Regulator 34 Customizing Contest Winner

Over the last five years there has
been a slow but perceptible shift in the use of virtually all types and sizes of
offshore fishing boats – away from fishing and towards cruising. Regulator has also
noted this shift in buyer sentiment, and for that reason introduced the layout pictured
above when it introduced its new 34 (aka 38, counting its outboard motor) this summer.
Regulators are highly customizable boats so a month ago we asked our readers how
they would change the new 34, and offered BoatTEST’s coveted Ducky Award for the
best response. There were lots of terrific ideas in addition to the winning modification.

Regulator’s new 34 CC is highly customizable and BoatTEST.com readers have made some good suggestions about fitting it out.

2. Make the wrap around
bow seating optional.



3. Put a coffin fish box forward of the center console.



4. Must have
provision for weather curtains.



5. Need plenty of rod holders.



6. Need a comfortable seat in the stern – something
more than the standard fold down arrangement most CC boats have.



7. Provide an
easy-to-use and adequate anchoring system
with windlass and bow roller.



8. An internal, well-insulated ice chest, not simply
a place for an Igloo.



9. Enough space
on the instrument panel for two large screens.

10. Get rid of
the sink in the bait prep center and have a
retractable hose with nozzle.



11. Provide a
special place (i.e., not in the way, yet will float free) for an
EPIRB. Also, provide a place for a life raft. [There
are enough examples of offshore fishing boats capsizing for us to know that it is
a possibility that needs to be taken more seriously by the fishing community. Once
capsized, these boats can not be righted, nor is it easy or even possible to climb
up on the hull in most cases. We recommend carrying a good (i.e., not the cheap one)
life raft. – Ed.]



Most Unusual Suggestions for the Regulator 34—


1. Make sure you can get 1.5 mpg.



2. A/C for the under console space run by the outboard motors.



3. High-pressure wash down.



4. Twin IPS diesels.



5. Isinglass enclosure for console area under T-Top.



The Winner of the Regulator 34 Customizing Contest--




Mr. T. Tamplain writes--



A couple of things must be identified to separate the
men from the boys.



1. First, you need to have two versions, a straight up
fish model and a sport "not so fishy" model.



2. The fish model – if it has outboards – must have a side tuna door.



3. The floor, one level because it is to easy to trip when moving around
w/a fish. [Regulator had done that in the first place. – Ed.]



4. Having to put ice chest in makes things more complicated
all the way around. So get with someone who builds ice boxes and make the fish boxes
really hold ice.



5. Live well, need 2 separate pumps large in size.



6. The main goal of these larger center consoles is to
fish offshore. Well, you better be getting 1.5 miles to the gallon and have a 500
mile range. [The best we have tested with the 350 Yamahas is 1.46 mpg at 3500 rpm
on the G-W 305.—Ed.]



7. Most of us who fish the long haul, so to speak, will
spend the night during fair weather so skip the head, skip the galley and put 2 bunks
or 1 large vee to accommodate 2 guys.



8. Instead of a generator, how about someone coming up with
one of the monster outboards that can run a/c to cool the bunks? (My truck has great
a/c, powered by the engine – no separate gen set needed.)



9. Please put the drain channel around the deck which works
great for washing blood and guts out the back.



10. Some type of bolstered seats for the passengers to
sit against the transom? They would have to fold up flat out the way -- we have
the technology.



11. Anchor windlass is essential but not crammed up in
the bow. Use a system of s/s rollers.



12. And please get rid of the useless sink in the tackle
station.



13. Ditch the seats up front -- nobody sits there anyway
unless you’re on a romantic island cruise with your gal. (Get a pontoon boat.)



14. Can somebody design an onboard pressure wash down system
with some power!



Readers receiving “Honorable Mention” for their suggestions--



Mr. C. Parks
--



Nice boat, hard to satisfy both fisherman and family,
but with a little innovative thinking it can be done. Think first as a fisherman,
that’s who is buying the boat.



1) Put a transom door in on one side even if
its a half door and step, fisherman, divers, swimmers and helps when you have a MOB situation.



2) The transom needs a comfortable seat for two [It has a fold up seat, but perhaps the key word here
is “comfortable.—Ed.], either a fold-up or better, a
modular seating system that could be used on the rear or moved behind the
helm seat/baitwell to accommodate a fighting chair and the ride in bad weather.



3) Flair the center console to fit rugged weather curtains that protect at least 4 to 6 people.



4) Make good use of the helm seat with several configurations
to accommodate custom
tackle stations, a second
bait well, and quit using those cheap coolers, we need that ice to last
all day.



5) Make a good
place for our state of the art electronics, for two 12" displays and an auto pilot…



6) …predrill
and run rigging lines in the T-tops for electrical,
run a wiring duct/tube from
console to stern and forward areas for ease of wiring additional electronics.



7) And put at least three rod holders down the side
and eight up top, canted at different
angles. Make a good spot for an EPIRB
that you can quickly get to.



8) And for that front side seat arrangement -- get rid of it.



9) The center console should integrate an attached frontal coffin design
with a cushioned
top for seating (sunbathing for mom) and intelligent storage under it like a life
raft accessible from either side, and another front ice box, all of which you can
walk and fight fish all around.



10) Get the
anchor on the top of the deck like a lot of builders are doing, built into the
bow.


Mr. D. Vetrano
--



1. Include a transom door. The days of Mom, Grandma etc. jumping over the sides are
over. This needs to be a standard in this size boat if you are focusing on a family/fishing
boat.



2. Keep part of the bow seat in a V pattern. Make a collapsible table in the middle
that will stow away for fishing. When collapsed still in position have a pad that
goes over the table like a V-berth so one can lounge in the bow on those family
days versus the fishing days.



3. Have locked rod storage in the gunnels of the bow both starboard and port.



4. In the cabin utilize a folding bunk system so when folded up you can actually
sit around a table. Include a real refrigerator,  (not small) and a head that is big enough
to shower in.



5. Put very high end captain chairs behind the center console. The bench seats just
do not do it anymore.



6. Reduce your manufacturing costs by having very few options. Load the boat with
standard features.



7. Utilize a glass windshield wrap around for the center console.



8. Use a fairly large hard top to provide cover from the elements. The boat is big
enough so there is plenty of air.



T. Aydelotte --  



1. For us true "fisherman and ladies" the seats in the
bow area are a waste and not functional. Center consoles are manufactured and bought
for 360 degree fishability. We buy center consoles for their ability to be fished,
not to party with.



2. Two of the biggest issues with a center console are
getting wet from wind blown spray and lack of dry storage, or storage overall.
I suggest at least 3 to 5 pieces of plastic or a layout where 6 people can be safety
seated and protected from the weather, especially given the temp in our northern
states, both early and late in the year.



3. Answer to the second part would be to add a coffin
storage/cooler in front of the console, and make the seats forward to be storage/coolers.



4. Across the stern I would assume it's a live well and
fish box, but I do not see a tuna door, that needs to added.



5. I would also like to see additional rod holders along
the gunwale and at least 4 standard forward of the console.



6. Will the boat have freezer plates in the fish box?



7. Batteries are located where? If under the leaning post,
we need to make sure we have better access to them.



8. Can we get a pull-out hose instead of a sink? It sounds
like a lot but we have so many unknowns we have to cover everything.



9. Don't forget the T-top...is it going to be a hard top
or soft top?



Mr. Lucas --



1. Electronics are a given - room for pair of 17-19" monitors
at the helm with radar/chart plotter for the soupy days and side scan in case of
treasure seeking.



2. Next we need to talk engines. Pair of good diesels
with an IPS for maneuverability on the fish. Also these should provide a little
more economy at the pump.



3. Let’s talk fishing. Transom door in case you get a
big one!



4. Next it would have to have a tower on the T-top for
watching the baits.



5. The largest issue with open boats is the weather. Gotta have a decent place to hide when you're offshore and the stuff hits the fan!
Three sided enclosure to keep you as dry as you can be.



6.
Lastly, let’s put safety onboard. Need a place for the life raft and EPIRB.