Regulator Marine was early to the crossover concept when it introduced the 26XO in 2019, but what is a crossover? It’s a family fish boat that borrows design cues from center consoles and bay boats. Properly done, a crossover is more versatile than either a bay boat or center console. I spent a few days fishing hull number one of the 26XO in the Florida Keys shortly after its debut. It was as at home fishing the skinny waters of Florida Bay as it was dealing with some pretty gnarly seas oceanside, where we chased sails and kingfish. Overall, it proved to be a very impressive fishing boat with lots of creature comforts.
After garnering rave reviews for its first XO, Regulator introduced a 24-foot version and now, to further blur the lines between center consoles and bay boats, Regulator is kicking it up a notch with the debut of the beautiful 30XO Crossover Center Console. So why an even bigger crossover?
“The crossover category is still emerging, and customers understand that they do not have to compromise between a traditional bay boat and an offshore boat,” says Keith Ammons, vice president of sales and marketing at Regulator. “With the general demand for larger boats growing at a faster pace than small boats, and the crossover category booming, the 30XO hits both sides of the line. It’s a bigger platform with awesome capabilities for any waters and every adventure.”
Bigger indeed. At almost 31 feet length overall and 10 feet 2 inches wide, this is a lot of boat. In profile, it is immediately recognizable as a Regulator, even with its lower gunwale height. It has raised casting platforms forward and aft, but when you step down into the boat the ample freeboard and coaming pads provide added security when things get a little rough. The hull features a shallower 15-degree deadrise and the standard twin Yamaha F300 outboards give the boat plenty of hole shot performance, with an advertised top-end speed over 48 knots.
Taking cues from the center console side, you never have to look far for a comfortable place to sit. There are three fold-down seats built into the transom casting platform, two plush captain’s chairs at the helm, a lounge just forward of the console and twin hideaway lounge seats with forward-facing stowaway backrests in the bow. The large console features a hardtop with three-sided, tempered-glass enclosure, standard twin 16-inch Garmin MFDs, and a Yamaha electronic helm to match the electric steer engines. The full Helm Master EX package with integrated joystick and autopilot are available as an option. The head in the console is accessed through a door on the starboard side.
The boat has multiple live wells, an impressive amount of tackle storage, a bait-rigging station with Corian top, a removable cutting board, loads of dry storage, an anchor locker and 222-gallon fuel capacity.
Obvious cues taken from bay boats include the casting platforms with the extra stowage beneath, shallow draft and a jackplate to raise the engines to get into skinny water. The bow-mounted electric trolling motor is optional, although I cannot imagine anyone ordering the boat without one. A trolling motor with “spot hold” capability has as much applicability when fishing offshore as it does for maneuvering the boat around in the shallows. Twin power poles (a shallow-water anchoring system) are available as an option.
Another bay boat feature is the optional second station with a bench seat atop the hardtop. It includes engine controls and electronics. It is accessed through a sliding sunroof. Why a second station? When running shallow water, the extra height gives the driver a better view of the water depth ahead and it also makes it easier to spot fish cruising near the surface.
One more design cue that is immediately recognizable to bay boat enthusiasts are the 5-gallon bucket holders found under two of the rear fold-down seats. These are ideal places to store cast nets and cleaning supplies.
The 30XO has solid performance numbers. According to the builder, with the standard 300-hp outboards this Regulator will hit a top speed of 48 knots. Optimal cruise is 28.2 knots at 3500 rpm, burning 17.4 gallons per hour for 1.86 miles per gallon. A fast cruise of 37.7 knots at 4500 rpm still delivers 1.4 miles per gallon. The testing was done on the boat with the second station, trolling motor, power poles, four batteries, two people and 100 gallons of fuel onboard for a total test weight of 11,298 pounds.
“The 30XO’s twin 300 outboards were power-matched to the hull in conjunction with Yamaha engineers to provide a dialed-in performance curve,” says David Clubbs, senior director of engineering at Regulator. “The hull design, its weight and center of gravity are all critical aspects in the design process to give it the legendary Regulator ride while also keeping the draft within reach of running and fishing back sounds and bays.”
Regulator has hit another home run with the 30XO in the battle to blur the lines between the venerable center console and the back water capabilities of a bay boat. It offers all the comfort features a family could want for their fishing adventures.—Gary Caputi
LOA: 30’7”
Beam: 10’2”
Draft (motors up): 1’9”
Displ. (dry): 9,525 lbs.
Power: (2) 300-hp
Yamaha outboards
Fuel: 222 gals.
Water: 23 gals
This article was originally published in the May 2023 issue.
