April 3, 2026
Regal 38 Grande Coupe: The Weekender That Doesn't Compromise
The Regal 38 Grande Coupe is a true weekender that doesn't compromise: single-level cockpit-to-salon integration, convertible hardtop, two f…
Read the articleThe Regal Grande Coupe Series
The sport yachts — 36, 38 and 42, from 37'4" to 41'11", on sterndrive V8s or Volvo Penta IPS pods
You want the boat to be two things at once. On Saturday it has to swallow ten people, a cooler and a grill without anyone sitting on a step. On Sunday night it has to be somewhere two couples can sleep, shower and make breakfast without queueing. The Grande Coupe line is Regal's answer, and the mechanism is the same on all three hulls: drop the aft window into the bulkhead, slide the glass enclosure doors back, and the cockpit and the salon stop being two rooms.
What separates these from most of what they are cross-shopped against is that the galley, the head and the staterooms are not afterthoughts squeezed in behind the entertaining space. Every boat here has two proper cabins, a head with a separate walk-in shower, and a galley with a stove, a sink and refrigeration — on a 37-footer as well as a 42.
We review three in depth: the 36 Grande Coupe at 37'4", the 38 Grande Coupe at 38'1" and the 42 Grande Coupe at 41'11". Regal builds the Grande Coupe in exactly these three sizes, so this is the whole line rather than a selection from it.
The Grande Coupe Lineup, Smallest to Largest
Every Regal Grande Coupe model we review in depth, in the order owners step up through the series.
Photo credit Regal.
The Regal 36 Grande Coupe is a 37-foot express cruiser with two real staterooms and a walk-in shower — twin Volvo V8-430s to 52 mph, a slide-away UltraLounge, and a 27-inch draft with the drives up.
The Regal 38 Grande Coupe drops its aft window and slides its salon doors into one 20-foot entertaining space — twin Volvo V8-430s to 48 mph, a split head with a walk-in shower, and a D4-300 diesel option that stretches range past 340 miles.
The Regal 42 Grande Coupe is the sport-yacht end of the Grande Coupe line — twin Volvo Penta IPS 500 pods with joystick docking, a 20-foot open salon, and the largest aft stateroom in the range.
Don't see the Grande Coupe model you're after — or a brand-new launch? Request specs through Yacht Specs Direct.
Moving Up the Grande Coupe Series
The 36 Grande Coupe is the entry point and, on Regal's own test sheets, the fastest boat in the line. It runs 37'4" on an 11'7" beam with 16 degrees of deadrise — the flattest hull of the three — weighs 17,800 lbs dry and carries 200 gallons. Regal publishes a performance report for each of the three sterndrive options it offers, and on the twin Volvo Penta V8-430s the boat records 52.0 mph flat out at 5,950 RPM, with best economy at 37.5 mph at 4,500 RPM burning 32 gallons an hour for 1.17 miles per gallon — about 210 statute miles with a ten percent reserve. Below there is a centreline California queen forward, an aft cabin that converts, and a head split from a walk-in shower. The slide-away UltraLounge in the cockpit moves back ten inches at the touch of a button, and the drives-up draft of 27 inches is the shallowest in the line.
The 38 Grande Coupe is the one with the longest legs, and the reason is the engine list. It runs 38'1" on an 11'11" beam with 18 degrees of deadrise, weighs 21,200 lbs dry and carries 260 gallons. On twin Volvo Penta V8-430s it does 48.0 mph flat out with best economy at 30.6 mph at 4,500 RPM — 30 gallons an hour, 1.02 miles per gallon, about 239 statute miles. But it is the only Grande Coupe Regal offers with diesel: the twin D4-300 package tops out at 39.6 mph and returns 1.48 miles per gallon at 31.0 mph, which stretches the same 260 gallons to roughly 346 statute miles. It also has the shallowest drives-up draft of any Regal we review, at 24 inches.
The 42 Grande Coupe changes propulsion rather than just size, and the numbers move in a direction most buyers do not expect. It is 41'11" on a 13-foot beam with 18 degrees of deadrise, weighs 24,700 lbs dry and carries 258 gallons — two gallons less than the 38. Twin Volvo Penta IPS 500 pods produce 740 horsepower and take it to 34.0 mph, with best economy at 31.8 mph at 3,400 RPM burning 32 gallons an hour for about 230 statute miles. What the pods buy is joystick docking, a quieter boat and the largest aft stateroom in the range; what they cost is 18 mph against the 36, and a fixed 45-inch draft with no drives to tilt.
Read the steps honestly, because this line does not simply get better as it gets longer. The 36 is the fastest and the shallowest. The 38 has the most range and the only diesel option. The 42 has the most room, the easiest docking and the least speed. If your weekends are mostly short hops with a crowd aboard, the smallest boat is not the compromise it looks like on paper.
Our Take
The thing nobody tells you about this line is that the 42 is the slowest boat in it. Thirty-four miles an hour against the 36's fifty-two, on Regal's own test sheets, and that is not a defect — it is what IPS pods do on a 24,700-pound hull. I raise it because buyers walk in assuming the biggest Grande Coupe is the quickest one, and then feel short-changed at the sea trial. Go in knowing the trade and the 42 is a lovely boat: the joystick makes a crosswind docking a non-event, and the aft stateroom is the only one in the range I would happily sleep in for a week.
The 38 is the one I recommend most often, and the reason is the diesel. Regal will not sell you a D4-300 in the 36 or the 42, and on the 38 it turns 260 gallons into roughly 346 statute miles instead of 239. If you keep boats five years or more, the fuel and service maths works; if you are trading in three, take the V8-430s and enjoy the extra nine miles an hour.
The 36 I like more than its position suggests. Sixteen degrees of deadrise is flat, and you will feel it in a short chop — but it is also the fastest, the shallowest and the cheapest to run, and it still has two cabins and a walk-in shower. If most of your season is a crowd aboard for the day and two of you overnight now and again, buy the small one and spend the difference on using it.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Which Regal Grande Coupe has the longest range?
The 38 Grande Coupe, and only with the diesel option. Its twin Volvo Penta D4-300s return 1.48 miles per gallon at 31.0 mph on Regal's test sheet, which turns a 260-gallon tank into roughly 346 statute miles. On gas engines the three boats are close together at about 210 to 240 statute miles. The 38 is the only Grande Coupe Regal offers with diesel power.
Which Regal Grande Coupe is the fastest?
The smallest one. On Regal's own test reports the 36 Grande Coupe reaches 52.0 mph with twin Volvo Penta V8-430s, the 38 reaches 48.0 mph with the same engines, and the 42 reaches 34.0 mph on twin Volvo Penta IPS 500 pods. Buyers routinely expect the biggest boat in a line to be the quickest, and in the Grande Coupe line the opposite is true.
What is the difference between the Regal Grande Coupe and XO lines?
The Grande Coupe boats are sterndrive or pod-driven; the XO boats hang outboards off the transom. Regal builds the 38 and the 42 as both, so the comparison is direct: the outboard version carries more fuel because there is no engine room, drafts about the same or less, is faster, and puts engine service at the transom. The Grande Coupe is quieter under way and keeps the swim platform clear.
Which Grande Coupe Fits Your Life?
Tell us how you plan to use the boat — guests, range, crew or no crew — and we'll give you the straight story on where in the Grande Coupe series you belong, new or brokerage.
Explore All Regal ModelsOr reach Tony directly: TS@MintedYachts.com · +1 (404) 805-9819