As the sleek 35-foot Regal Commodore sport yacht enters the shallows, the captain keeps a close watch on the depthfinder's digital readout. Like a crashing dot-com stock, the numbers keep dropping: 2.5, 2.2, 1.9, 1.8 ... yikes. 'When it gets to 1.6, I'm selling,' quips one of the passengers. At 1.8 feet of water under the hull, the 3560 lightly brushes the soft bottom for an instant, then as the depth increases, the driver drops the Volvo DuoProp outdrives back down and they glide into Silver Glen, a tropical spring-fed cove on the St. Johns River in north-central Florida.

Outdrives? You heard right. Although a V-drive version will soon be available, this boat has a pair of sterndrives to harness the power of the Volvo 8.1L GXi engines that crank out 375 hp each. The question why is answered earlier when the 14,600-pound Regal hits 51.8 mph on Lake Monroe.

Not exactly what you would expect from a luxury cruiser that sleeps six.

Earlier, the crew boards the Commodore in Sanford, which is a 30-minute drive and a half-a-century away from Orlando, judging from the quaint downtown area. The St. Johns, which flows north, is a river for savoring and sightseeing. It's not meant to be seen at a 50-mph blur, which would obliterate the 30-mph speed limit that is enforced on most of the river, when you are not idling in a manatee zone. As the driver finds out, the 3560 likes to romp, and at 30 mph some bow-down deflection is needed on the standard trim tabs to keep the Regal running level. The happiest cruising speed (theoretically, of course) for the Regal is 35 mph, which is reached at 3500 rpm. With this boat you will have no trouble complying with no-wake zones because at a slow idle, it is very quiet. At a fast enough idle to plow up a little wake, the exhaust's noise level raises disproportionately to the added speed, but at cruise speed it quiets down again.

The 3560 is surprisingly agile for a boat with a 12-foot-2-inch beam. After accelerating to 30 mph in less than 10 seconds, the first thing you find out is that even with a small turn of the wheel, it changes directions quickly. In fact, for the first minute the new driver overcorrects back and forth ' looking like a rookie ' until getting the feel of it. The advantage of this quick steering is readily appreciated when negotiating the twisty sections of the St. Johns, which meanders left and right like a waffling politician. Demonstrating the Commodore's agility is Frank Stoeber, the educational and development coordinator for Regal, who throws the 3560 into a few maximum-performance turns. Although never feeling violent, this Regal can be cranked around in a radius that you can't believe ' feeling not unlike its smaller, FasTrac-hulled siblings.

The adjustable helm seat is wide enough for an adult/child or a svelte couple, and features a comfortable flip-up seat bottom that elevates the driver's head above the stylishly raked windshield that has a classy-looking polished stainless-steel header. The flip-up's padding is wide enough and adequately firm to be comfortable for extended periods of leaning or sitting, and when in the down position, a 6-footer is out of the wind and has unobstructed visibility. Like most sterndrives, there is one control lever for each engine, and they are placed to be comfortable whether you are standing or sitting. The large, optional, color Raychart RL80 CRC GPS/plotter (the 320 is standard) resides in its own molded-in mounting pod, which is canted in for easy reading. The no-fog Faria gauges with stainless-steel bezels are well placed for easy reading, but seem too small and ordinary for such a stylish boat as this (the same gauges are on the 220 bowrider).

Twenty miles into the run on the starboard side is Blue Spring State Park, a popular recreational area that features a spring-fed, crystal-clear swimming area that is partitioned off from boat traffic. A few miles farther near Deland is Hontoon State Park, where many boaters camp and picnic along the river. But the crew is getting hungry, and when the Blackwater Inn in Astor becomes visible on the port side, they prepare to dock. This maneuver illustrates one of the things that sets Regal apart from other companies. Everything, it seems, has a dedicated storage area, and there is lots of it. Going to the stern and opening the large locker that lifts up rather than out, you see there are hooks for a half a dozen dock lines and racks for fender storage. In the bow, there are a pair of lockers that also hold jumbo fenders with plenty of room left over for additional dock lines. The optional teak swim platform has a pair of large pop-up cleats in the corners, so your passengers don't have to step over lines to board from floating docks.

When climbing aboard from taller, fixed-height docks, the wide boarding steps on both sides make it easy.

If you don't like attention, don't buy this boat because within seconds of docking there is a trio of boaters checking out this black-hulled beauty. Stoeber is happy to give them a quick tour, and when one of them asks about the engine-room access, he gets a grin on his face and activates the electric-powered dams that open the hatch from the rear, revealing a space as roomy as a diva's walk-in closet.

After lunch in the shade of an ancient oak tree on the al fresco deck at William's Landing, above the more formal Blackwater Inn, the moveable feast continues north until reaching Lake George, the second largest in Florida after Lake Okeechobee. There on the western shore is a line of boats single-filing it into Silver Glen. After negotiating the shallow entrance, the water deepens as you enter the small cove, which has approximately 100 boats floating on its Bahamian-like waters. Finding an open spot to drop the hook, the anchor tender heads to the bow, taking the through-windshield route, which is easy to use with the pair of wide steps. Accessing the bow using the perimeter walk-around is possible, despite its narrowness, with the handholds afforded by the tall stainless-steel bow rail and windshield header. Unlike many cruisers, the 3560's foredeck is fairly flat and has an aggressive non-skid surface making it safe to traverse even in rough conditions. Flipping up the bow hatch reveals the optional electric windlass, and after removing the safety chain, the mate uses the remote footswitch control to ease the anchor down.

Changing into swimming suits, the crew heads for the dive platform and flips up the teak-faced hatch to reveal the hidden dive ladder, and they gasp as they lower themselves into the chest-deep water that remains a constant 72 degrees throughout the year. This is a great place to wade around and socialize with the other boaters. After a leisurely shuffle around the cove, they rinse off with the hot-water transom shower that is fed by a generous 67-gallon tank. After cranking up the upgraded Kenwood stereo, which features an optional six-CD changer and subwoofer, the host heads to the entertainment center for refreshments. The Corian-topped prep station comes complete with pressurized water and has more than enough room to assemble snacks and beverages. The nice big-boat touches include the optional refrigerator with icemaker, plenty of dry storage and even a full-sized tilt-out trash can.

As is usually the case when you are having fun, the time flies and they figure to have about three hours of daylight left for the three-and-a-half hour run back to Monroe Harbour Marina in Sanford, where they will overnight.

On the way back they check out all the different places to sit on the 3560. For those who want to catch some rays on the run, the foredeck pad with an inclined backrest is the ticket. On the driver's level is a circular settee that provides intimate seating for four. While in the stern there is something you don't see on luxury cruisers very often: a bench that folds flush with the transom to create ... drum roll please ... an abbreviated fishing cockpit! Kudos to Regal for recognizing that people will fish from any kind of boat, and to help them along, there are a pair of rod holders for trolling and rod storage with protective tubes for three.

The sun has set by the time they dock and enter the cabin to prepare it for bedtime. The atmosphere is luxurious and spacious. The holly and teak sole combine with the cherry laminate cabinetry and beige Leather Crest upholstery to create a feeling that is very nautical and warm. There is a standard 15-inch flat-screen TV/DVD in the main cabin and two smaller optional flat-screens in the adjoining berths. The turnkey galley comes with a two-burner electric stove, refrigerator, coffee maker, microwave, a relatively small Corian working surface with a drop-through to the trash can below and stainless-steel sink, and even dishes and silverware. The head is large and features a partitioned off stand-up shower, cultured marble flooring, Corian vanity, Vacu-Flush head with holding tank, and extras like a hair dryer.

The forward stateroom has a privacy door ' not just a curtain ' and a queen-size, one-piece innerspring mattress that is situated on an angle to leave ample standing room to the side for changing. The cabin settee easily converts to a berth by lifting up the cushions and flipping out a filler section that has legs for support. And the amidships berth is easily converted by lifting the port cushions and pulling out the filler section.

Awaking after a great night's sleep brings an end to an enjoyable 24 hours spent on the Regal. Priced at $255,772 as tested, the beautiful Commodore 3560 is not inexpensive, but for the money you get a premium boat loaded with standard features like full Raymarine electronics, radio and depth finder. Fit and finish is first-rate, and touches like Mate-N-Lok wiring connectors that are heat shrunk mean that the electrical gremlins won't be invading a few years down the road. With twin fuel tanks totaling 275 gallons, this cruiser can go where others can't with an estimated range of better than 350 miles at 35 mph. The way this boat is set up, it would be ideal for two or three couples or a family of six. So whether you are doing an overnighter on the St. Johns, or spending a week in the Bahamas, expect the royal treatment.

by Alan Jones July 2003