2019 Regal 35 SC

The 35 Sport Coupe is the boat Regal built for people who cannot decide whether they want to be inside or outside, and the answer turns out to be a full-width retractable hardtop. Open it and you have an airy, single-level cockpit. Close it and you have a climate-controlled salon. This 2019, stock #5095, wears a Mediterranean and white hull and runs twin Volvo Penta V8 300s for 600 total horsepower.

At 36 feet 10 inches with an 11-foot 4-inch beam, the 35 SC has the width to make its interior feel like a small yacht rather than a cabin. Down below there is a salon with L-shaped seating, convertible forward sleeping accommodations, and a separate aft cabin for a second couple or the kids. The galley is a real one, with refrigerator, microwave, cooktop, sink, and solid-surface counters, and there is a private enclosed head with a shower. Air conditioning and heat are aboard, which is what extends the season at the Lake of the Ozarks from four months to eight.

The twin sterndrive setup deserves a note. Two V8s on a 13,300 lb hull give confident acceleration and, more importantly, the ability to pivot the boat at idle. Joystick docking is fitted on equipped boats, and Volvo Penta electronic controls make the throttles feel light. The 19-degree transom deadrise and 158 gallons of fuel mean it cruises comfortably and does not need to hunt for the gas dock mid-afternoon.

Around the cockpit you get convertible aft seating that folds into a sun lounge, a wet bar, a walk-through windshield to the foredeck, and a large swim platform with a boarding ladder. The helm has touchscreen navigation with GPS, sonar, and chartplotter capability, plus digital engine monitoring.

Why this is the right boat: a Sport Coupe is the most weather-proof way to own a 35-footer. Cool morning, hot afternoon, surprise rain shower, evening cruise with a jacket on: the hardtop and the air conditioning mean none of those end your day. For a couple who wants to spend real weekends aboard without stepping up to a 45-foot yacht and a full-time crewman's worth of upkeep, this is the size that works.

This one is at our Osage Beach showroom, 3545 Osage Beach Pkwy. Kelly's Port has been family owned since 1977 and we are Regal's oldest dealer, ranked number one in the world for customer satisfaction by the factory. Call 573.348.3888 to confirm availability and come see it, whatever the weather is doing outside.