Regal 36 XO Specs, Price and Ownership Guide

What the Regal 36 XO sets out to do

The Regal 36 XO is a cabin cruiser that happens to have outboards on the back, rather than a bowrider with a cuddy. XO stands for crossover in Regal's naming, and the family runs from the small 26 XO up through the 36 XO and the triple outboard 38 XO, with flybridge FXO models alongside. The 36 sits in the sweet spot: big enough for two private sleeping areas and a separate shower, small enough to run on twin engines and fit a 40 foot slip.

Regal is a family-owned builder in Orlando, Florida, founded in 1969, and it has a reputation for careful finish and thoughtful layouts at prices below the European imports. The 36 XO carries Regal's yacht certification at the CE level and shares much of its interior thinking with the larger 38 XO.

If you want to spend weekends aboard with your partner and occasionally bring another couple or two children, and you want the low maintenance and shallow draft of outboard power, this is one of the most sensible boats in the class.

Why twin outboards make sense here

Where the 38 XO needs three outboards, the 36 XO runs two. Regal's performance reports cover three packages: twin Yamaha F350s, twin XTO 425s and twin 450 XTOs. All of them are big, modern four-strokes with integrated digital controls and joystick compatibility, and two of them are simpler and cheaper to maintain than three smaller engines.

Twin engines also leave more of the transom free for the swim platform and boarding, and they cost less to repower or overhaul down the line. The trade-off is that you have less redundancy in raw horsepower than a triple rig, but with two engines you can still get home on one.

Our pick for most owners is the XTO 425 package. It gives a heavily loaded boat enough reserve to stay on plane at modest rpm, and the higher horsepower boats are easier to sell. The F350 package is fine for lighter use on protected water.

Retractable hardtop and slide-away seating

The main deck is arranged around a retractable hardtop that opens the center of the boat to the sky, and optional glass enclosure doors that close the helm and saloon area off from the cockpit when the weather turns. That combination is what makes a crossover different from a bowrider. On a cool spring evening or a hot afternoon with the air conditioning on, you have a sheltered room on deck.

Regal uses a slide-away seating system that lets the cockpit be reconfigured between lounging, dining and open floor space. The galley sits on the main deck with the saloon, so food can be prepared without heading below. It is a layout that rewards owners who host, because the person cooking stays part of the conversation.

A California queen, a convertible aft cabin and a walk-in shower

Below, the forward stateroom has a centerline California queen berth, and the aft cabin under the cockpit has a settee that converts into a sleeping area. That flexibility is useful, because it makes the boat equally suitable for a couple with two children or two adult couples.

The bathroom is a highlight for this size. Instead of a wet head with a handheld shower, the 36 XO has a separate walk-in shower with handcrafted cabinetry and solid countertops, which means the toilet and vanity stay dry and the boat is far more pleasant on a multi-day trip. Most outboard bowriders in the 36 to 40 foot class, from the Sea Ray SLX 400 to the Cruisers 38 GLS, use a wet head.

Storage is the area to examine carefully. A 37 foot boat with two cabins and a separate shower has less locker space than a single-cabin design, so plan where bedding, fenders and water toys will live before you buy.

A 16 degree hull and what it means on the water

Regal lists the 36 XO with 16 degrees of deadrise at the transom, flatter than the 18 degrees of the 38 XO and well short of the 21 degree hulls Sea Ray uses on the Sundancer 320 and SLX 400. A flatter bottom has real advantages. It is more stable at rest, which matters on a boat with a lot of weight up high under a hardtop, it gets on plane easily, and it tends to be efficient at cruise.

The cost is ride quality in a steep, short chop. Expect a firmer ride than a deep-V in a wind-against-tide inlet, and slow down a few knots earlier than you would on a deeper hull. On lakes, bays and the Intracoastal, where the 36 XO spends most of its time, the trade-off is well worth it.

Draft is about 27 inches with the outboards tilted and about 36 inches with them down, so beaching, shallow anchorages and tidal creeks are all within reach.

The 36 Grande Coupe, the same boat with sterndrives

Regal offers the same layout with sterndrive power as the 36 Grande Coupe. It measures 37 feet 4 inches with the same 11 foot 7 inch beam and 16 degree deadrise, weighs about 17,800 pounds dry and runs on twin Volvo Penta V8 sterndrives rated at 350, 380 or 430 hp.

The Grande Coupe carries a smaller 200 gallon fuel tank against 265 gallons on the XO, and its machinery sits under the cockpit rather than on the transom, which gives it a cleaner swim platform. For fresh water owners who boat in short hops, the sterndrive boat is a good value. For coastal salt water use, the XO's outboards avoid sterndrive corrosion and bellows maintenance and carry more fuel.

• 36 XO: 37 ft 3 in, 18,200 lb, 265 gal fuel, twin Yamaha outboards
• 36 Grande Coupe: 37 ft 4 in, 17,800 lb, 200 gal fuel, twin Volvo Penta V8 sterndrives
• Both: 11 ft 7 in beam, 16 degree deadrise, 52 gal water, 29 gal holding

Tankage and systems

Besides the 265 gallon gasoline tank, the 36 XO has a separate 28 gallon diesel tank for the generator, 52 gallons of fresh water and a 29 gallon waste tank. A dedicated diesel generator tank is a thoughtful touch, because it lets the generator run the air conditioning at anchor without drawing down the fuel you need to get home.

When inspecting a used boat, confirm the generator service history and run it under load with the air conditioning on. Check that both fuel systems are clearly labeled at the deck fills, because putting gasoline in a diesel tank is an expensive mistake that happens more often than owners admit.

Running costs and the used 36 XO

A 36 XO costs roughly $28,000 to $52,000 a year to run before depreciation, depending on location and use. A 40 foot slip, insurance, twin outboard service, generator service and bottom paint make up the fixed costs, with fuel the main variable.

Used boats start in the low to mid $300,000s for early examples, and nearly new boats with XTO power and full options trade in the $600,000s. Regal's reputation for finish quality keeps demand steady, and well-kept boats from careful owners sell quickly.