For families looking for a balance of onboard space, features, performance and comfort in 6 – 7 metre RIB category, the Grand G680 makes a compelling case – and the engineering data and design choices back it up.
Since its launch in 2023, the Grand G680 has become one of Grand’s bestselling models around the world, and here in Australia, popular amongst families who want European build quality, considered family-orientated design and genuine offshore capability.
In a category where many boats ask buyers to compromise between performance and family comfort, the G680 has proven that the two are not mutually exclusive.
Available to view at our Gold Coast showroom as well as at our dealer’s showrooms in Victoria, Western Australia and New South Wales, the G680 is a boat we know inside out – and one we recommend with confidence.
Key Takeaways: The Grand G680 At A Glance
- The Grand G680 was introduced in 2023, the current-generation replacement for global bestselling legacy Grand G650 model
- The Grand G680 redefines the 6 to 7 metre RIB category in Australia, offering a highly upgraded luxury alternative to traditional choices
- The Grand G680 has a centre console, walk-around deck layout, and official engineering data reveals a massive spatial advantage over competitors, for instance offering a +62% larger main cockpit area and +51% larger aft lounge seating than the BRIG 6.7
- It features an electric anchor and 62L refrigerator-freezer, both of which are unique to the 6 – 7 metre RIB category
- With a 24 Degree Midsection / 21 Degree Aft Deadrise, it has one of the deepest V hulls for a RIB of its size, which makes it incredible to handle in chop and swell.
- Families across Australia use the Grand G680 for entertaining friends and family on the water, water sports, coastal and offshore fishing, coastal cruising and island hopping
- Fully optioned with every possible feature and spec, the Grand G680 is priced at AUD$155,000
The Grand G680’s Heritage
The Grand G680 was introduced in 2023 as the current-generation replacement for the globally bestselling Grand G650: a model that had a loyal following across Europe and beyond.
The development process behind the G680 was more deliberate than a standard model refresh. Grand’s design team worked directly with leading distributors across the brand’s strongest markets – Greece, Norway and the United Kingdom among them – to understand what G650 owners valued most and where they wanted more. The feedback was consistent: owners wanted a larger bow sun bed, the option of an integrated fridge, and a hard top to provide protection from the elements. All three became factory-fitted features on the G680.
Dan Arscott, now Managing Director of Grand Boats Australia, was Grand’s UK manager at the time and was directly involved in that design consultation process. Having sold the G650 for close to a decade, Dan brought firsthand knowledge of what owners were asking for, and that perspective is evident in how the G680 was designed.
The changes went beyond the feature list. The console was repositioned slightly further back than on the G650, a deliberate design decision that freed up additional length at the bow and allowed for a significantly larger sun bed area. The hull was deepened, with a 24 degree midsection and 21 degree aft deadrise delivering a softer, drier ride in chop than the G650 offered. The boat also grew in overall length to 6.8 metres, with the additional space used to open up the interior rather than simply make the boat bigger.
Pacific Powerboat Magazine, reviewing the Grand G680 in Australia, captured the result well: “The design layout and placement of things is well thought out and it’s obvious there has been a lot of customer feedback, trial and error as well as design consultation to come up with all the tricky features that set this RIB apart.”
That is precisely what the development process produced, and it shows in how families experience the G680 now when out on the water.
What Makes The Grand G680 The Ultimate Family Boat?
The best family boat is one that makes a day on the water with young kids and family members as seamless, comfortable and easy as possible. And the Grand G680 was designed first and foremost with that goal in mind.
Internal Space & Layout
The best family day boat makes itself apparent the moment you step aboard, and is defined by how you feel when you’re onboard. Is there space for everyone to move around each other? Where will everyone sit? Is there enough room for the kids and older family members? How much usable deck space is there?
The Grand G680’s centrally-positioned helm creates a full walk around deck layout, with clear passage down both sides of the console and even weight distribution as passengers move around while underway. The tubes are positioned further outward than on most RIBs at this size, pushing usable interior space toward the gunwales and opening up the central cockpit area considerably.
To quantify that difference, Grand’s CAD engineering blueprints provide a direct comparison of usable space across three boats in this category:
| Area | Grand G680 | Brig Eagle 6.7 | Highfield Sport 660 | Comment |
| Cockpit | 2.59 m² | 1.6 m² | 2.29 m² | G680 has +62% larger cockpit area vs the Eagle 6.7, and +13% larger cockpit vs the Sport 660 |
| Bow Lounge | 0.82 m² | 0.62 m² | 0.76 m² | Before the use of infill cushions, the bow seat configuration increases +32% and +8% respectively for the G680 |
| Stern Lounge | 0.8 m² | 0.53 m² | 0.5 m² | The Grand G680’s U-shaped rear lounge yields +51% and +60% respectively more usable seating area than the bench seat comparisons. |
Ultimately the best layout for you and your family will be individualised to how you spend your time on the water and what is important to you. The Grand G680’s design has intentionally prioritised onboard movement and lounge areas, and as such, the usable cockpit area and bow and stern lounges are larger than other RIBs in this category. However, that also results in a boat that is slightly wider (2.6m wide vs 2.55m wide), which may need to be taken into account for families with width restrictions.
Premium Amenities For Families
In keeping with the Grand G680’s design goal to make family boating as easy as possible, is an extensive amenities list.
Factory-fitted features included as standard:
- Electric Windlass Anchor
- Bow Sun Bed Infill Cushions
- Fibreglass Hard Top with Bow & Stern Sun Shade Extensions
- Integrated Wet Bar with Sink & Faucet
- 62L Stainless Steel Refrigerator-Freezer
- Removable Fibreglass Table
- Shower
Many of these options – in particular the fridge-freezer and electric anchor – are unique to the G680 and are rarely found in the 6 – 7 metre RIB category.
For families who love to anchor up and enjoy a meal with the kids or friends on the water, the Grand G680 certainly delivers with its extensive feature list.
Onboard Storage Capacity
Crucial to the Grand G680’s design is the use of underfloor deck space to maximise usable storage onboard.
At the stern, you have a 330L volume stern locker, with additional dual 60L flanking lockers. At the transom you’ve also got two rope lockers too.
Up at the bow, there are two large lockers, and a separate bow locker that houses the electric windlass.
The storage onboard is such that every single cushion – including the additional bow sun pad infill cushions – can be housed and stored inside the lockers onboard. And even with the lockers stowed away, there is still storage space for your gear and bags.
When you have kids onboard and toys and equipment for a full day on the water, storage capacity is something not to be overlooked.
Sun Protection
To ensure everyone on board can be protected from the elements on a hot, sunny day, the Grand G680 comes equipped with sunshade that covers the entirety of the boat.
Overhead, a large fibreglass hard-top provides protection over the driver and passenger at the helm. The hard top extends slightly over the aft too. In addition, you’ll also find sun shades that extend out of the t-top over the bow and stern, covering the boat entirely in shade.
Safety
Safety has been considered at every touch point throughout the G680’s design. Unique to Grand Boats are the tube-mounted bow railings, which both increases the freeboard – which is particularly beneficial if you have young kids – and creates something to hold onto for anyone sat up at the bow while going underway.
When moving around the boat, you’ll find a handrail at every touch point so you have something to support you. These handrails are also found around all seats onboard, so when the boat is underway, every passenger has something to hold onto, wherever they are sat.
Like all RIB brands, grippy SeaDek flooring is used throughout the boat, but also extends down the transom too and behind the rear seats, creating more grip as you’re coming off the rear swim platform and back into the cockpit after a swim.
Telescopic and retractable fixtures – such as the boarding ladder which is housed under the swim platform and the mooring cleats throughout the boat – ensue that pathways are kept clear and there’s nothing to catch your toe on as you move around the vessel.
The Hull & Performance
The hull design is again where the Grand G680 distinguishes itself in the 6 to 7 metre RIB category.
With a 24 degree midsection and 21 degree aft deadrise, the G680 runs a true deep-V hull; one of the sharpest in class at this size. The refined bow-tube geometry and sharp bow cross-section work together to slice cleanly through chop rather than plough through it, and the longitudinal chines generate significant hydrodynamic lift, allowing the boat to plane quickly and ride high on the water. That same chine geometry deflects spray downward and backward, keeping the cockpit dry even at speed and in chop. The G680 holds CE Category C certification, rated for coastal and offshore conditions.
The centrally-positioned console improves balance underway in a way that is immediately noticeable if you have spent time on a boat with an offset layout. Weight is distributed evenly across the beam, and combined with the 200-litre under-floor fuel tank and extended engine shaft, the G680 handles with a composure and responsiveness that owners consistently remark on.
Powerboat & RIB Magazine put it well in their 2025 Grand G680 review: “Topping out at a smidge over 45 knots, the Grand showcased her deep-V hull’s capabilities with true aplomb – slicing through the chop with ease and delivering a very stable, confidence-inspiring ride in the process.”
That experience on the water translates directly to owner feedback too. Anthony, who purchased his G680 on the Gold Coast and uses it for both offshore fishing and family day boating, describes the ride in his Grand G680 customer testimonial: “The boat feels very stable and inspires a lot of confidence in the chop. I was also a bit apprehensive that it might be a wet ride, but that definitely hasn’t been the case, it’s actually very dry and very smooth and very easy to handle.”
How Do Families Use The Grand G680?
The beauty of rigid inflatable boats as a family boat is the versatility that they offer – and the Grand G680 offers just that, with this model being used across a range of use cases.
Entertaining Friends & Family On The Water
The Grand G680 is the ultimate entertaining boat under 7 metres. With its U-shaped rear lounge capable of having six adults around the fibreglass table and a sun shade overhead, it is the perfect spot to enjoy a meal or drink on the water. The sink and faucet making clearing up after entertaining easy too.
The 62L upright refrigerator-freezer in the wet bar keeps your food and drink cool when you’re out in the sun all day, is easily accessible from every point at the aft.
The electric anchor means anchoring up at your favourite bay simple and easy at the touch of a button. With the infill cushions slotted into place up at the bow, a sun bed spacious enough for three – four adults becomes a private floating lounge for an afternoon in the sun.
Family Water Sports & Wakeboarding
With 200HP on the transom, its deep V hull and ski arch, the Grand G680 is an excellent water sports RIB and tow boat for the kids, whether its skiing, tubing or wakeboarding.
The acceleration that the G680 demonstrates makes it an effortless boat for pulling wakeboarders, water skiers or tubes. Onboard, the telescopic boarding ladders and integrated swimming platforms make it easy and safe to re-board, while the abundant storage lockers provide ample room for stowing away wakeboards and gear for tow sports.
Read More: Best RIB Boats For Family Water Sports
Coastal and Offshore Fishing
The Grand G680 is trusted by many of our owners throughout Australia – including off the Gold Coast, Sydney and Perth – as an offshore fishing RIB. The G680 not only handles offshore conditions with ease, making it a comfortable and dry ride to your favourite offshore fishing spot, but, thanks to the lateral buoyancy and stability that the inflatable tubes provide, is also a stable base to fish from, with plenty of deck space internally or at the transom to fish from.
As standard, the Grand G680 comes equipped with a Garmin GPSMAP 1253xsv with inbuilt fish finder sonar, as well as a Garmin VHF. We also include a Garmin Radar and light bar in our upgraded G680 fishing electronics package, for those who want to venture further afield for fishing.
Customers also have the option to upgrade their ski arch to include fishing rod holders, making stowing fishing gear even simpler.
Anthony, our G680 owner on the Gold Coast, recalls in his Grand G680 review how his family use the boat “for offshore fishing and family day boating, and it has been excellent for both.”
Coastal Cruising and Island Hopping
For the days spent cruising around the water ways and exploring sand bars, the G680 certainly delivers. Cruising at around 25 knots, the G680 is a comfortable boat for long range coastal cruising, handling and cutting through chop and swell.
The G680 – like all rigid inflatable boats – is easy to drive up onto the beach too, perfect for those afternoons discovering new sandbars.
A Final Word
The Australian rigid inflatable boat market has never had more quality options available, and the 6 to 7 metre category is naturally the most competitive. That is a good thing for buyers; more choice means more opportunity to find the boat that genuinely suits how you and your family use the water.
As the official Australian distributor for Grand Boats, and as a team with over 10 years of experience representing Grand across the UK and Australia, we feel confident in recommending the G680 to families navigating this category. But we will let an independent voice have the final word.
Pacific Powerboat Magazine, reviewing the Grand G680 in Australia, put it this way: “What sets the Grand G680 apart in an increasingly crowded market? The answer lies in the details — from its robust construction and thoughtful layout to the way it handles in conditions that would challenge lesser vessels. This is a boat built for those who understand that compromise isn’t an option when it comes to safety, performance or reliability on the water.”
We have Grand G680s in stock and available to view, sea trial and purchase in Queensland, Victoria, Western Australia and New South Wales. Our team on the Gold Coast and our dealer network across the country are always happy to have an honest conversation about what family RIB best suits what you are looking for, whether that turns out to be the G680 or not.