As Boats Go, This Is A Sportscar
Sydney Morning Herald
Saturday November 9, 1996
Good things come in small packages. Regal's bowrider has a brave new face - and bottom, writes DAVID LOCKWOOD.
I'VE seen the future for small boats, and it works. It's an American bowrider from Regal. With five patents pending, it's called the 2100LSR. Available now, it has just won the 1996 International Marine Trades and Exhibits Convention's Innovation Award as the year's most trailblazing product.
Innovation on the 2100LSR runs from the bottom up. Using essentially racing-boat technology, the 6.3-metre-long bowrider has a Fastrac hull with Tru-Track Inverted Strakes and a Laminar Flow Interrupter System (there's a mouthful) for increased lift and control at high speeds.
The Laminar Flow Interrupter System - a series of small cut-outs in the forward strakes - and deep chine fins prevent porpoising in a tight turn. Big scallops in the chines form a tunnel induction system to increase ventilation to a full-width step which reduces wetted surface area. These make the hull faster and smoother.
Aggressive reversed chines along the aft portions of the hull trap water to jump the 2100LSR out of the hole. But it's the prominent strakes in the bow that appear to do most of the hard work. They provide lift in such a way that displaced water is squeezed flat to the sides for a noticeably dry ride.
Regal's radical Fastrac hull is almost the same as that under the Volvo Bat Boat that opened this year's Sydney Boat Show. After testing that boat, touring-car driver Peter Brock said somewhat prophetically: "There is no reason why you couldn't use the radical underwater technology on a small 18- to 20-foot pleasure craft. It could quite simply become the standard boat of the future."
Brock was right. The 2100LSR Bowrider, the first of Regal's boats with the new Fastrac hull, is one of the most futuristic pleasure craft to wash up on our shores. But unlike its 17-foot and 19-foot sister ships, due soon, the 2100LSR with its 2.52-metre-wide beam is not trailable in NSW without a wide-load permit.
The 2100LSR brings more than a change to boat bottom design. Styling and layout are as innovative and car-like as any major marine marque dares to be.
At the bow, recessed halogen headlights (docking lights) are integrated into a curvaceous deck moulding. Navigation lights are standard, as are trailer braking lights built into the stern, connected to your car via a waterproof plug at the bow. Strangely, I could find no indicators.
A slightly low-slung front end and non-skid tread steps encourage boarding over the bow. An anchor locker is provided, but it's just a small hold. There is fender storage behind the backrests and separate storage holds underneath the bow seat cushions. The firmness and overall quality of the upholstery is impressive.
Bow seating accommodates two adults or up to four children. At anchor, the bow seats are long enough for the incumbent to stretch out. Up front, deck fittings include recessed cleats and grab rails. Forest-green carpet unfolds from bow to transom. The companionway and opening windscreen are wide enough for the girth-challenged. The helm is a model of excellence with a distinctly automotive approach. But for the sportscar-like side panels, the windscreen is armour-plate glass.
The acrylic side panels have fibreglass frames which rake back to bring a new dimension to small-boat styling. Slip behind the wheel and you feel an integral part of this boat - protected and insulated.
Revision mirrors give a wide view behind, but they take some getting used to. There is even a demister that funnels air through ducts onto the windscreen in case things steam up when you hang the Sunbrella canvas canopy in place.
The double-width, tram-style helm seat has triple positions: forward for driving when seated, with the backrest pulled up to create a leaning post for driving standing, and with the backrest fixed forward to form an aft-facing seat for entertaining in the cockpit.
On the dash is a full spread of large-diameter Faria performance gauges, backed by a lifetime warranty. Separate switch panels are mounted below the padded steering wheel, which is five-stage adjustable. With an adjustable helm and passenger seat, comfortable cruising is assured.
A Kenwood stereo system hides behind a weather-safe hatch in the dash and booms out through four speakers; a CDplayer is an option. Also on the dash is the mandatory drink-holder, plus a numerical LCD depth sounder with alarm. There is a Ritchie compass ahead and even a mobile phone jack. On the passenger's side is an adjustable back-to-back seat that folds flat to form a sun lounge. The console ahead has a drink-holder, integrated cooler with overboard drain, and locking glovebox. There's storage for safety gear under the bow seats or in the lined side pockets.
A massive ventilated hatch (260 cm by 75 cm by 30 cm) is located underfloor just ahead of the helm. Its carpeted lid is big enough to accept waterskis and, apparently, kneeboards, along with towing ropes and anchors.
Aft seating is on a two-person lounge and separate port-corner jockey seat. Relocate the removable base for the jockey seat and you can create one big aft sun pad. Or remove the seat base entirely and you improve access to the non-skid boarding platform and two-step swim platform. The engine box lid lifts on hydraulic rams, revealing a portable toilet in a rather public place.
For optimum boat-motor integration, power is either a standard 4.3-litre 190 hp V6 or optional 210 hp V8 sterndrive from MerCruiser or Volvo. We tested both brands of V8 sterndrive, which are founded on the same petrol 5.7-litre Chev block. Performance differences were imperceptible, the Volvo V8 costing just $80 more. Prices for the 2100LSR range from $39,819 with 190 hp V6 MerCruiser to $40,910 with the 210 hp V8 Volvo, excluding trailer.
On the water, the 2100LSR's power steering felt feather-light, almost vague at displacement speeds. But I soon got used to it. Clean plane came in at 20 knots and 2,500 rpm with both brands of motor. Comfy cruise speeds slotted between 3,000 and 4,000 rpm, and 25 to 37 knots. Plant the throttle and the hull hoots to 45.5 knots top speed with the Volvo and just 0.2 of a knot faster with the MerCruiser.
How the hull handles the speed is the real eye-opener. With little out-trim, the aluminium prop lets go and you tend to run the boat flat so its mouldings (and those strakes in the bow) can work with the water.
The 2100LSR revelled in crossing ferry wake and the "bear pit" which forms under the Harbour Bridge. The hull, guaranteed for life, rides on a carpet of aerated water. With 24 degrees of deadrise, the ride is softened appreciably.
There was almost no cavitation in turns. Whip the 2100LSR around and it holds on tight as a corset. And with those car-like side panels and engine sound-proofing, there is no need to shout to let it be known.
Add all-over accessibility and surround seating and the Regal 2100LSR has the future in family fun-runners firmly in view. If it sparks a revolution, pocket powerboats will bear a brave new face - and bottom. They'll feel smoother to drive, drier to journey in and a lot more intimate.
© 1996 Sydney Morning Herald
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