2020 Regal 42 FXO revealed

This ability comes about because the Regal 42 FXO doesn’t use the traditional sport yacht drivelines of choice – a pod or stern drive system that eats into the shallow-water draft of a vessel.

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Instead, the 12.8-metre Regal 42 FXO taps into Yamaha’s most powerful normally aspirated outboard engine range – specifically the 425hp 5.6-litre V8-powered, direct fuel injected Yamaha XTO Offshore.

Three of these outboard engines frame the 3.96-metre-wide transom, providing 1275hp in total and a top speed of more than 40 knots.

The big benefit of the outboard engines is that they tilt up at the press of a button, meaning the draft of the boat goes from 1.27 metres with the engines down, and just 0.84m with the engines up, meaning the Regal 42 FXO can get in close to the shoreline.

It has the added benefits of allowing the engines to sit out of the water once the boat is back in the marina, decreasing the need for maintenance, as well as making the Regal 42 FXO an easy boat to service the engines.

But even though it is not fitted with the latest in Volvo Penta or MAN inboard engine technology, the Regal 42 FXO lacks for none of the big-boat features such as a full autopilot system, trim tabs, the option of a Seakeeper stabiliser, and full Garmin multifunction touchscreen instrumentation.

The large cockpit can come with an optional teak table to turn it into an entertainment space, while the entire area can be enclosed in a set of clears to make it an all-weather space.

Up on the flybridge, owners can add a refrigerated drawer so that the next round of drinks doesn’t have to come up from below, and a teak table.

Regal boasts the aft master stateroom is the largest in its segment. Owners can choose a king-size bed with plenty of walk-around space that can split in two, an aft cabin privacy door, and the choice of either a refreshment centre or a second head below.

It says the upper saloon, with its starboard helm, “seamlessly blends” with the aft patio “into one immense open space”.

The open flybridge, which features a low wind deflector on its leading edge, is made as much for entertaining as it is for navigating via the dual-seat helm station.

Key options include a central vacuum system for keeping the interior tidy, a holding tank for grey water and an overboard discharge system for the heads.

The only big-yacht feature the regal 42 FXO lacks is a swim deck. Instead, access to the water is via duckboards to either side of the outboard engine pod, with a folding ladder built into the port side.

The Regal 42 FXO features good walkaround access via the top decks, with a large sunlounge built into the bow featuring an integrated anchor.

The Regal 42 FXO becomes the flagship of the US leisure boat brand’s motor yacht range, sitting above even the recently launched, inboard-engined Regal 42 Grande Coupe sedan model.