A Strong Performer

Tested by Capt. Brandon De Natale

The 207LS from Caravelle is the perfect low maintenance trailerable family boat for lakes and bays. With its 20’4” length and 8’6” beam this is truly a boat that can do it all. With the wood free constructed hull and features such as a full fiberglass cockpit liner and snap in carpeting keeping her looking her best, won’t take away from time spent on the water. And with several engine options to choose from and seating for up to 10 people the 207LS is truly a boat with multiple personalities.

Speed

Our test boat was equipped with a 220-hp Mercury 5.0Liter, which enabled us to reach a top speed of 48.6 mph. We found her best cruise to be 36.7 mph at 3,500 rpm’s, giving us a range of over 100 miles on a single tank.

Great Platform for Water Activities

One of the optional features you will surely want to have on the boat is the extended transom platform. This is a great feature, which makes it easy and safe for older people or smaller children to get onboard. There is loads of room back here and it’s also the perfect staging area for water sports or just lounging out. The 207LS will appeal to anyone looking for a weekend boat for their lake house or for use on inland bays and sounds. With the ability to easily trailer the boat and the small space required for storing, this will help open the world of boating for many families.

On the transom the use of pop-up stainless steel cleats and built in tow hook provide an excellent platform for water skiing or other water sports. The walkthrough transom makes getting to and from the cockpit a breeze, and allows everyone to stay seated when changing skiers or just pulling up to the dock. In the floor of the walkthrough is a storage box with drain, which is perfect for storing wet items. Moving forward into the aft cockpit is the L-shaped bench seat with attached sundeck behind. This is a great spot to catch some rays when at anchor.

There’s storage under the port bench seat and the engine access is under the aft seat.

In the engine compartment you will find additional storage forward for brushes and other items. Hooking our test gear on the 220-hp Mercury was made easy by all the open space around the engine.

At The Helm

Forward of the aft seating is the helm station with adjustable seats. The boat we tested had the optional flip-up bolster seat, which is a nice feature to have for water sports, or higher vantage point while operating. The helm station features Faria gauges and a well laid out instrumentation panel. Everything you need including speed, oil, RPM’s, trim indicator and much more are well placed for easy reading. There’s also a 12-volt receptacle for charging a cell phone or using a spotlight, and the standard Sony CD player with 4 speakers is right at your fingertips. Over to port the companion seat can swivel around to face the people seated aft and the large glove box is convenient for storing personal items.

Plenty of Storage and Seating

Up forward in the bow there’s seating for four and underneath to port is an insulated cooler. To starboard there’s a spot for storing life jackets and other bulky items you want out of the way. The welded stainless steel bow rail provides a great place to hold onto when underway and with plenty of drink holders around you’ll never have to worry about where to put your beverage. There is even a filler cushion that turns the bow into a giant sun pad for lounging in the sun.

If a low maintenance boat that can easily be taken on long road trips while providing enough room and comfort for the whole family is what you’re looking for, the 207LS deserves a closer look. With plenty of power supplies to choose from, and good performance this boat should appeal to many boaters.

• Top speed for the Caravelle 207 LS Bow Rider is 48.6 mph (78.2 kph), burning 20.2 gallons per hour (gph) or 76.46 liters per hour (lph).


• Best cruise for the Caravelle 207 LS Bow Rider is 36.7 mph (59.1 kph), and the boat gets 3.32 miles per gallon (mpg) or 1.41 kilometers per liter (kpl), giving the boat a cruising range of 108 miles (173.81 kilometers).


• Tested power is 1 x 220-hp MerCruiser 5.0L gas sterndrive.