Owners Lounge: Sandy and Cathy Grant – Boat RYCK 280

“I’m not really into big boats,” Sandy admits. “I wanted something I could handle by myself, so the bow-thruster makes it really easy to bring it into the dock.

“It has a lovely big [forward] cabin and my wife Cathy and I are going to do some overnighting. It also has a good separate heads compartment. Add to that an on-deck shower and if you’re really keen you can be out on it for a week,” he enthuses.

Of course, once at an anchorage then Sandy and Cathy, along with friends and family can fully utilise the RYCK 280’s entertaining mode, with the open deck layout maximising the space for socialising.

They can relax on the stylish aft L-shaped lounge around the crafted oak table located a few steps away from the swim platform and hot/cold shower. Drinks are stored in a handy drawer fridge, while just forward is a wet sink with sink and two-burner gas stove.

The black GRP T-top shades the cockpit from the harsh Queensland sun, while removable shade awnings extend the sun protection over the bow sunpad and rear lounge.

When it’s time to pack-up and head back to port or onto the next bay or cove then Sandy will find the RYCK’s highly-efficient hull from Bill Dixon Design will come into its own, capable

of over 40 knots, and easy cruising at 25-26 knots consuming 75 litres-per-hour.

He rates the RYCK with its walk-around centre-console layout as “very family friendly” and notes as other RYCK Owners have that the high bulwarks and solid grab rails give extra reassurance with kids or moving around the boat.

As a member of the Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron Sandy has access to Canaipa, RQYS’s ‘down-the-bay’ property on the north-east tip of Russell Island. Set amid over a hectare of rolling lawns this private retreat includes shower, toilet and laundry facilities, swimming pool, covered barbecues and picnic areas.

Sandy agrees it’s one of his favourite Bay destinations and a likely stopover for the RYCK. “I’m not really into fishing,” he confides, “it’s more about being in beautiful places and enjoying people’s company. That’s what the boat is designed for,” he says.

Sandy is considering a couple of tweaks to his RYCK to make sure it’s fully optimised for cruising Moreton Bay. The first is Mercury’s Active Trim system that includes five built-in trim profiles that can be selected based on driver preference. As the boat accelerates, the system automatically trims the engine out. When decelerating or making a turn, the engine trims in. Auto Trim settings can still be manually overridden to compensate for changes in boat load, driver preferences and weather conditions.

The second tweak is heavier gauge anchoring chain, as conditions can change quickly. “From that point of view I want make sure it [the boat] stays put,” he emphasises with a chuckle.

Moreton Bay is essentially a huge sub-tropical lagoon sheltered by the massive sand islands of Moreton and North Stradbroke and studded by islands, sandbars and seagrass beds. Sandy agrees its “ridiculously underrated” as a cruising ground but quickly adds “that’s from a selfish point-of-view. The RYCK is an ideal Bay boat – it can cover quite long distances quite quickly and handle the chop.

‘It’s the best of both worlds for me,” he acknowledges. “I can sail or take the RYCK, it’s which weapon do I use today?” he laughs.

A good dilemma to have.

Want to learn more about the RYCK 280? Watch the full review from Dan’s Boat Life below