Testing the REGAL 33XO with twin 300HP Yamaha's | Is this the END of sterndrives on sports cruisers?

Detailed test drive through bumpy water and into some pretty decent ocean swell before running down swell and into the flatter stuff where we kocked out a wide open throttle speed of 43Kts!!!!
It's advantages like this that are really making the argument for outboards one these classic style sports cruisers very strong. I have more sterndrive sports cruisers over the last 20 years than I can count and can honestly say that this twin Yammy set up on the Regal 33XO is awesome and a real set up in ride quality and enjoyment with faster average cruising speeds and a wonderfully high top speed where she was sucking an impressive 198L at WOT so you're best advised to keep your speeds around the 30kts mark for sensible consumption levels.
The interior and cockpit layout achieved on this boat is another impressive achievement for Regal. The space utilization down below makes this boat a true 4 person weekender with two decent beds and and epic mid cabin that many 40ft boats would be jealous of.
If build quality, reliability, performance and a wide array of features for genuine overnight boating is important to you then you need to pay attention to this Regal 33XO because it will dish all of that up and more. This is a boat you could hold onto for many years and continue to enjoy.
Watch the WALKTHROUGH video here - • Regal 33XO - Is this a...
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[@jacktyler7599]

I know I'm a broken record...but these dual-reviews are just so much more informative (and enjoyable to watch) than the typical KZbin walk-thru's. Nicely done, Dan. My 'some day wish' is for you to review two boats in a single video with the focus being on the tradeoffs between outboards and stern drives (or inboards). Now that outboards are 'in' it's worth pointing out these pro's & con's for all of us. My two strongest gripes with outboards: no easy place for the tender (I like to explore a bit) and periodic engine maintenance = hauling the boat. And yet, I'm shopping for a boat that has outboards. Go figure...

[@BoatLife_DansBoatLife]

Thanks Jack! Appreciate the continued support and feedback mate. It's all the guys like yourself who are going me the ideas. I'm going to film some comparisons later this year as multiple people are asking me to do this now so it's a clear need out there and pretty easy for me to film. Yes, re no tender storage on outboards - but many of the boats i'm testing are designed to go on the beach with a stern anchor so no tender necessary which is one solution.

[@markdimaio8396]

I remember many years ago Johnson/Evinrude had an ad comparing their shorter V4 motors to Mercury's tall Tower of Power inline 6 cylinder. The ad stated that "motors like people should not stand up in the back of the boat" Although the outboard from a maintenance perspective is less that IOs it ruins the stern of the boat where 90% of the access on express cruiser take place

[@gregforbes2940]

Very informative Dan. I have been an "outboard" fan for years simply because they eliminate the need for twice a year haul outs to antifoul the legs on a sterndrive!!. My only comment on your review would be that 42+ knots on that boat is only achievable with it being dry-stacked with no antifoul on the hull. Once the bottom gets painted top speed generally drops and fuel consumption increases. Still quick for sure, but maybe not 42 knots quick. Great reviews, please keep them coming!!

[@BoatLife_DansBoatLife]

G'day Greg, yes you're right and in fresh water like the lakes in New Zealand it would also be different again due to the density. Some people will dry stack this Regal in Sydney but agreed when/if she goes to live in the water we can knock 4 knots off that top speed quick smart. Heaps more coming so glad you enjoy!

[@chrisinsd4590]

Awesome video, new to your channel. Would be wonderful if you did a sea test of of a boat like this with Volvo's new Coastal Series drives--titanium coating, electronics to keep away corrosion, in water salt flushes...lots of new tech in the sterndrive space from Volvo. It doesn't appear to be your Dad's sterndrive. A side-by-side performance and maintenance comparison would be SUPER interesting to me as many of us value different things and aren't so dismissive of the benefits of that large transom and water access...its literally one the most important parts of boating for me. If they have solved some traditional I/O issues in salt I would personally drop outboards like hot potatoes!

[@cheapme1850]

Beautiful boat. Everything Sea Ray used to be but no longer are with the shift towards oversized, ugly day boats. So many builders are focusing on the Florida market with a zillion engines on the stern but little or no overnight capacity, or even a bit of shelter to get out of inclement weather or extend the boating season in cooler climates. Money no object, it would be a toss up between the smaller Regal or the Cutwater coupe.

[@BoatLife_DansBoatLife]

I think Sea Ray is actually doing very good quality and their refocus to sub 40ft is the right move. But yes where they were once the no.1 day boat in Sydney those days are now gone and they have a lot of competition. This Regal is high end sports cruiser perfection. If you want the traditional style with the best of everything and also a boat that will chop up some waves then the Regal is it. It won't be mass market however because of the price.

[@markdimaio8396]

Well stated. Unless you live in a state or part of the world that has year round warm weather what's the point of all these center consoles or huge bowriders?

[@AdventuresofHappyOurs]

As a life long inboard/stern drive owner and now a new Regal XO outboard owner - there is no contest - outboards are the way to go. More room in boat, easier to work on, easy to repower, shallow water capable. The Regal XO’s optimize the swim deck use also. Here in Florida, hardly anyone wants to work on inboards anymore.

[@GMCRaptor]

Another great vid Dan, I think it would add to your viewers if you put on screen specs and pricing of the boats you test.👍🇦🇺

[@BoatLife_DansBoatLife]

Thanks! Yes I actually don't know how to do that in the editing yet, but I will learn. I've been too distracted perfecting my drone flying skills on the new Mavic 3. Agree the specs would be super helpful and will get there. Thanks for the support!

[@GMCRaptor]

@@BoatLife_DansBoatLife keep it up Dan …. Love flying my Magic too. Footage you show is great

[@bobwoods1302]

I imagine outboards would be easier to work on and I like the idea of not having holes in the hull for outdrives.

[@DrEd-th2lu]

It’s perfect. But not 400 thousand U.S. dollars nice. Great review. I could sell both my 34’ Cruisers Yacht and 24’ Baja and it would barely make a dent in that price…. Ouch!

[@BoatLife_DansBoatLife]

Fair enough!

[@hulkhoganstights6596]

Nobody cares what you have

[@richr909]

Question? Can you replace just the engine on an outboard? Or do you have to replace the entire outboard assembly down to the lower unit? Because those 300 yamaha's are around $28k each here in the US plus labor costs to install them. So if you had a normal sterndrive boat and the drives were in great shape but you needed to replace 2 5.7 merc's with 300hp each, Each engine would cost somewhere in the $15k range per engine for a complete motor and accessories plus $2k for installation. So $15k vs $46k for outboards if you can't just replace the engine in an outboard.

[@hildablanco1591]

Inbourds give more room in back for a shore Boat and if its diesel powered it gives 3 miles per gallon instead of 1 mile per gallon but outbourds are less maintenance

[@tomdunn1254]

Wharf would the range be at cruising speed?

[@BoatLife_DansBoatLife]

I can't remember off the top of my head but I do always mention the fuel flow and total capacity so with those numbers you should be able to calculate a range with a reserve.

[@BiggDaveTV]

😎😎😎

[@KnowTheNewOfficial]

Is it possible to take option for diesel engine on this?

[@BoatLife_DansBoatLife]

I believe it's inboard petrol but diesel outboards may be something you could talk to your dealer about? Remember diesel outboards are a lot heavier and more expensive so at this time I would say it's likely still going to be most cost effective with petrol outboards as in the video

[@KnowTheNewOfficial]

@@BoatLife_DansBoatLife ok, thanks for good response and information 🙂

[@morri03]

For me a real boat has a diesel engine. Petrol is more dangerous and the burn rate at cruise is horrendous compared to a common rail diesel. The reality of boating is you very rarely have the conditions to go flat out so the fact that you can’t go 38knots or whatever isn’t that important. Most of the time you are going 20-25 time. Also range is much better with diesel if you want to go away for a bit plus you can usually get diesel everywhere on the water - petrol not so much. at the higher speeds that 500 odd litre tank won’t last long! Your reviews are still the best on the tube though Dan!

[@BoatLife_DansBoatLife]

I love all fossil fuels to be fair. They all bring me awesome times and fast speeds. But yes I understand your point re diesel however I would add that many modern outboards paired with good hulls are extremely efficient. Thanks for the support! It's these comments that keep me motivated to film more.

[@RumblesBettr]

went from an outboard to a i/o and i regret it immensely.. will never do another i/o unless i had something larger with diesels

[@BoatLife_DansBoatLife]

Yes I hear this a lot in Sydney.

[@TheUrbanEpicure]

Why do American boats always look so... old? This might be a 2023 model, but it looks like it's 15-20 years old in terms of design. American car-makers have moved past that, American boat-makers have yet to take the leap. They should travel to Scandinavia every now and then for a few pointers...

[@BoatLife_DansBoatLife]

I don't know the answer to that? I think the Scandanavian designs will take a bit more time to penetrate the States than what it took here in Australia for example. I get a LOT of msg's from Americans asking about Scandanvian boats and it's pretty clear from the messages that it is all still very new to a lot of people so if I was a builder in the States I would be making real big improvements to my current range of boats like what Regal has done here with the 33XO so I don't alianate my customer base with some crazy new and very different design that my customers would not recognise perhaps. Compared to Regals of a few years back this 33XO has a bucket load of improvements and way better performance so if I was a Regal owner and jumped on this boat i'd be blown away by it.

[@Natter20002]

I’m curious about the Scandinavian boats now. Is that a brand? Or boats from that part of the world?

[@TheUrbanEpicure]

@@Natter20002 Boats from that part of the world. Check out Finnmaster, Yamarin, Flipper, Axopar, Ibiza Boats, and Fjord. You probably won't be able to buy these where you are, but at least you know then what you're missing out on 😉

[@chrisinsd4590]

This is interesting...I wonder why too?? Our bowriders also look the same as models sold 20 years ago. I would say Regal and SeaRay's newer models are taking on that more "explorer yacht" type look that these Euro brands are going for...but it is does appear quite slow. For cruisers I'd hazard a guess than many Americans remain enamored with the giant bow Sea Ray Sundancers of the 90s as the pinnacle of boating style, so the look endures.

[@cwliew27]

Stern drive boats are so much more appealing for families and day boats. Just gives a massive area to have fun off. Seapen or some kind of dry dock virtually eliminates the anti foul issues. So essentially while outboards are awesome - stern drives look and function better when you’re not moving.