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The Ramco 560 Interceptor was produced in response to boat show customers wanting a simple, easy-clean, easy-care, easy-tow boat for the beach or bach.
The 560 Interceptor, developed from the company’s popular 560 Outsider, is Ramco’s interpretation of such a boat.
The Interceptor is a bare-bones package, equipped with all the necessary gear but not too many extras. The helm is slightly further forward than on the Outsider and a little beamier, giving more cockpit space. The short cuddy is empty, save for two alloy footrests that also serve to prevent gear sliding back into the cockpit.
Access to the foredeck through the PVC forward hatch could be a little tight for the bigger-boned. The boat’s anchor locker is average for the class, covered with a PVC hatch; and a full bow rail is fitted.
The cockpit sole is chequerplate aluminium, extending all the way to the bow. There’s a side shelf on the port side only – a starboard side shelf is an optional extra – and across the transom, where the battery and oil reservoirs normally sit. In this boat the battery box was mounted on the floor.
The Intercepter uses tote tanks, though an underfloor tank is an option; here the underfloor space is utilised as a large fish/kill bin and storage locker. Underfloor floatation is standard.
Visibility through the acrylic screen is good, either seated on the boat’s Hi-Tech plastic pedestal seats or standing. A dash-mounted Lowrance fishfinder and VHF radio are standard equipment, as are the canopy and side curtains.
A Yamaha 90hp two-stroke gives a top speed of 40mph and provides good throttle response. A 17-degree deadrise aft and moderate entry ensures a comfortable ride in most conditions. The boat feels lively, responding well to helm and trim inputs. On the Tauranga Bar, where seas built throughout the afternoon, handling was safe and predictable, and the ride surprisingly good, despite the forward helm position.
The boat was dry in the conditions we experienced, but there was little wind. An unpainted hull helps keep costs down, allowing the Ramco 5.6m Interceptor-90hp Yamaha package on a Voyager trailer to retail at under $30,000 as reviewed (2005)
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