By Chris Littley
The name Buccaneer is incredibly evocative and this range from Elddis is still popular today, but what of the Caravel edition? Has it lived up to the hype or is it more likely to be asked to walk the plank?
We take a look at this vintage gem to see how it’s fared, as our Classic Gold series continues.
It was John Heath who reviewed the Buccaneer Caravel back in 2012 and he was positively gushing about the 2011 model, it has to be said. When it came to the 2012 version with its layout changes, however, he wasn’t quite so sure. The difference was so striking in fact, that he dropped his five-star rating down to three in light of the changes.
John enthused: “The memory foam mattress on the island bed is ideal for us, as we both have back issues. The seating area is spacious and comfortable, and are full size, rather than the trend to have shorter seating in the front area.
“The limited space around the island bed is something that we have had to adapt to, but the positives by far outweigh the negatives. The equipment is all top draw, and make the Buccaneer the top quality caravan that is expected with the brand name.”
That said, a bugbear of John’s about the updated version of the Caravel was that the paintwork had been switched from white to silver. He certainly preferred the crispness of the white over the new fangled silver, which was only just hitting the market at the time and has now become commonplace in caravan design.
Did you purchase a Buccaneer Caravel in 2011 or 2012 and if so, which edition did you plump for? Let us know in the comments, and while you’re at it you can settle the white/silver debate too.
