Regulator Marine’s 30XO is another step in the expanding definition of what constitutes a “crossover” boat. If the term is new to you, a crossover combines attributes of traditional center consoles with those of a bay boat to create a design that is equally at home fishing inshore as well as offshore.
The 30XO is bigger than most crossovers, with a 30-foot, 7-inch LOA and a 10-foot, 2-inch beam. The hull, with a 15-degree deadrise at the transom, is significantly shallower than the 24-degrees of the builder’s offshore center consoles, giving the boat a 21-inch draft with the engines up. With an optional jackplate, the twin Yamaha F300s can be raised completely out of the water while the optional trolling motor handles shallow-water maneuvering. The trolling motor makes fishing so much easier that it’s an invaluable tool regardless of water depth.
Even with its lower freeboard, the 30XO retains the Regulator look. The hull and engines were performance-matched by Yamaha and Regulator engineers, according to senior director of engineering David Clubbs. The boat rides extremely well.
The 30XO has casting platforms forward and aft, and the rest of the boat is deep, with coaming pads for added safety. There are three fold-down seats built into the transom, two captain’s chairs at the helm, a lounge forward of the console and twin hideaway seats with forward-facing stowaway backrests in the bow.
The console has a hardtop with a tempered glass enclosure, twin 16-inch Garmin MFDs and head access on the starboard side. The boat has multiple live wells, copious tackle storage, a bait-rigging station with a removable cutting board, loads of dry stowage, an anchor locker and two fishboxes with pumpouts.
The shallow draft, jackplate, trolling motor, twin Power-Poles and optional second helm station with a bench seat atop the hardtop fits the crossover mantra and provides more fishing opportunities in back bays. The second station access is through a sliding sunroof over the helm, and you can drive the boat from the seat or while standing on top of the console. This upper helm affords the driver a better view of the water depth and spot fish near the surface. Another bay-boat touch is the 5-gallon bucket holders under the aft fold-down seats. These are ideal for storing cast nets and other supplies.
With standard twin 300-hp Yamahas, the 30XO reaches a top speed of 56 mph, with an optimal cruise of 32.5 mph at 3,500 rpm burning 17.4 gph, netting 1.86 mpg. A fast cruise of 43.4 mph at 4,500 rpm delivers 1.4 mpg. These numbers were obtained with two people and 100 gallons of fuel on board for a total test weight of 11,298 pounds.
The Regulator 30XO can get into pretty skinny water while maintaining the soul of a midsize center console. I can think of many places, from the Gulf of Mexico to New England, that the 30XO will shine as a serious fishboat.
SPECIFICATIONS
LOA: 30’7”
Beam: 10’2”
Dry Weight: 9,525 pounds
Fuel Capacity: 222 gallons
Deadrise: 15 degrees
Draft: 21” (engines up), 35” (engines down)
Fresh Water: 23 gallons
Power: Twin Yamaha F300 outboards
