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Conditions on San Carlos Bay were sporty, with winds gusting to 18 mph and two- to three-foot waves rolling in off the Gulf. Average top speed was 35.8 mph, a perky number. But did this finding confirm the open-water pizazz touted for OPS? No, but considering how our boat's running attitudes hung steady at four degrees (optimum angle of attack for a planing vessel) from 2000 rpm right through top end, it certainly pointed toward confirmation.
I put together three additional observations during the sea trial. First, thanks to huge windshield panels that bottom out well below the level of the dashboard, visibility forward from the steering station was excellent, even while coming out of the hole. Second, use and adjustment of our test boat's trim tabs had virtually no effect on acceleration or speed—I used them to address cross-wind list only. And third, our 5260 ran smooth and dry despite washboardy conditions, a tribute to a hull form tweaked for IPS (and OPS) by Donald L. Blount & Associates.
a d v e r t i s e m e n t
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Dockside tours are great, of course, but they're even greater when they feature an up-to-the-minute approach to both appearance and outfitting. The 5260's styling is by the Italian design firm Gobbi Mancini and includes phalanxes of hull windows port and starboard, a swoopy sheerline with equally swoopy welded-stainless steel bowrails, and a swept-back superstructure that emphasizes sleekness and aggressive good looks. The main-deck cockpit area is immense and amenity-laden, and benefits from noise-absorbent Whisperwall headliner panels, an electrically actuated (41"x78") sunroof, and an opening windshield vent.
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But it's the below-decks accommodation area that makes the most radical statement. The 5260 offers an unprecedented level of customization for a production vessel in this size range. While our test boat's layout was relatively conventional, with a full-beam master aft (with en suite head), a large VIP forward, and a galley/head/dinette area in between, three others are available. Want twin berths in the forward cabin instead of a single? Want a smaller master aft with a guest stateroom alongside? Or twin berths forward and the latter arrangement aft? No problem!
And there are other, less-substantive choices as well. In fact, a prospective owner should have little trouble coming up with a custom version of Regal's 5260 Sport Yacht by simply visiting the builder's design center in Orlando to chose from among four styles of wood cabinetry; multiple countertop materials (including Corian, granite, and marble); a raft of furniture, upholstery, and lighting alternatives; and entertainment, navigation electronics, appliances, and other upgrades galore. What's more, if said owner were to spec out his boat, plunk down a deposit, and have Regal build and deliver her complete (Regal marketeer Christopher Spindler says the company's two years out on delivery), he'll save on price increases and other dealership-related costs and enjoy the comparatively groovy pricing shown here.
All this and OPS, too?
No wonder a couple of dock-walking folks stopped by to chat toward the end of test day and wound up exclaiming: Wow!
For more information on Regal Boats, including contact information, click here.
SPOTLIGHT ON: OPS
To get a better understanding of how OPS works, look at the picture below. At displacement speeds water enters a large rectangular hole that opens into a tall, otherwise sealed fiberglass box laminated into the bottom of the boat as well as the transom. Air in the box is exhausted through the small ports (ringed with circular stainless steel fittings in the photo) well above the rectangular hole. Once the boat hits about 8 knots, the water begins to empty through the rectangular hole as well as the two round holes on either side. With more speed, the transom continues to rise due to hydrodynamic lift, water falls away from it, and gravity empties the box.
When I pulled the throttles back to go from planing to displacement speeds, the bow of the 5260 rose rapidly—as much as two degrees, according to my inclinometer—within just a few seconds. Nevertheless, I detected no tendency to bow steer during that short period as the box filled with water.—B.P.
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This article originally appeared in the May 2008
issue of Power & Motoryacht magazine.
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