It’s difficult to imagine a time when there was not a wide range of high-powered, well-built, 20-40+ foot center consoles on the market to choose from, but in the late 1980s and 1990s, this was certainly not the norm. Enter Regulator Marine, who set out to create a dry, stable ride that could take the true nature of the offshore environment and still deliver every amenity an angler and family would want on board.
 
The list of “firsts” on the Regulator 26, which was introduced in 1990 and gave way to a full line of center consoles from 23 to 41-feet, is long. Some seem very simple today – a full-height head in the console, several hull gelcoat colors to choose from, twin outboards on a 26-foot boat. Others simply satisfied the needs of serious anglers, like oversized fishboxes, insulated iceboxes, and hatches that stayed put. But some, especially those beneath the surface, went far deeper.
 
Regulator is known as the first to integrate a full-height fiberglass grillage system, which added an enormous amount of strength to the hull, eliminating much of the stress at the deck, liner and hull joint. Wider chines reduced side-to-side rock and roll at sea. Replacing woven roving with knitted fiberglass created less opportunity for breakage, creating structural integrity that allowed the boat to handle greater impact in the offshore environment. The absolute elimination of wood eliminated the rot that many boat owners were seeing in transoms, stringers and beyond from other boatbuilders.
 
Beyond these firsts, Regulator inspired a commitment to quality. As a young boatbuilder and business owner, founder and head of engineering Owen Maxwell did not want the Regulator name on anything that was one ounce less than top-notch. This went beyond the strength of the hull to include the best hardware, the best cushions and the best components on the market…right down to the screwheads that must always be perfectly aligned.
 
Today, Regulator is widely known as one of the leading center console sportfishers in the U.S. and abroad. And while the company continues to innovate above the rub rail to deliver every technology and amenity today’s consumer demands, the hull and structural integrity that set the bar remain the same as the first 26 Owen built in their first facility in an old A&P grocery store in Edenton, North Carolina.
 
To go behind the scenes of how Regulator is built, schedule a factory tour. There is no better way to understand the Regulator difference and get to know the people behind the build.