Regal Commodore 2660
Regal's sleek new Commaodore 2660 will take you anywhere you want to go.
July 1, 1999
Taking delivery of a new boat is an
event that ranks high on the list of personal achievements. For Glenn Snyder, it is the culmination
of a search for what he considers to be the perfect boat. Snyder's first day on the water in his
new Regal Commodore 2660 promises to be perfect: a spring day in Jacksonville, Florida, with the
temperature in the mid-80s and the seas 3 feet or less, where nothing can go wrong . . . until his
phone rings. Work, it's the ultimate four-letter word. Called away by a last-minute business
appointment, Snyder allows us to borrow his boat for a day of adventure.
Boaters in Jacksonville have an endless variety of day trips to choose from. One of the best
is a trip to St. Augustine, the oldest city in North America.
As I drive over the bridge spanning the Intracoastal Waterway, I can see the 2660 being
prepared for the trip. While a lot of mid-cabin cruisers have what I call the "motor home" look,
the Regal 2660 is sleek and sporty.
As I step aboard the Commodore using the built-in, starboard-side step, I'm impressed with
the cockpit room. Cranking up the super-quiet, twin 380-hp, 4.3L Volvo Penta GL/SX engines, I pull
out the decibel meter, which registers only 60 dB-A at idle - one of the quietest boats I've tested
this year. "I'll bet they had to get those engines in there with a shoehorn,"I say knowingly to
Byron Capo, Regal's marketing manager. Capo smiles and says, "Let's take a look." Opening the
engines' hatch, which doesn't require removing the stern bench, I'm amazed. Not only is there
enough space in the gel-coated compartment to service the engines, but there's plenty of room to
easily remove them, if necessary. Pulling out of Boat Tree, a chain of dealerships that sell more
Regal boats than anyone in the world, we head north to the St. John's River Inlet and run offshore
to St. Augustine. Taking the helm for the first leg is Dave Frazer, a Boat Tree sales
represent-ative who's never driven the 2660 and is anxious to try it out. Entering the Intracoastal
Waterway, he advances the throttles and the Commodore gets on plane quickly, causing Frazer to grin
and say, "This FasTrac Hull really works, doesn't it?" As we enter the St. John's River, we
encounter some tug traffic, one of which is throwing a pretty substantial wake. I'm surprised when
Frazer doesn't back off on the throttle as we approach the surfable wave. To my surprise the
Commodore 2660 eases over it with a soft fluff, rather than a slam. As if on cue, Capo looks at me
and anticipates my question, "Our engineers designed this boat with a 21-degree deadrise with an
even sharper entry for a soft ride."
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Heading out of the inlet, the seas
are 3 feet, plus ship wakes, and the soft ride is evident. Once out of the inlet, I wrestle the
helm away from Frazer and point the Regal due south toward St. Augustine, which is about 40 miles
away. It's a gorgeous day at sea with gentle ocean swells and light winds as I run the Volvos up to
3200 rpm, which translates to 30 mph - a happy offshore speed for this boat. Being fairly narrow
beamed, the Commodore requires a little trim to run on an even keel in the beam sea. The tab
switches are in front of the throttles, so I have to reach in between them to activate the massive
tabs. While it's not my favorite placement, there's plenty of room to reach through. I like
Snyder's choice of the optional, twin Volvo Pentas with Duoprops, since single-screw cruisers in
this class can be tender when passengers are moving about or when running offshore. The setup we're
running is holding its course with little input from me. Even though twin engines help, most of the
credit has to go to the FasTrac Hull, which features the TruTrac system of inverted strakes.
I like the helm setup, which accommodates different-sized skippers well. The captain's bucket has a flip-up bottom, which I'm using. It's comfortable. I brace myself by placing one foot on the footrest and the other on the deck. Flipping the seat down, I find the windshield effective for shielding from the wind, and the mocha-gray dash eliminates glare. I like the feel of the real-wood Momo Marine wheel that helps give the 2660 a classy look. As we approach the St. Augustine Inlet, the current has churned up whitecaps around the entrance. Since Capo knows a shortcut that avoids having to cruise around the outer marker, I give him the helm and head down below to check out the 2660's cabin. Opening the screen door and then closing the lockable main door, the first thing I notice is that there is no rattling or banging. All I can hear is the swish of the hull running through the water. Curious, I check the sound level and find it measures a quiet 82 dB-A. The other thing that's immediately noticeable is the 6 feet 2 inches of headroom. There's also excellent ambient lighting, a result of the twin Taylor-Made hatches, five cat's-eye portholes and custom Bowmar hatch in the bow. The portside galley comes with standard features such as a microwave oven, refrigerator, oven-sized stainless-steel sink and an abundance of storage. The working surface is Corian, and there's a wood cutting board that covers the Origo alcohol/electric stove. The galley module looks, at first glance, like it's made of light-colored wood, but it's actually easy-to-clean Formica. The large entrance allows easy access to the amidships cabin, where I find a decent-sized berth with more than 6 feet of stretching-out room. The U-shaped main berth is large - although the cushions fit a little loose - and is surrounded by a large storage shelf. For those trying to catch an afternoon snooze, the large Bowmar hatch in the bow has a Levelor-type shade to block out the midday sun. I hear the 2660 entering rougher inlet waters, so I go up top. Capo has indeed found a quicker approach that saves us some time and with the water being 4 feet deep, it's more than enough for the Regal 2660 and its 31-inch draft with the drives down. Idling past the old Spanish fort and under the Bridge of Lions, we approach the dock at the St. Augustine Municipal Marina and I go up to the bow to toss a line to the attendant. Using the twin steps molded into the console and grabbing the sturdy anodized aluminum windshield frame to climb up, I walk to the bow on the gently sloping foredeck, which has a raised-diamond non-skid surface. Regal designers have created a totally flat anchor station, which will be helpful during rough conditions. After throwing the line, I disembark by ducking under the tall, sturdy bow rail and hop on the dock. Dave is getting the fenders from the stern storage rack and clips one to a receiver just above the Regal nameplate - easy. I tie up the boat using one of the seven giant cleats and walk up the dock to get a better look at a manatee that's cavorting nearby. |
For the trip back, we decide to head up the Intracoastal Waterway (ICW). North of St. Augustine the ICW is still undeveloped, and Capo points out some good redfishing spots along the oyster-studded shoreline. There's little traffic, so I decide to put the Commodore 2660 through some performance tests. Despite the large Hartz Bimini top - which features an impermeable vinyl coating over the Sunbrella fabric - we reach a respectable top speed of 48.1 mph. With the top down, the Commodore is easily a 50-mph boat, given our 380-horses and FasTrac hull, which is stepped and vented to provide less surface resistance in addition to improving fuel economy. It helps our cornering. With the trim down, we can almost turn in a boat length. Even with the trim up, cornering is excellent, although we hear some over-ventilation sounds. With the big trim tabs fully deployed, we can hold plane at a ridiculously slow 15 mph.
On the way north there are few no-wake zones, so we make good time while I check out the cockpit seating. My favorite seat is the rearward-facing, portside seat, which I dub the "psychiatrist's couch." In the center of the cockpit is a comfortable, doublewide seat with an opposable backrest. I really like the stern bench, which features a high backrest and full-length grab rail that I can use to lift myself off the seat when encountering rough water.
As we idle into Boat Tree's floating dock, I walk out on the massive, sculpted swim platform to grab the fenders and make note of the roomy gear locker and hidden boarding ladder. We've had a great day aboard Regal's newest cruiser, which is a well-laid out, well-thought out addition to an already impressive lineup.
The Commodore 2660 is priced at $66,713 with the twin 380-hp, 4.3L Volvo engines and represents a good value for those who are looking for a versatile cruiser with an impressive list of standard features. I have only one more comment: Nice boat Mr. Snyder, sorry we missed you.
Regal Commodore 2660
Specifications:
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LOA:
28'2"
Beam: 8'6" Weight: 6,100 lbs. Fuel: 76 gal. Base Price: $62,125 (w/260-hp, 5.7L Volvo Penta) Price As Tested: $66,713 (w/twin 300-hp, 4.3L Volvo enta GL/SX) Hull & Deck Warranty: Lifetime Limited Regal Marine Industries, Inc. 2300 Jetport Dr. Orlando, FL 32809 (800) US REGAL www. regalboats.com Test Data: Performance data was gathered with twin 380-hp, 4.3L Volvo Penta GL/SX engines, three passengers on board and 2/3 tank of fuel. Top Speed: 48.1 mph 0-30 mph: 8.82 seconds Decibels @ Idle: 60 dB-A Decibels @ 30 mph: 82 dB-A Standard Features: Corian countertop w/stainless-steel sink, alcohol/electric stove, microwave, under-counter refrigerator, fiberglass enclosed head, sink w/faucet/shower, vanity w/storage, tinted safety glass windshield, Hartz/Sunbrella Bimini top, FasTrac Hull, extended swim platform w/concealed stainless swim ladder, stainless-steel bow anchor roller w/deck access rope locker, swivel bucket helm seat w/pop-up bolster, L-shaped passenger lounge w/reversible backrest, removable stern bench seat, engine inspection/service hatch w/gas-assisted strut, refreshment center w/pressurized water sink and removable cooler, transom shower, sliding cabin entrance door w/lock and screen door, convertible V-berth w/dinette table, marine carpet w/runner protectors, Kenwood radio/cassette player w/four speakers, dockside power and cord (30 amp), 110 volt AC/12 volt DC panel, pressurized water system, power steering, helm powertrim/tilt switch, hydraulic trim tabs, automatic bilge water monitor, bilge blower, full instrumentation w/digital depth sounde Options: Air conditioner w/reverse cycle heat, anchor power winch w/anchor chain, automatic fire extinguisher, cockpit cover, Bimini camper canvas, hi/low cockpit table w/filler cushion, cockpit carpet, dockside water inlet, foredeck sunpad, Apelco GPS, Apelco VHF, gas vapor detector, gray water system, hot water heater, Kenwood high power CD player, spotlight w/remote control |
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