Regency 250 LE3 Sport Pontoon Boat

Will the ‘flying lounge’ redefine the concept of luxury day boating? Greg Copp tests the 250 LE3 Sport from Regency …

One thing that has become more evident about the marine industry in recent years is its international dimension. Design concepts, tastes and styles from around the globe are increasingly finding new fans on distant shores. Take, for example, the tri-hulled Regency 250 LE3 Sport – an example of something very un-European, but nevertheless very innovative. Commonly known as a ‘pontoon boat’ based on its triple pontoon-like construction, it has a proven track record in the US – notably on the Great Lakes. Its stem-to-stern lounge-like layout will leave you wondering, but looks can be deceiving, as driving this boat is no less enjoyable than soaking up its luxury overload.

Masses of seating forward

On first impression, you may well ask whether this is really a 25ft boat. With the aft appendage including the outboard, it is actually 27’ 7” long, but even so, this boat looks far bigger than it really is. The wide 8’ 7” beam is packed out to the maximum in terms of luxury seating, deck space and the sun pad – creating the illusion of greater size. Access is blissfully easy via a side gate on the port side, and stepping aboard courtesy of the full-beam bathing platform is also a breeze. If you need to, you can use the bow gate – ideal for mother ship cross-decking and dockside access where space is limited. However, the 16” draught and tough aluminium hulls enable you to run up onto the beach with ease, as we did, and then simply open the gate and drop down onto the sand without getting wet feet.

Beach hopping is a breeze with this boat.

You can walk around the front of the bow

Construction is aluminium. The outer hulls have four sealed compartments, so if you hole one, the others will still stay afloat. The central hull also has four compartments, but one is open to the deck via a hatch providing a 2.4m-long storage compartment for things like waterskis, and it is drained via a bilge pump. The deck is marine ply reinforced with a tough aluminium framework, so the overall rigidity of the Regency is stronger than its accommodating luxury appearance. The engine is mounted aft of the bathing platform via a substantial ‘jack plate-like’ mount, and normal options range from a V6 200hp up to the V10 400hp Mercury Verado. The V10 may seem like overkill, but bear in mind that this boat is rated to take 14, and unlike many vessels it can actually accommodate its stated limit without people sitting on the deck.

Superb access.

There is a sturdy transom gate in the starboard quarter, complemented by a similarly well-made bathing ladder. For waterskiers, there is a very heavy-duty drop-in ski pole, and a discreet aft-facing camera sits on the edge of the bimini top, enabling the helmsman to keep an eye on things via the OEM Viper 3 12” MFD.

A USB socket sits in the middle.

One interesting feature that I have not seen before is a fold-out changing tent. This is located under the sunbed – accessed by lifting up the starboard hingeing section of the sunbed, and then folding out the frame for the tent and attaching a canvas screen. Whether it will get utilised for this is another matter, but you could use it with a portable chemical toilet if needed. Otherwise, storage beneath the sunbed is vast, complemented by the cavity that sits under the aft bench seat, where the twin batteries are also located. Further storage is found in a large compartment forward of the co-pilot seat, and another locker is located under the helm. What is not evident is the fact that further compartments can be found behind every seat back in the forward section, as well as under every seat, and a long ski locker resides under the forward deck.

Storage galore.

The bench seat can extend the sunbed

Easy battery access.

However, it does seem that having designed the boat around a myriad of locations to stash your gear, one crucial aspect was forgotten until too late. There is no built-in fridge, nor a facility to ‘securely’ locate a portable one. I was told that the compartment under the helm can take a portable fridge, but it looks too small for any 12V fridge that I can think of, though a modest-sized cool box like an Igloo could fit. There is the possibility of installing a small drawer fridge in the large compartment forward of the co-pilot’s seat, but a boat with this capacity ideally needs more. The alternative is a portable cool box under the sunbed or the bench seat, or simply sitting one on the deck in the cockpit area – which is not ideal if you intend to drive this vessel in a lively manner.

The hi-fi can also be controlled at the sunbed.

The forward section of the boat puts any bowrider to shame. Two long sofas face each other over a small drop-in table that can alternatively be positioned in the cockpit area. If not used for seating, these sofas make great forward-facing recliners, and like the rest of the seats they are superbly sumptuous. The table has two central mobile phone storage slots, with a USB charging socket located between them. In the same vein, most of the illuminated drinks holders conveniently located around the boat have USB sockets in their stainless rims.

The tonneau can be tightened drum-tight for towing.

Supplied with a drum-tight tonneau cover that can be fitted for towing, and with a dry weight of around 1.8 tonnes (including engine), this boat is easily towed. Consequently, it is also offered with an SBS trailer, as well as a forward bimini and a bolt-on gas BBQ – the only off-the-shelf extras on the list.

Behind the wheel of a pontoon boat

The helm seat is probably the most luxurious driving seat I have ever planted myself into. With its big armrests, the deep base soaks you up and holds you where you need to be. It is adjustable back/forward as well as up/down, which is good as you need to crank it up a touch to get a good view over the bow. Ergonomics are good, with the big 12” MFD telling you what you want to know at a glance, though it was not able to show us fuel consumption for some reason. With an app, you can stream music through the Viper 3’s inbuilt powerful six-speaker hi-fi, and there is also a Navionics app for charts that you can purchase and download. Our test boat did not have charts, but the Viper 3 MFD does come with a depth sounder as standard – important for a boat with close inshore potential.

The helm seat just soaks you up.

The pickup from the V8 Mercury is impressive, leaving you in little doubt that this relatively sprightly trimaran is capable of performing. She hits 30 knots in 8 seconds, and with a small bit of engine trim out managed 35 knots. The size of the boat lures you into thinking she is a sluggard, but she is not. There is virtually no discernible transition to planing, she just picks up the bow a touch and goes. Stationary and at low speeds, she has a lot of stability, which is ideal if you have skiers getting in and out of wetsuits and pulling gear out of lockers.

The outer hulls are fitted with substantial spray rails, which work a treat, as none of the sea came topside. It is a shame we had no means of recording fuel consumption as I imagine that at lower speeds, where a monohull is generally floundering at costly semi-displacement speeds, this pontoon boat is making less of a meal of it. You get little impression of speed, though, as the dagger-like hulls cut through what little seaway we had with ease, making running at 30 knots a pretty relaxed affair. She is ideal for short, sharp Solent chop and is capable of going further afield than her inshore type D RCD hull is rated for.

In the turns, the Regency seems to run round on rails, though her turning circle is limited by her hull design. There is no hull slip whatsoever as you might expect from her tri-hull, and very little heel. This does tend to take a little away from the experience of throwing the boat through its paces, but it is reassuring to know that there is no chance of overcooking it, making her a good craft for the less experienced driver. Producing relatively little wake, she is perfect as a ski boat, especially with the stern camera.

The fit and finish is very good.

Verdict

How this boat will be received in the UK is a good question. When looking at it, you have got to ask yourself, is it me? But you have also got to consider some other questions. I say this because I did exactly that. Visually, it did not satisfy my normal taste for rakish offshore powerboats, but without question I know my family would love it in a way that they never loved any of my previous ‘driver-focused’ boats. Having been out in this craft for several hours, I can see its appeal. It is just as much fun to drive fast, as it is slipping in and out of coves and beaches that other boats cannot reach. It is also well suited to enjoying inland waters and estuaries cosseted in comfort, for which RBS Marine can supply this boat with either a much smaller engine option or an electric outboard motor.