The Original Regulator 26, a Classic Among Used Regulator Boats for Sale

Used Regulator boats for sale often start with this one

Among used Regulator boats for sale, no model has a stronger following than the original Regulator 26. It was the first boat Joan and Owen Maxwell built after founding the company in 1988 in a former A&P grocery store in Edenton, North Carolina, and it stayed in production for 24 years. Saltwater Sportsman reported that more than 1,500 had been built when Regulator stopped production in 2013. Listings often call it the 26 Classic to separate it from the 26 FS forward-seating version and the much later 26XO crossover, which is a different boat.

That long run means you can buy a 26 from almost any era, from early 1990s boats on two-stroke power to the last bracket boats on four-strokes. Prices range accordingly, but the hull, and the ride it delivers, stayed remarkably consistent.

Potter SeaCrafts, Carolina flare and a Bertram 31

Joan Maxwell told Soundings that the couple studied the old Bill Potter SeaCrafts for their hulls, the Carolina builders for their dramatic bow flare and the Bertram 31 as the standard of a workhorse when they conceived the 26. They hired naval architect Lou Codega in 1988, built a full-scale model by hand, and launched the first boat two years later. Regulator says the 26 was named the best up-and-coming center console by Sport Fishing in 1990 to 1991, and Codega says hull No. 1 is reportedly still fishing in the Bahamas.

The 26 rides a deep-V with a sharp 48-degree entry and 24 degrees of deadrise at the transom. The high, flared bow sheds water and the freeboard is carried well aft to a transom deep enough for bait wells. Regulator's one-piece fiberglass grillage stiffens the hull, and the company's construction approach, solid hand-laid glass and no wood in the hull, became its calling card.

Hull 1,000, and a boat that crossed the Atlantic alone

On August 4, 2003, the 1,000th Regulator 26 came off the line in Edenton. Soundings reported that the company was then building and selling about ten 26s a month. By then the 26 had become, in the words of Powerboat Guide quoted by Soundings, a no-compromise, all-weather trailerable fishing platform with quality construction and drop-dead good looks.

The most famous 26 never had a buyer's survey. Queen Bee, a yellow-hulled Regulator 26, was knocked out from under her owner and his brother-in-law by a breaking wave off Nantucket in August 2008. Both men reached shore. The boat drifted for more than three years and an estimated 3,500 miles before being found off the coast of Spain in January 2012, with outboards, gauges and electronics still attached. It was shipped back through Baltimore to the Edenton factory that July, and Regulator later counted the voyage among the milestones in its company history.

Deck layout and fishing gear

Fishing features ran deep for a 26-footer. Soundings listed a 700-quart wet or dry box forward in the sole, a 136-quart fish box on each side, a 32-gallon livewell in the cockpit sole, and a 16-gallon transom livewell flanked by bait boxes. Sport Fishing's 2005 description adds two recirculating baitwells, a 700-quart rod and storage locker, a raw-water washdown and Lenco trim tabs.

The console has a fiberglass-lined, stand-up head compartment with about 6 feet of headroom and a tilt-away panel for flush-mounted electronics. Seating was simple: a leaning post with backrest and rocket launcher, upgradeable to a fiberglass tackle center, plus a cushion forward of the console. A fiberglass T-top with an electronics box and outrigger bases was the most common option, along with a 54-gallon auxiliary fuel tank and a 54-gallon freshwater tank.

One thing the classic 26 has that its successors do not is a step up from the cockpit to the bow. The 25 that replaced it was designed specifically to eliminate that step.

• LOA 25 ft 10 in, beam 8 ft 6 in, 24 degrees deadrise
• Draft about 2 ft with engines up
• Fuel 176 gallons (2005 spec), 54-gallon auxiliary tank optional
• Maximum power twin 250 hp outboards

Power, from two-strokes to F250s

Typical power was a pair of 225 or 250 hp outboards. Early boats often carried 200 hp two-strokes, and by 2005 Sport Fishing listed an Armstrong dual-engine bracket, a triple battery system and twin Yamaha F250s at $117,000. Yamaha was the dominant engine brand throughout.

We did not find a published independent speed and fuel table for the original 26, so we do not quote one. Owners report it as a fast, dry boat, and Soundings' featured owner ran his 26 to the canyons for bigeye tuna and through 6- to 8-foot seas 100 miles offshore. Treat any used boat's real performance as a function of its specific engines and props, and sea trial it.

The 26 FS and 26 Express cousins

Regulator built two close relatives on the same Codega hull. The 26 FS is a family-oriented version with cushioned forward seating over insulated 143-quart lockers, a fold-down aft bench and wraparound coaming bolsters. The 26 Express, which debuted in 1993, added a small galley and a V-berth in a cuddy cabin. Both appear on the used market and share the hull's ride, but check which version a listing actually describes.

In late 2010 the 28 FS took over as Regulator's core offshore boat, and in 2014 the new 25 filled the gap left when the 26 ended in 2013.

Pricing and buying a 26 today

Soundings' market sampling in the mid-2000s found a 1993 boat with twin 200 hp two-strokes at $42,900, a 1997 at $58,995, a 1998 at $64,700 and a 2000 with twin 250s at $75,900, and its featured owner paid about $70,000 for a 2000 model. In 2026 we would expect most 1990s boats in the $30,000 to $55,000 range and late boats from 2008 to 2013 at roughly $68,000 to $120,000, with engine age and type the dominant factor.

Annual costs are modest for an offshore boat: roughly $7,000 to $15,000 for insurance, storage, twin-engine service and maintenance, plus fuel. The bigger financial decision is repowering. A 1990s boat on original two-strokes is effectively a hull purchase, and a modern pair of four-strokes can cost more than the boat.