Reporting from the 2022 Miami Boat Show, Elliott Maurice takes us on a tour of the Regal 42FXO, which is claimed to be the world's first outboard-powered flybridge yacht.
Only a handful of years ago if a budding boat designer had suggested committing company capital to a 42ft flybridge cruiser with three 425hp 5.6-litre V8 outboards on the back they would have been laughed out of the design office and asked politely to keep on walking.
In the current climate, however, where outboards are king, this proposition doesn’t seem quite so silly. How many flybridges are there on the market that you can beach?
And how many can you name that are able to crack 40 knots? So maybe Regal is onto something with the 42 FXO.
At heart it’s a handsome, well designed 42ft flybridge with a decent pair of cabins, a deep practical cockpit and a comfortable top deck, albeit one that’s on the small side.
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Triple petrol V8 outboards aren’t what you’d call the typical powertrain for a boat of this style but ignore the damage done at the fuel berth for a minute and think about the upsides.
The engines are simple to maintain and easy to get to. The space on board where ordinarily there would be a pair of diesel engines is now a huge dry storage void, large enough to swallow mountains of cruising gear.
And when other flybridges are preoccupied with anchoring in enough depth to protect their stern gear, the Regal 42 FXO can head into the shallows and even stick its bow on the beach.
It’s not a cheap boat but then Regal is usually quite generous with its standard spec and it’s safe to say that you will have exclusivity on your side.
Regal 42 FXO specifications
LOA: 42ft 0in (12.8m)
Beam: 13ft 0in (3.96m)
Engines: Triple Yamaha 425hp outboards
Top speed: 43 knots
Price from: £900,176 (inc. VAT)
Watch more of Elliott’s videos on his personal YouTube Channel The British Boat Guy.
