also up and down. Then, it has a flip-up bolster for standing or leaning and a special teak platform that swings down raising the floor level an additional four or five inches higher for better vision. On top of that, there are two different foot rest levels and the beautiful wood rimmed steering wheel is on a tilting mechanism. Everyone can get comfortable driving this boat!

The joystick docking controls for the Volvo IPS drives are right there by the captain’s right hand and the Volvo drive by wire controls and beautifully designed for comfortable running.

Our test boat was well equipped with a pair of Garman GPS Map 7212 screens, a repeater, VHF radio and the latest Fusion stereo system. Regal also includes analog gauges for guys like me who prefer to read a tach needle or the fuel levels.

Down below, Regal’s designers have done a stunning job. It’s four steps down to the saloon and they’ve made the area very open for a spacious feeling. Large hullside windows on both port and starboard allow natural light in to give the cabin an open feel.

On the port side, is an L-shaped multi-function settee while opposite is a very flowing galley with double door Isotherm refrigerator / freezer, a very clever rollout drawer for dishes, space for coffee makers, a Contoure convection grill microwave, three drawers for cutlery and pots and pans as well as several lockers including one with an enormous trash bin. The test boat had an absolutely gorgeous Amtioco floor.

The interior cabinetry is done in a high-gloss finish and it feels great to the touch while giving it that kind of penthouse nighttime sparkle.

The forward stateroom has a shaped queen berth with two big drawers underneath and the mattress lifts revealing bin storage for the various removable tables.

Around the perimeter are overhead storage lockers as well as port and starboard hanging lockers with cedar lining and there is a private head off the master as well as the now requisite entertainment system and flatscreen TV.

The master head is particularly nice. A liberal use of mirrors gives it an especially spacious feeling while the opening porthole and deck hatches provide light and flow-through ventilation. Hinged acrylic panels give you an enclosed shower stall without losing any feeling of light or space. A Tecma MSD is included.

This boat also has an aft cabin with two single berths and a filler cushion to make it a queen. This has its own separate head as well as a separate dressing table vanity. Beside that is a cabinet with two big storage bins and doors that open to reveal an optional Splendide combination washer and dryer.

All this elegance is even more impressive thanks to the strong performance. The twin Volvo IPS 500s fire up quickly and settle down to a quiet smoke-free idle. The joystick docking lets you pull gracefully away from your slip even in windy conditions and it’s easy to make the boat pivot or maneuver in any direction using the joystick.

Out in the open water, it accelerates strongly although we felt it gets the bow up pretty high when planing off. Once up on plane though, the bow comes back down and the vision in all directions is excellent thanks to the huge windshields, side glass and full aft glass.

The IPS diesels love to run; very smooth and quiet. We were cruising in the 2,800 to  3,000 RPM range travelling in the upper 20s at 1 mpg and with a top speed of 34 to 39 mph depending on load and conditions. The boat displayed a wonderful solid feel in the windy and choppy conditions on Lake Simcoe. It heals over and takes a high-speed turn without fuss and the steering is always impressively light and responsive. It’s a lovely boat to drive and it can cover long distances with unexpected fuel economy for a vessel equipped the way this one is.

Stem to stern, this boat has penthouse luxury with the convenience that makes it a pleasure to use.


Specifications

Test boat engines: Twin Volvo Penta IPS 500, D6-370D-E, 336 ci inline 6 cylinder diesels with twin overhead cams, four valves per cylinder, common rail injection, turbo charged and aftercooled, 370 hp each, IPS drives.

ENGINE RPM    SPEED MPH
Idle                       3.6
1000                    6.2
1500                    8.8
2000                    10.0
2200                    11.4
2400                    15.0
2600                    18.6
2800                    24.1
3000                    27.6
3200                    31.3
3400                    34.2
3630                    37.3 Max

CRUISING SPEED rpm / mph
3,000 / 27.6

SPECIFICATIONS:
LENGTH: 46’ / 14.02 m
BEAM: 14’ / 4.27 m
WEIGHT: 25,300 lbs / 11475 kg
FUEL CAPACITY: 328 gal / 1241 L
WATER CAPACITY: 101 gal / 382 L
WASTE CAPACITY: 48 gal / 181 L
PRICE: (as tested, base, etc)

Test boat provided by and price quoted by: Crates Lake Country Boats, www.crateslakecountryboats.com

Performance data by: Regal Boats, www.regalboats.com and Volvo Penta www.volvopenta.com

Photo Captions:
Photo 1 - High-style lines and the full glass enclosure give Regal’s 46SC penthouse luxury with convenience.
Photo 2 - This wide-angle view of the bridge deck shows the huge sunroof, galley unit and luxurious seating.
Photo 3 - The penthouse luxury in the cabin area has convenience too with a big expanse of galley counter, glorious cabinetry and bright side glass.