As hybrid bay boats enjoy growing popularity they’re also growing in size — and the latest, the Regulator 30 XO, is utterly massive for the class. At 30’7” long, 10’2” wide, and weighing over 9,500 pounds, the 30 XO is bigger than many offshore-dedicated center consoles and joins a mere handful of hybrid bay boats breaking the 30-foot mark.
Regulator 30 XO Design
The 30 XO follows the standard hybrid bay boat design playbook: fore and aft casting decks are elevated, the foredeck doubles as seating with stowage underneath, and the aft deck has flip-up jump seats. But all that additional volume brings with it a number of perks. Where most boats of this nature have a pair of aft jump seats, the Regulator has three. The leaning post doesn’t just have a couple of integrated tackleboxes, it has a true rigging station in the back with a Corian countertop and cutting board, freshwater washdown, and copious tackle stowage — enough for both all your inshore gear and all your offshore items. And the front of the console sports a doublewide lounger on top with 54.5 gallons of stowage underneath.
The biggest bonus of all, however, is found up top. The (optional) step-up hard top with a half tower, sliding sunroof, full upper station, and upper station electronics (a Garmin 943 display), is larger and more substantial than those generally found on smaller bay boats, with a seat large enough for two, four rocket launchers, and cupholders. Whether you’re sight fishing for cobia inshore or trolling for billfish dozens of miles from the inlet, you’ll find yourself enjoying the view in more comfort and with more elevation that just about any other hybrid can deliver.
Regulator 30 XO Construction
Regulator builds an all-composite boat, and the 30 XO is built with hand-laid glass that’s ground between laminate layers for a better bond. The hull is supported by a rather massive molded stringer grid they call a “grillage,” that’s poly-bonded and fiberglassed in. It’s substantially beefier than the usual stringer grid, incorporates rigging tubes, and is unique enough that it does deserve its own name. Hatches are resin transfer molded so they’re fully finished on both sides, hard tops are cored, pipework is powder-coated, and hardware is stainless-steel through-bolted with nylock locking nuts.
Regulator’s construction methods result in a hefty boat, and while some builders strive to cut out every ounce they can to boost speed and efficiency, heavier boats are often better for bulling through tough seas without beating up the passengers. Anyone who’s ridden aboard a Regulator knows that they tend to ride a lot smoother than many competitors and if you haven’t experienced it for yourself, a sea trial is definitely in order.
Regulator 30 XO Inshore Fishing Features
Along with the casting decks fishing accouterments include a 29-gallon livewell in the aft deck (a second compartment can be plumbed as an option), raw and freshwater washdowns, four flush-mount rodholders (10 additional are optional), 10 rocket launchers, racks under the gunwales, and a pair of 16” Garmin GPSMAP 8616xsv MFDs with an Airmar B150 CHIRP transducer. Options for inshore anglers include a 96” bow-mount electric trolling motor plus onboard charger and batteries, and dual Power Pole shallow water anchors.
The one inshore angling deficit that’s to be expected with such a mega-sized hybrid bay boat is draft. With the engines up the 30 XO needs 1’ 9” to float. That’s not a ton of water, but it does mean that some of the flats and shallows many other bay boats can ply will be off-limits.
Regulator 30 XO Offshore Fishing Features
Offshore anglers will want the optional Gemlux outrigger bases in the hard top. A big feature they’ll appreciate is the fish-stowing capacity, because you could enjoy banner success both inshore and offshore the same day and never run out of room for icing down everything from tripletail to tuna. There’s a pair of macerated 54-gallon fishboxes under the forward seats, and a gigantic 73.5-gallon box in the deck.
The biggest offshore advantage, of course, is access to blue water in the first place. With this much brawn and beef, no offshore fishing grounds are out of bounds to the 30 XO — including on days when the weather is a bit tougher than one might hope for. And with 222 gallons of fuel in the tank and an economy of 1.8 mpg at speeds in the low 30s, you have over 350 miles of range while accounting for a 10-percent fuel reserve.
Regulator 30 XO Performance
The 30 XO is rigged with a pair of F300 Yamaha outboards, and with them, those low-30s cruising speeds come at a mere 3500 rpm. Crank it up to a reasonable 4500 rpm cruise and you’ll be blasting across the water at speeds in the low- to mid-40s (where fuel economy comes in at around 1.4 mpg). Open the throttles all the way and the boat can run in the mid-50s.
Regulator 30 XO Specifications
- Length Overall: 30’7”
- Beam: 10’2”
- Weight: 9,525 lbs.
- Draft (min.): 1’9”
- Max HP: 600
- Transom Deadrise: 15 degrees
- Fuel Capacity: 222 gal.
- Water Capacity: 23 gal.
We’ve seen more and more hybrid bay boats hitting the water the past few years, and many of them have been bigger and bigger. But very few break that 30-foot barrier — and ever fewer do so while delivering so much, in so many different ways.
See Regulator 30 XO boats for sale on Boat Trader.