Regal 2565. Any advice on this craft

[george unthank]

Do You know anything about this craft .- Regal 2565 ? I've been looking at one as a trade up- from a Panther 19sc (2004) to this Regal 2565.
I have only seen pictures of them on I/N.
THe aft cabin concerns me . It is described as having an instep which is over 6' - '' thus giving the impression that you are NOT sleeping in a cave''
when I asked about space in the cabin the vendor said there was about 3'clear between the bed and' ceiling' - the bow cabin you can stand up in , but it also serves as a dining area ; a U shaped area built into bulkhead .- this makes it neither a proper dining area or a bedroom cabin in my view.
But these are things I could live with .
I think the engine is a 2565 has .Volvo D3 diesel engine (190HP diesel. the drive is shaft rather than out drive , which means that you can maneuver her in a straight line easily at slow speeds , which you cant do with out-drives /stern drives
Any comments about availability of parts for engine in event of it breaking down .?? My experience with the Panther has been horrendous . No dealers in UK had a coupler , which while I am not mechanically minded seems pretty poor back-up for a mercruiser engine .Its taken me almost 2 months to get the right part. ( This raft evidently was the result of an unhappy alliance between Fletcher and Panther. The relationship broke up and this craft is no longer made .)

Would it be difficult / easy to locate parts for this engine.- a 2565 has .Volvo D3 diesel engine 190HP diesel

There are 9 hours on this 2007 craft ! He is selling for € 55 K or trade in €30K with my panther .
Here in Ireland boats have tumbled in price . A Cranchi Zafira -2008 ; worth ??> € 180 K new was sold for €80k. in my local club.
Most people are just holding on. If they are paying a house mortgage in addition to a boat one , most middle income earners would struggle massively to get by.
With the proberty bubble truly bust , the government set up a '' bad bank'' to but up all the bad/ unplayable assets into, and owners are being forced to sell at pitiful prices.
Having bought a boat bought like this Zafira at height of market ,with a mortgage of 18ok you'd be paying at least €1170/ mo + mooring fees etc, just to have it moored . Then ther is the cost of running , depreciation etc. Then there's all the other terrifying vistas of losing your job; crash in pension funds . Altogether it's pretty rough out there
.But I cant fathom how cheap this REGAL 2565 is ,(55k) say compared to a Sealine 29sc- 2007 , which are still fetching €100 K.++
Are Sealines that much better or are Regals that much stigmatized or are regarded as simply bad boats ??

I'm tempted to go for the Regal ,principally because I can off-load the Panther so readily , but I could at a push go to € 85 k on a Sealine 29sc.
''The day you buy is the same as the day you sell '' is an old tawny saying .
If you buy cheap you can expect to get less when you sell.
Any Advice would be most appreciated

George

 

[landlockedpirate]

The Regal is a great small cruiser, its one of the typical American imports that dominate this sector. I would put the Regal in the top 25% in terms of quality.

Why is it a lot cheaper than the Sealine ? Because its a lot smaller with a single engine. The regal is only 8'6" wide and weighs about 2500kg, its legal to trail it. The Sealine is 5ft longer has a beam of 10'6 and weighs twice as much, its a lot more boat.

You really should be comparing the Regal to an SC25 to get some ideas of price comparisons. You need to go on board this size and type of boat to decide if its for you, at 25ft they all have crawl in stern cabins and convertible bow berths. I like the Regal a lot,its great quality and with the D3 has the most economical (If not the fastest) engine option.

Lastly the Regal does have a stern drive just like your Panther (but made by Volvo not Mercruiser). They work well, just like the Mercruiser version, but you must look after them, regular servicing and checks are essential for smooth running.

I actually think the Regal is slightly overpriced when looking at the UK market, however you seem to have a got a cracking trade in deal. With all the problems you have had with the Panther, 30k is a fantastic trade deal.

 

[george unthank]

MRK - Regal 2565

MARK ,
Thank you for your insightful observations . I shall bear them in mind
Regarding its drive , you appear to be right but it is described as a duo-prop. Know anything about this system .
How about keeping her going in straight line at low speeds.
Regarding MPG .my old panther did about 10 Liters / hour at 20mph. Would the regal do say anything in range of 20 L/ Hr @ 20mph , just foe comparison.
I'm told that it has a mechanically assisted / driven anchor lifting mechanism. Big consideration at my age .
Is there a v noticeable of 2' shorter beam in the Regal.?
Is she steady in a 2 ' wave - would you have to slow down below 20 MPH in such a sea ?
Thanks for your advice Mark

 

[Ariadne]

I don't care what number they put after it; smoking Regals' is bad for your health.

Buy a boat!

 

[landlockedpirate]

MARK ,
Thank you for your insightful observations . I shall bear them in mind
Regarding its drive , you appear to be right but it is described as a duo-prop. Know anything about this system .
How about keeping her going in straight line at low speeds.
Regarding MPG .my old panther did about 10 Liters / hour at 20mph. Would the regal do say anything in range of 20 L/ Hr @ 20mph , just foe comparison.
I'm told that it has a mechanically assisted / driven anchor lifting mechanism. Big consideration at my age .
Is there a v noticeable of 2' shorter beam in the Regal.?
Is she steady in a 2 ' wave - would you have to slow down below 20 MPH in such a sea ?
Thanks for your advice Mark

A duo prop drive is an outdrive leg (Like the one you currently have) but with 2 propellers on the same shaft, its an excellent system which gives better acceleration and fuel consumption. Its a cost option on a new boat of around £2k.

Any single outdrive boat will 'wander' at slow speeds, if you find it a big problem (with practice you will get used to it) you can fit an aftermarket device called a Ruddersafe. This will help but not eradicate the problem.

Sorry, can't help with your fuel consumption questions, I prefer big American V8's myself

Your anchor windless is a great bonus on a boat this size, make sure you get your surveyor to check its full working.

Is the difference in beam very noticable ? YES, the Sealine is a much bigger boat, but as you have noticed its a lot more expensive as well. I am perfectly comfortable on a boat the size of the Regal, but its a compromise because I enjoy the varied cruising a trailboat gives you.

Seakeeping is very subjective, in general the longer and heavier a boat is, the better seakeeping it will have. But on all small boats there are so many other factors which determine how it deals with waves. In a boat this size, even on a calm day, I only cruise at about 25kts, slowing down to 20 will let me plug through most stuff I would consider being out in.

You will get more input over on the Mobo forum, allthough this is Practical Boat owner here, in practice its mainly used by those with big sticks and flappy things on their boats.

 

[george unthank]

Again , Many Thanks Mark

Just to persecute you once more if you'll allow .
By 'seakeeping ' I take it that you are referring to how steady she is in water in a wave .
My avg cruising speeds rarely exceed 25 Knts . But its nice to have the capacity to rip it up to 36 .
That aside , would you think that @ 190 hp-duo prop would she /should she do > 25 knts/hr . Someone has remarked that @190 hp she is underpowered.

But I would be happy doing 25 with the capacity to go to 30knts /hr eith say 5 people aboard . Would you think she is capable of this .
I am anxious to rid myself of my own 'affliction' ( Panther ) -not only on account of the adverse criticisms this ''hybrid''- and now orphaned craft has received , but ab initio it has been an ''unlucky'' boat for me ; no one year without a major prob .throwing me out of synch for 6 wks - and the season is short enough . And yes I am shamelessly superstitious , as most seafarers on the W. Coast of Ireland are .
So any idea re speed threshold with 5 on board ?

 

[landlockedpirate]

I might be a little negative towards a diesel in this boat, so please take my comments with a pinch of salt.

These boats were designed for V8 petrols from 250hp up to 330hp, they are a sports cruiser, not a slow cruiser

The diesel will give fantastic fuel economy and be a lot easier to fill (More waterside diesel than petrol). But it will be noisier than a petrol, smokey and as you have noted be a little on the low side for power. In reality, (unless you are sking or boarding), as long as the boat gets on the plane and you can do 25kts you will be fine.

I would really suggest that you go and have a look at the boat, if its owned by a dealer they may let you try it without putting a deposit down.

Start a new thread on Mobo, you will get more responses, but beware, the petrol V diesel debate can make WW2 look tame.

 

[george unthank]

THe Panther , when it's good is very very good ( like the little girl with the little curl right in the middle of her forehead) but when it'd bad it is horrid.. too many probs.
Do you know in the regal operates with the same type of turbo.Now the turbo is siezing though it's only been used 5- 6 hrs ..too little use they tell me. Either the technology for turbos has been developed for stern drives or it has not. Some tell me they write one off every season, ; costs 2 grand for replacement . I couldn't live with that
Thanks for all your help Mark. I may go and see the regal and try her out tomorrow