PHOTOS john z ammit
ya r d p r o f i l e s
regal marine
industries inc.
In God we trust...
We travel to America to get the SCOOP! on this leading Yankee
family boatbuilder and its latest models. JOHN ZAMMIT reports
I
n God We Trust, that’s the
official motto of the USA and,
coincidentally, the US state of
Florida. Those words are even
printed on all US currency,
notes and coin. Interestingly,
Orlando, Florida also happens to
be the home of Regal Boats, which
seems quite apt when you consider
that in 1973 Regal was in such
dire financial straits that Paul Kuck
(pronounced Cook), who’d founded
Regal just four years earlier in
1969, decided to “release the
business to God”.
54 t r a d e a b o a t . c o m . a u
Fast forward to 2011 and Regal
is one of the most successful
boatbuilders in the world, a debtfree company still owned and
operated by the Kuck family, with
strong spiritual and family values
and a firm commitment to quality
and customer service.
Today, Regal builds more
than 1500 boats per year. Its
headquarters, situated on a
30-hectare site in Orlando, boasts
four separate manufacturing
plants and a 3.25-hectare watertest basin that’s nearly 1.5km
long. There is also a smaller
manufacturing plant in
Valdosta, Georgia. The Regal
range includes bowriders,
cuddies, deckboats, express
cruisers and sportsyachts
from 19 to 52 feet, and 25 per
cent of their total production
is exported to more than
40 countries.
Duane Kuck, eldest son of
founder Paul, is the current
president of Regal and brother
Tim is vice president and chief
operating officer. I asked Duane
about the story, now embedded
in Regal folklore, of the business
being “released to God”. He
explained, in 1973 the US was
gripped in an oil/energy crisis
and the then fledgling business
was struggling. Sales had come
to a standstill and even existing
orders were being cancelled. The
company, with six employees, had
lost its initial capital investment,
was losing money and seemed
doomed to collapse.
Paul made the difficult decision
to press on under the trying
circumstances, declaring that he
would continue, doing the best
he could and “leave the rest to
God”. In less than two years the
tide had turned and the business
was back on track and growing so
rapidly that Duane and Tim joined
their father in the business. The
rest, as they say, is history!
REGAL WAY
Trade-a-Boat was invited to
attend the Regal International
The Regal 42SC (top). One lid fits all,
ingenious incorporation of the tender garage
with engine access (top right). Regal's
head office (right) and showroom (above).
Opposite below: Tim (left) and Duane Kuck.
Dealers Conference and I joined
representatives from Regal’s
worldwide dealer network in
Florida to learn firsthand where
the organisation is heading and
how it’s fairing.
After a week of looking at its
manufacturing, testing the range
and talking to many of the staff,
I came away impressed with the
boats, the philosophy behind them
and the enthusiasm of everyone
associated with the company.
Regal has more than 430 direct
employees and prides itself on
the large number that has been
with it long-term. Sue Boeselager
is typical of many — she’s been
at Regal for 27 years. Her first job
was adhering stripes to boat hulls.
Today, Regal is one of the very
few companies in the world that
actually mould those stripes into
the hulls and Sue now works as a
buyer and warranty claims person.
While there is very much a
family atmosphere about the
place, one is left in no doubt that
Regal operates a slick, superefficient operation, with a big
emphasis on competency, quality
control and customer satisfaction.
It is ISO 9001:2008 certified,
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While there is very much a family atmosphere about the place,
one is left in no doubt that Regal operates a slick, superefficient operation, with a big emphasis on competency,
quality control and customer satisfaction
offers a lifetime hull warranty
on its full range and is a 24-time
recipient of the National Marine
Manufacturers Association
(NMMA) CSI award for excellence
in customer satisfaction.
GFC-PROOF
The all-new Regal 35 Sport Coupe (top)
will be here soon, and includes a forward
berth (above photos) that folds back into a
saloon lounge with storage underneath.
56 t r a d e a b o a t . c o m . a u
I also asked Duane about what
effects, if any, the GFC has had
on Regal and he told me that
while the last couple of years have
been challenging, prudent fiscal
planning and a decision they made
during a previous recession in the
US in 1998 has held them in good
stead. At that time, Regal decided
that if it had to endure another
downturn at any time in the future,
it would prefer to do it without
debt. As a result, the company set
itself a goal to control growth and
become completely debt free, a feat
finally achieved in 2002.
As a result, when the GFC
started to bite and boat sales
slowed, Regal was in the fortunate
position of not having to service
any debt. That, coupled with a
dealer network spanning the globe,
meant that it was still selling into
markets that weren’t as badly
affected as the US and it was able
to weather the storm better than
most. An added benefit was that
R&D continued during this time,
with new models developed and
planned to come onto the market
as the recovery came.
The first of those new models, the
Regal 35 Sport Coupe, was released
to coincide with our visit and, while
superlatives appear to be the norm
whenever a boatbuilder releases a
new model, this boat is definitely
one worthy of some hype.
Based on the proven Ocean Trac
hull design of the Regal 35 Express,
with exterior styling to match her
bigger sisters, the 42, 46 and 52
Sport Yachts, the 35 Sport Coupe
is all-new from the waterline up.
According to Phil Baier, product
development manager at Regal and
the man responsible for the design,
“We wanted a boat with proven
on-water performance, but with
enhanced liveability, both above
and below decks. A sportscruiser
that provided the best of both
worlds, a cockpit that can be either
fully open or totally closed, all with
very little canvas.”
The hardtop features the now
trademark Regal full-beam sunroof
and a walkthrough opening
windshield with direct access to
the foredeck. There’s lots of seating
in the cockpit and if the weather
turns, simply close the electric
This half-assembled Regal gives you an
idea of how they're put together.
sunroof and the windshield, bring
down the aft clears and the singlelevel cockpit is totally closed. Turn
on the 18,000 BTU reverse-cycle
air-conditioning and you’ve got allweather boating.
Below decks, the luxury saloon
and galley feel much bigger than
a 35-footer, thanks in part to
the clever forward queen-size
berth that folds and converts
to seating. The seating can be
converted back in less than a
minute and, together with a large
mid-cabin, the boat sleeps five or
six comfortably below decks and
another three in the cockpit. There
are also huge opening skylights
and a large hull window that add
to the spacious feel.
Power choices are twin
MerCruiser or Volvo sterndrives
ranging from 440hp to 600hp
and now available with
computer-controlled Joystick
docking. Engine access is via an
electrically operated aft section
that lifts on struts.
35SC DOWN UNDER
I’m told that it won’t be long before
we see the first 35 Sport Coupe
in Australia. I can’t wait to get
one out on the water and see if
it performs is as good as it looks.
Tank testing at Regal... no point selling a
boat if it doesn't float!
Given it’s a proven hull there’s
no reason why it shouldn’t get up
and go. It’ll certainly create
some excitement.
When we saw the 35 Sport Coupe
it had only just been wheeled
into Regal’s massive showroom
the day before its official release,
which brings me to an interesting
point. Regal has an industry-first
modern showroom, where it keeps
on permanent display every one
of the 26 models it manufactures.
With Orlando being one of the
tourism capitals of the world (the
first Disneyland was opened there),
dealers from all over the US and
the world are encouraged to utilise
the showroom for existing and
prospective customers.
Since the GFC, it is estimated
that more than 40 per cent of US
boat dealers have disappeared, yet
during that same period Regal’s
dealer network, both domestically
and overseas has increased. It
is optimistic about the next two
years, with strong signs that the
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The Yanks make great boats and boat
ports, too (top). Stretch-wrapped Regals
await sale (right). Regal president, Duane
Kuck with youngest daughter Kalli (above).
economy is growing in the US
and elsewhere. According to
their research, the US housing
crisis has bottomed, automobile
and RV sales are growing — and
boat sales traditionally follow —
more than a million new jobs have
been created, boat-show sales in
2010 were up over the previous
year, and dealer and finance
company stockpiles have all
but disappeared.
According to Bruce Van Wagoner,
president-Marine Group, GE
Capital, speaking at the Regal
Dealers Conference, “Boat sales
in the US have bottomed and are
now already on the way back up.”
[ oceantrachull ]
Predictions are that growth in the
US boat industry is anticipated to
be five to 10 per cent in 2011 and
10 to 15 per cent in 2012.
Aiming to capitalise on that
growth, Regal has reinvested
more than $10 million back into
the company in the last two years
and is constantly working at ways
to increase performance and add
value to the range. Not just to go
faster, but also in terms of ride
and fuel economy. It is also in the
process of upgrading boat interiors
with new carpet, new fabrics and
new colours.
With a targeted growth of 15 per
cent annually in forthcoming years,
›T
he 35 Sport Coupe, like all Regal Cruisers and Sport Yachts,
features the trademarked Ocean Trac hull. Designed with a
deadrise that varies with each model, the precise running angle is
determined with 3D modelling to match the weight and dimensions
of each individual model in the range. This angle is carried through
midships to stern, which improves performance and ensures a
comfortable and consistent ride in varying sea conditions. The
weight and ship’s systems remain balanced, which means the boat
stays steady, stable and predictable through tight turns.
58 t r a d e a b o a t . c o m . a u
Regal sees exports as a big part
of its sales strategy and Australia,
in particular, as a valuable market
for its range. With the strong
currency here against the USD,
it is optimistic about increasing
market share and see its range as
blending in well with our lifestyle.
Its broad range allows customers
to enter at the lower end and grow
within the brand, right up to the
flagship 52 Sport Yacht.
Now celebrating more than
40 years of successful boat
manufacturing, Regal is not a
division of a large conglomerate,
or a boat company forced to
produce under the direction of a
parent company with little or no
knowledge of boating. As Duane
was keen to reiterate to me,
Regal is a thriving, family owned,
multi-generational business with
Gen Two currently in control and
Gen Three already working in
the business. The Kuck’s are a
boating family that go boating
at every opportunity, they don’t
just manufacture boats, they live
boats and that transfers into a
business strategy. God knows, it’s
hard to argue with that logic!