2009 Regal 2520 FasDeck

By Mike Milne

Fairly or not, deckboats are often seen as the sportboat’s boring, utilitarian cousin. Meant to maximize cockpit space, deckboats can also minimize owner excitement.

Regal’s 22- to 25-foot FasDeck series changes all this with a fresh high-fashion design that effectively redefines the deckboat category. With modern, edgy lines, it looks hotter than most of the runabouts on the water. It’s also got the speed and sporty handling to match its good looks.

The 2520’s sporty performance originates in part with Regal’s ventilated and stepped FasTrac hull. The hull’s design – tested, tweaked and well-proven over about a decade – combines a deep 21-degree vee at the transom with a full-beam step forward. The aeration and lift provided by the ventilated step contributes to fast planing, solid handling in tight turns and impressive top speeds. It’s just the kind of hull you need underneath a boat that looks as sporty as the new FasDeck.

Powered by an optional 375-hp Volvo-Penta 8.1 Gi engine pushing a DuoProp drive, the test boat is quickly on plane, hitting 30 mph in 6.47 seconds and 40 mph in 8.75 seconds. The hull helps the boat stay on plane down to 2200 rpm. At 2500 rpm it runs at 27.8 mph in GPS-verified trials. The low planing speed indicates an easily driven hull, translating into good performance and fuel economy.

Top speed is 56.7 mph at 4800 rpm, with fast cruising speeds of 42.9 mph at 3500 rpm and 50 mph at 4000 rpm. Handling is tight and the boat turns quickly and confidently at all speeds. The DuoProp, with twin counter-rotating propellers, contributes to the boat’s excellent handling in turns; it doesn’t need much positive trim for optimum performance.

The boat runs comfortably in steep, choppy waves, thanks in part to its fairly steep deadrise. In all aspects of performance, the 2520 FasDeck is a real winner.

On the visual side of the design equation, the boat’s sharp-edged, Italian-inspired lines are sure to earn plenty of attention. The test boat is equipped with an optional wakeboard tower with a built-in Bimini and board holders that are sure to appeal to watersports fans, but the boat looks just as good and will perform just as well without the tower.

With taupe-coloured topsides, white hull and deck, red boot stripe and white upholstery with red piping, the test boat looks very cool indeed. A variety of colour and graphics combinations will allow owners to opt for either a sportier or more subdued style.

Space is something that never goes out of fashion and the 2520 has plenty. The U-shaped bow compartment has angular bow sections, generously proportioned seats and extra, sloping lounging room forward.

Compared to a runabout of similar size, there’s room for a couple more passengers. Instead of two comfortable seats up front there are at least four, possibly six. The deckboat-style bow also allows for a small but very practical foredeck. There’s a telescoping bow ladder under a hatch, along with an anchor and rode locker.

In the cockpit, the boat’s nearly vertical topsides help the design to maximize usable interior space. A door between the consoles adds to boater comfort, as does the enclosed head compartment, complete with sink, pressure water and a chemical toilet.

Regal builds on the maximized beam with an uncluttered seating design that combines an old idea – flip-flop seatbacks – with modern upholstery and clean lines. Convertible seatbacks can turn the companion seat and aft seat, part of an L-shaped bench, into sun lounges. That means the co-pilot can sit facing forward, alongside the swivelling bucket seat at the helm or (with the companion seat-back flipped forward) stretch out on the port-side lounge facing aft. In the same fashion, passengers in the aft bench seat can face forward while underway, then flip the seatback forward and stretch out on the huge sun lounge when the boat is at anchor or at dockside.

The helm station is comfortable and instruments and controls are well placed. The Faria gauges give the instrument panel a classy, well-balanced appearance but are also easy to read. The wood grain steering wheel adjusts easily and has attractive stainless steel spokes, plus controls for the stereo in the hub.

Of all the seating options and conversions, only one has an added piece that requires storage – the filler cushion that converts the bow area into a massive sun pad. That leaves plenty of storage space for wakeboards or water toys in a cavernous cockpit floor locker and a port-side locker accessed from either the cockpit or the sun pad.

The standard swim platform is wide enough, but the test boat takes access to the water to greater lengths with an optional extended swim platform, equipped with barefoot-friendly Hydro-Turf. That adds even more space for watersports fans. Like any boaters who appreciate modern style and timeless comfort, they are sure to love the 2520 FasDeck.

TEST BOAT ENGINE
Volvo Penta 8.1 Gi, 496 ci/ 8.1L, V8 with multipoint fuel injection producing 375 hp, spinning twin counter-rotating stainless steel props through a DuoProp drive.
ACCELERATION (mph/sec)
0-20 / 3.85 ; 0-30 / 6.47; 0-40 /8.75
TOP SPEED (rpm/mph)
4800 / 56.7
CRUISING SPEED (rpm/mph)
3000 / 34.9 ; 3500 / 42.9 ; 4000 / 50
SOUND LEVEL AT CRUISE (3000 rpm)
Helm – 82 dbA ; Aft cockpit – 83 dbA
SOUND LEVEL AT TOP SPEED
Helm – 88 dbA ; Aft cockpit – 90 dbA