Regulator 23 for Sale, a Buyer's Guide to Every Generation

Regulator 23 for sale, know which generation you are looking at

A search for a Regulator 23 for sale turns up boats that share a name and a hull philosophy but differ in almost everything else. Lou Codega has drawn the 23, like every Regulator, on a 24-degree deep-V, but there have been three broad versions: the original notched-transom 23, updated in 2005 and joined by the 23 FS forward-seating model around 2007; and the bracket-mounted 23 launched in 2014, which Power and Motoryacht described as replacing a notched-transom hull. Since about 2019 the bracket boat has been rated for twin outboards, and twin Yamaha F150s are now standard.

The difference matters for price and for how the boat behaves. A 2005 boat with a 300 hp two-stroke is a $50,000 conversation. A late-model twin-engine 23 with the full option sheet can approach $200,000. Both are genuine Regulators, but they are not the same boat.

The notched-transom years

Sport Fishing's 2005 review covered the evolutionary new 23 built on the Codega hull of the original. The trial boat had a 300 hp Yamaha HPDI two-stroke and cruised at 32 mph at 4,000 rpm on 13.4 gph, topping out at 46.9 mph at 5,700 rpm on 29.2 gph. The hull alone weighed about 3,800 pounds, heavy for a 23-footer, and the reviewer drove it in near 6-foot seas without slamming or rattles. Specs were 23 ft 4 in long, 8 ft 4 in wide, with a $62,500 price including the Yamaha.

The 2005 changes included a new stringer system, liner and cap, a fiberglass engine well molded into the cap rather than the liner, batteries relocated under the console, twin fuel fills and a large lazarette hatch for bilge pump access. Power options ran from single F225 or F250 four-strokes to twin F150s or twin 200 HPDIs.

The 23 FS added family-friendly forward seating over twin 140-quart boxes and a 685-quart centerline fish box that doubles as locking rod storage for eight rods. Saltwater Sportsman listed a 160-gallon tank and a 400 hp maximum.

The bracket boat arrives in 2014

The current 23 measures 23 ft 5 in on the hull but 27 ft 6 in with its full-width Armstrong bracket and engines, and Jim Hendricks of Sport Fishing thought it looked more like a 28-footer at the dock. The bracket puts the outboards more than 3 feet behind the transom, frees the cockpit and gives the boat the footprint of a 25- or 26-footer. Beam grew to 8 ft 6 in, still trailerable without a wide-load permit.

Early bracket boats carried a single Yamaha F300 and weighed about 6,200 pounds dry. Saltwater Sportsman's 2015 test planed in 7.5 seconds, cruised at 29.5 mph and 4,200 rpm burning about 14 gph, hit 37 mph at 5,000 rpm and ran past 45 mph flat out, with a $92,395 price. Hendricks ran his test boat into 3- to 4-foot nor'easter seas off St. Lucie Inlet at about 25 mph and found it soft and remarkably dry thanks to the Carolina flare.

Regulator's grillage, a molded fiberglass stringer grid bonded to the hull with polybond adhesive, secured with biaxial glass and then foam-injected, is a big part of why these boats feel solid and quiet.

Twin F150 numbers from Yamaha and Boating

Yamaha's 2019 performance bulletin for the twin-F150 23, tested at 8,104 pounds with 100 gallons of fuel and two people, shows the boat at its best economy around 4,000 rpm and 28.9 mph, burning 13.8 gph for 2.09 mpg. Wide open, it reached 46.8 mph at 5,900 rpm on 30.2 gph. Zero to 30 mph took 10.5 seconds, slower than the single F300 boat because twin 150s add weight without adding much power.

Boating's 2019 test saw more than 48 mph with twin 150s and a 29 mph cruise under 13 gph, which it translated into about 310 miles of range. It priced that boat at $114,995 and called it an ideal kingfish tournament boat.

Deck plan and storage on the current boat

Regulator's current spec sheet lists two 240-quart forward dry storage boxes, a 350-quart rod storage compartment, a 69-quart console cooler seat, a 46-gallon transom livewell or fish box, 20 gallons of fresh water and an optional head with a 9-gallon holding tank in a stand-up console compartment with 71 inches of headroom. Earlier bracket boats had a 23-gallon livewell and an identical 120-quart fish box side by side in the transom, with a fold-away transom bench.

The T-top attaches to the side of the console rather than the deck, keeping walkways clear, and Boating noted hawse pipes for the cleats, uncommon at this size. Seakeeper Ride is now standard, along with Yamaha digital controls.

• Bridge height 104 inches, height from keel 127 inches
• Draft 21 inches engines up, 33 inches engines down
• Dry weight 7,120 pounds with twin F150s (current spec sheet)
• Fuel 149 gallons

Costs for a trailerable offshore boat

At about 14 gph at cruise and roughly 2 mpg, the 23 is economical to run. Budget about $8,000 to $16,000 a year for insurance, storage or a lift slip, Yamaha service, trailer maintenance and incidentals, plus fuel. Twin-engine boats cost more to service than single-engine ones but add redundancy offshore.

At more than 7,000 pounds dry before fuel and gear, a 23 on a trailer is a job for a full-size truck and a tandem-axle trailer, so check the tow rating before you buy.

Picking the right used 23

Regulator's price history explains used values. The 2005 boat listed at $62,500, the 2015 bracket boat at $92,395 and the 2019 twin-150 boat at $114,995. In 2026 the online configurator starts at $218,295. Expect roughly $40,000 to $72,000 for notched-transom and 23 FS boats, about $75,000 to $120,000 for single-F300 bracket boats from 2015 to 2018, and $115,000 to $200,000 for twin-engine boats from 2019 on.

If you fish mostly inshore and nearshore and want to keep costs low, an older single-engine 23 is hard to beat for the money. If you run 30 miles offshore regularly, the twin-engine bracket boat is the one to buy.