southport vs. regulator

[Dozer]

With it being a real crappy weekend here in Jersey, I took the wife on a little road trip yesterday. We went down and looked at a 26' Southport and a 26' Regulator. Let me start by saying these are two sweet ass rides!!!!!!!!!!! The Southport was a 07 leftover and we looked at an 08 (which there is no way I can afford) and an 06 Regulator. Both of the boats meet the wifes needs, head and forward seating. They both had 250's which run basically the same speed and fuel burn. The Southport had more of the bells and whistles, like tackle center/livewell in the leaning post, windlass, transom door, a hatch to go down into the head, 3 piece enclosure, one level deck and a 204 gallon fuel tank. The dash was cut out for some sort of electronics but it was not in the boat so I am not sure what it was. The Regulator has 2 livewells, what seems like a little more fish storage, one of the boxes also has lockable rod storage, Raymarine c120 without the radar, no enclosure, the step up to the bow and no tackle center. It also only has 176 gallon fuel tank and the beam is a foot smaller. I know that Regulators have a great reputation and are know for their ride, but I haven't heard alot about Southport. I know that they haven't been around for that long and I have never seen one on the water. It is a Ray Hunt design so the construction I am assuming is top notch. I would love to hear opinions from everyone in the SFC world. Both boats will do and go where I want to go and the biggest hurdle( the wifes ok) has been cleared, so let me have any info you can. Thanks for any help and advice, Kenny
Oh and Mary if you read this please throw in any opinions on the 27 contender. Thanks.

[striper swiper]

The 25 contender matches better to these 2 The Reg is a better sea boat but if most of your fishing is on the drift the port shines here The port should have better fuel #'s but it won't be more than a tenth or 2
The 25S contender the one thing we noticed was you can sit in the bow seats and the combing is in the right place Whereas the combing on the reg is not comfortable to my wife and I beig so close to the seat The contender also runs well with 200's you can't get the reg without 250's and the Southportonly comes with the 4stk power as well If you went the tender route the 200's are much better on fuelwith close to the same speeds as the reg with the 250's(I have only ridden on the 28 SP so I can't comment on the 26 as it is much smaller)
Lastly if you trailer to say the Outer Banks you don't need a special permit(s) for a hull over 8'6" with the port you will ifd you pass over the CBBT

[Dozer]

I do a lot of drift fishing. Spring and fall striper, fluke and weakies. I think the Southport with the wider beam and reverse chines will sit better. I also want to take her to the canyons if I get the right weather.

[flndrpndr23]

Being a former Regulator dealer and a current Southport dealer I would like to comment on one of the biggest (and most beneficial) differences between the two boats.
The Southport's hull is designed to accommodate the heavier 4 Stroke engines (Ray 4 Design). The Southport has virtually no bow rise when coming up on plane. This is done with no trim tabs and neutral engine trim. The biggest benefit is when it gets snotty out you can back down the throttles and stay on plane at much slower speeds as compared to the Regulator.
The 26 Southport is a much bigger 26 (9'6" beam) and comes standard with many features that are optional on the Regulator. This makes the Southport a better buy.
You can't go wrong either way. Both are great boats.
Doug

[southport05]

Dozer, I'm up in MA, and I owned a 26' Southport for 3 years, and I absolutely loved it!! It had twin 225 Yamaha 4 strokes. Over three seasons I had to add maybe 2 quarts of oil total, outside of normal oil changes. I put 600 hrs on the boat, and have to say I think you could get thousands of hours out of those motors with regular care and maintenance. I fished for both groundfish (cod, haddock, pollock, etc.), stripers (a little bit), and tuna/sharks (a lot). The boat was amazing. It sits on drift awesome with that beam for groundfish and sharks. It trolled great and the boat raised a lot of bluefin tuna. Also, it was probably the driest center console I've ever been on. The bow flare just sends everything out and away. I have friends that have 26' Regulators, and they might be slightly faster on top end, but not by much. But how often do you get to run WOT? Had the boat out in tournaments in 10'+ seas (not swells), and the boat performed flawlessly. Amenity wise, your wife will be very happy. The vacuflush is great, and their is a ton of room up front both in seating, and laying out on the bow itself. I've been rafted up and had 6-8 kids sprawled out up front. Also, don't forget those wide gunnels. They make landing fish and moving around the boat very easy and safe. I would say the biggest negatives were no locking rod storage (except for the head), and the fishbox was small for bigger tuna. But that fishbox was fine for groundfish and stripers. I think that covers it, but if you have any questions, let me know. Also, my 26' Southport is for sale.

[tolock]

Dozer,

These were the two boats I was choosing from in 06 as well. As you know I chose the 26 Southport. The reasoning was we felt it could do everything the reg. could and had more comforts for the family. The things we liked most were, the larger beam as it is much steadier on the drift, the head and the interior of the console were nicer (especially having the ability to open up the overhead area to get in) and the flat deck. The SP is more fuel effecient and gets on plane easier with very little bow rise. For the fishing I do here in jersey it was a much better fit for myself and my family. If you have any questions drop me a note and I will be happy to help you out.

With all of this being said the Reg. is a very nice boat as well as has a great reputation. You can not go wrong with either.

As you know my boat is also for sale as I am looking to get into a larger CC in the 34-36 range. Let me know if you want to go for a ride.

Tom

[Lance325is]

I've run my 28 Southport for 3 seasons so far here are my impressions...

--Pros--
-Great Ride
-Economical
-Very Stable Drift
-Fish boxes are insulated allowing ice to last a long time
-All hatches have suction seals eliminating noise while running
-Replacing washdown pumps/live well pumps are easily accesable...they break on all boats every few years sometimes less.

--Cons--
-Lacking Rod holders, it would be nice to have a few extra from the factroy.
-Electronics space is limited
-I dont like the swim ladder design...I like the Yellow fin style better.
-A couple of the screws they put on our boat wernt stainless no biggie i swapped them out... (06 model so that probably has been fixed in the 07 to 09's)

Well im having a tough time coming up with cons but that means it is a really good boat. I've been on a 31 contender and I must say there is no compairson the southport rides much better. Goodluck feel free to ask me anything else you would like to know.

[Dozer]

Thanks guys good stuff. Keep it coming. I have been noticing the same thing about the gunnel rod holders on a lot of boats. I don't understand why they don't load them up. Oh well, I guess I am nitpicking now.

[wbfish]

The southport is definitely the better boat. Doesn't have the integrated bracket or the annoying hull step. Has higher freeboard which was one of the big things I noticed and more room aft for fighting fish with the console being more forward. Also didn't seem to be nearly as wet as the reg, and I've been in 4-6 ft seas in both. Regs look good and I know the 23 and 24 are pretty good rides but the 26 was the worst.

[cheeks]

They are built about 10 miles from my house in Leland NC. We have quite a few around here and I have not heard anything other than they are very well designed and built.


Alton Herndon the Southport CEO was the president of Hatteras Yachts for about a decade. Supposedly it is a first class organiztion that is well financed. I have not seen or heard anything that would indicate otherwise.