With a capacity for 13 persons this 23’ 8”in (7.2 m) boat has the right stuff for big fun.

Capt. Steve’s Take…

The Caravelle Crossover 240 sure has a striking look to her, but I’ve fallen for looks before. It wasn’t going to happen again. I decided to take a closer look and see what lies under the hood and maybe kick the tires, so to speak.

I definitely like the pickle fork bow. That made it clear who she was up against and her nearest competitor was firmly in my mind as I took in her clean lines and made comparison after comparison. This was going to be a close match, I could tell that from the start.



The bow will be the most popular place on the boat, both at lunchtime, and for sundown cocktails.

She was identical in LOA, 23’ 8”in (7.2m), as well as beam 8’6” (2.6m). Her weight gave her a decided advantage. At 4800 lb (2177.24 kg) she is 690 lbs (313 kg) heavier, which meant better stability and ride, but at a slight fuel penalty. Did Caravelle think about that at design time? A quick check showed her carrying 57 gallon (215.7L), a full 7 gallons (26.5L) more than the competition. Not bad but we’ll need more than extra fuel capacity and more weight for me to forsake a more famous brand.



The hull design allows more room in the head/changing room.

How about engines? The Crossover 240 has choices of 3 Mercs and 3 Volvos, maxing out at 320-hp. The other guys…2 Mercs and 2 Volvos with a 300-hp max. A solid right cross from Caravelle. I like choice. And there is nothing more important than engines for which there should be lots of choice.

Accommodations…

Enough for comparisons. Let’s take the fight to the competitors.



With a pure deckboat floor plan, the Crossover 240 can handle the crowd in style. Check out the huge swim platform with aft facing bench seat. The extra width in the bow allows for more seating across.

With a layout of a deckboat this is clearly a comfortable boat. Dual bucket seats in the cockpit, an entertainment center to starboard and a wrap-around seat to port make for an intimate grouping where everyone can face each other. The walk-through transom door is right inline with the swim ladder so the helm has a clear view of who’s re-boarding. Add plenty of seats in the bow and throw in a filler cushion (standard on this model thank you very much) for the tan gods and the mix is complete.



Check out the aft facing bench seat. Great for watching the action at anchor. Add Dual speakers, a deep swim platform that extends beyond the outdrive, and a swim ladder mounted on the side for a great package. Note the storage on the port side.

Standard list items include, a bimini, depth finder, carpet, a stainless steel compliment of rubrails, cleats, and cup holders… many of which can be seen on other manufacturers’ options lists, and the fight starts to have a leader. Surely the standard stereo is just basic tunes? Not quite… a premium sound system with subwoofer, amp, and premium speakers. Even docking lights are thrown in on this boat.



The helm has all the right gauges. Interesting location for the compass! Note the rocker switches to port with breakers under each one. Stereo remote at the helm instead of the stereo.

Surprisingly High Tech…

When I think of high tech sport boats the name Caravelle doesn’t come to mind. Well not any more. The fact is that Caravelle’s Crossover 240 is about as high tech as they come. First, the builder uses what is called ArmorFlex gel coat which is supposed to be more flexible than the standard gel coat. A flexible gel coat is less likely to crack or craze.

The fiberglass cloth used in the hull Knytex quad-axial fiberglass which gives the hull strength in four directions and is much more impact resistant than normal glass. The cockpit decks are cored with a honeycomb synthetic material called Nida-core. This eliminated the need for plywood in the decking. So you get the stiffness of wood, without the weight and potential for rot. Caravelle is proud of the fact their boats are 100% wood free.

The seats are called “Softtech” and they have inner springs which is almost unheard of on a boat these days. Covering the seats is 32-oz. vinyl that is stain resistant and has UV inhibitors.

About the only thing that I saw that I would change, would be to take the stainless steel inserts for the rubrails off the option list and put them on the standard list. They are expensive, but boats really should have them many do as standard.

Cost for Admission…

A quick look at the price showed a base of only $48,893 with standard power of a Merc 5.0L MPI 270-hp engine. The competition came in at $52,162 with the same power and fewer options. With a great looking boat that has the performance of a bowrider and functionality of a deckboat with a lower price than the nearest competitor, that‘s a combination that makes for a knockout punch, in my book.