A classic all-around inflatable boat, this four-person Sevylor Super Caravelle (model XR86GTX-7) is made of extra heavy, special quality PVC. It can accept Sevylor's optional SBM 12V electric motor, and its patented motor support chamber can handle a gas outboard motor with a maximum power of 3.5 horsepower. In production for over 37 years, the Caravelle was the first Sevylor boat to feature the DIN safety chamber, which inflates inside the main outer chamber and will help keep you afloat if the outer chamber suffers a major hole. Other features include four patented Delrin swivel oarlocks, tunnel chambers on the bottom of the boat for support and tracking, and a Boston valve.
Specifications: - Length overall (LOA): 9 feet, 2 inches
- Beam: 5 feet
- Weight: 31 pounds
- Maximum engine power: 3.5 HP
- Capacity: 4 persons
- Weight capacity: 700 pounds
About Sevylor In 1948 in Vitry, a small suburb of Paris, France, Berco Grimbert created an electronics company called Societe Electronique de Vitry, or SEVY for short. Soon, a friend of Grimbert's from New York commissioned SEVY to produce high frequency welding machines capable of fusing a new material called PVC (poly vinyl chloride). SEVY's machines worked very well and the American friend developed a very successful business manufacturing swimming pool related products. He then taught SEVY how to work with PVC.
One of the first PVC products SEVY produced was inflatable bathtub called Dou Dou. It was an instant hit in postwar France--mothers could bathe their children even where no facilities were available. The media hailed Dou Dou as a significant invention. Soon, SEVY added small pools and flotation devices such as rings, beach balls, and inflatable swim jackets to its product line. Safe, hygienic products, made of PVC and designed for portability, durability and convenience, became the SEVY trademark.
The company quickly outgrew its small facilities in Vitry. Mr. Grimbert accepted an attractive offer from the French government to take over a defunct textile factor in the tiny Alsatian village of Buhl. After establishing its new headquarters, the company added the letters "lor" to its name, and became Sevylor. In French, l'or means gold. By coincidence, or possibly fate, Sevylor has proven to be "as good as gold" to its owners, retailers, consumers, and employees.
Owner Reviews, Ratings, Comments and Criticism
I prefer the Intex Mariner and the Intex Seahawk II, because they are firmer, but this is not a bad boat. It has more weight carrying capacity and can take a bigger motor than either of the Intex boats I mentioned.
I use my Sevylor Super Caravelle with a SailboatsToGo sail kit. I love that I can have a sailboat that fits inside my car and can travel in checked baggage on the airlines. I posted some pictures (click on thumbnails under the main product picture).
