Test Caravan 24,299 MIRO 1596kg MTPLM 1750kg REVIEW Buccaneer Fluyt t If twin beds are your choice and you also want the rooflight to close automatically if it rains, read on here s something aspirational about a Buccaneer. Some would say this range sits at the pinnacle of caravan quality; whatever your opinion, it s certainly up there among the best. It s surely one of a handful of caravans about which discerning caravanners, veterans of many purchases down many years, would say: I ve always wanted a Buccaneer. Three of the Buccaneer range sit on twin axles. One of them, the Clipper, follows the current swing in popularity towards twin-bed layouts. But if you prefer your twin beds on two wheels rather than four, until now, there s not been a Buccaneer to answer that desire. Enter the Fluyt, to join the fleet of Buccaneers all named after traditional sailing vessels; Fluyts are 15th century Dutch cargo vessels. And if cargo sounds unglamorous, this Fluyt will change your mind At 24,299 it s nearing the top bracket in its class. But look what you get for your money. There s a 40-litre on-board tank with an automatic fill system. Suretrack tracker security is installed and you get the first year s subscription free. elddis CARAVANS t 01207 699000 w elddis.co.uk 32 Caravan Buyer The jockey wheel has a nose weight gauge built into the structure. You can switch on your Alde heating from your mobile phone. The lounge rooflight has a sensor that detects rain and closes the aperture electronically. And this caravan has two showers Showering There s one shower for you, and a second one for the dog or your muddy boots On the offside, a small hatch opens to reveal a shower rose. Here s your place to rinse the mud off the dog s fur, or your boots, after a rainy walk. The indoor shower is on the nearside of the full-width shower room. Its walls are grey tile-effect. There s a soap dish attached to the riser bar. And something we ve only seen in one other caravan: an expanding towel drying rack. When not in use, it s folded, close to the shower wall. You pull it forward to open up the four rails. There s another wide towel rail over the vent through which warmth rises from the Alde system and a hook for another towel (or your dressing gown?) on the opposite wall. tested by Val Chapman photography John Chapman Quality is evident everywhere you look, especially in the woodwork
IDEAL FOR Couples seeking top spec and top quality The real cost 24,794 That s the cost of the Fluyt plus the normal dealer delivery charge of 495 www.outandaboutlive.co.uk February 2013 33
Buccaneer Fluyt The bedroom has a very separate feel 34 Caravan Buyer
Twin beds Rain-sensing rooflight You can switch on your heating from your mobile phone and the rooflight closes automatically when it rains And if you think the close resemblance to a domestic en-suite room ends there, consider this: the Fluyt s toilet has a ceramic bowl. There s a classic, traditional air about the Fluyt s features and décor except for one item. That s the gorgeously modern washbasin, made to look like rock and standing up above its cabinet. We love it! Sleeping If twin beds are your choice of sleeping arrangement and you like to feel the warmth rising, between the beds and the walls, from the Alde heat-radiating fins below your bed, you ll find the Fluyt s bedroom a cosy delight. These beds are higher than many, which means the depth of the storage areas beneath is greater. Bed heads are upholstered in a fabric that matches the lounge and a padded top section is the same high quality satin as the curtains. Little shelves in each corner have metal borders to make sure you don t knock stuff off. And there s a subtle floor-level cluster of LED lights that you can leave on during the night if you wish. A power point is at the base of the nearside bed, within hairdryer cable reach of the mirror in the centre of the shower room. You can make a double bed across the lounge if you wish, by extracting slats from the drawers unit, or you can create single beds for children ideal if grandchildren sometimes join you. Storage The storage areas under the beds both have exterior hatches. Those under the lounge have full-length apertures. The wardrobe is in the centre, between the nearside bed and the door. A light comes on automatically when you open the doors. Three drawers and a cabinet are beneath. There s the usual array of four lockers over the lounge, plus three more on each side of the bedroom. In total, this amounts to more space than a couple would usually need. Dining A small table pulls out from the front central cabinet and the top drops down to become level with it, which means you have almost a metre of dining space. No need to use the main table for meals for two, then. When four are dining, you ll find extracting the folding freestanding table from its own cabinet by the door is an easy task. Lounging We love the firmness of the Fluyt s seating, backrests and armrests. And the four scatter cushions are plumper and firmer than average. Satin curtains hang from chunky metal loops around shiny domestictype poles. And there s an Avtex television mounted on a bracket on the side of the wardrobe. You can take it off this bracket and fix it to a second bracket in the bedroom; that, we envisage, brings the bedroom into the realms of second lounge, for feet-up comfort when you re watching television during the day. Some say fixed beds intrude on your living space; they don t if you use them like lounge settees during the day! It s while examining the finer detail of the lounge that you notice a second floor-level light, identical to the one in the bedroom. If you leave this one on when you go out in the evening, it will illuminate your first steps inside even before you ve switched on the lights. Very thoughtful! Kitchen There are two outstanding features of the Fluyt s kitchen. Both of them are well hidden until you switch on the lights. A strip of LEDs runs the WHAT WE LIKE Ability to switch on your heating from your phone The rain-sensing rooflight The quality that s evident in every fixture and fitting The lights on the edge of the kitchen cabinets WHAT WE DON T LIKE No negatives technical stuff BERTHS 4 LENGTH BODY 5.8m OVERALL 7.47m WIDTH 2.3m HEADROOM 1.95m WEIGHT MIRO 1596kg MTPLM 1750kg The dark grey tile-effect shower walls are so stylish; a soap dish is attached to the riser bar The kitchen is within coffee-mug reach of the offside bed! The washbasin is rectangular, sitting up above the cabinet rather than being set into it The cupboard at the rear of the kitchen has substantial pull-out metal shelves www.outandaboutlive.co.uk February 2013 35
Buccaneer Fluyt TOW MATCH Caravan weight MTPLM: 1750kg To tow this caravan at 85% you need a car kerbweight of: 2058kg Never tow a caravan heavier than your car s kerbweight. We recommend towing a caravan no more than 85% of the kerbweight At 100% AUDI A3 1378kg FORD FOCUS 1501kg mondeo estate 1654KG FREELANDER 2 1785KG HONDA CRV 1890KG KIA SORENTO 2008KG At 85% 2058KG land rover 2583KG 1750KG 36 Caravan Buyer length of the kitchen surface, just under the edge, sending a cascade of light downwards. The second hidden feature only becomes noticeable when you switch on the light in the drinks cabinet that backs onto the bedroom television port. It s a wooden rack for four bottles of wine, behind the brown acrylicfronted wine glass cabinet. There s a third hidden feature of the Fluyt s kitchen. It s a small extra work surface that you can pull out when needed. Underneath are two metal shelves; they re much more chunky and substantial than the wire basket shelves we usually find in caravans. There s a small space beneath them and the usual compartment for pans beneath the oven. The microwave is flush-set into the cabinetry alongside the cupboard that s fitted for plates and mugs. The hob has a mains hotplate and three burners. And both the hob and sink have hinged Chinchilla glass covers. This is an exceptionally tough type of glass with a pattern. They re designed to be used as cutting boards, which effectively means they are extra working surface. Towing We ve all had it ingrained into our caravan psyche over many years of Buccaneer evolution that these are heavy caravans. Popular perception isn t always correct and all weights are comparative anyway. At 1750kg MTPLM, the new Fluyt is by no means a lightweight. But then it doesn t compete in that territory. It s nonetheless well within range of a lot of popular tow vehicles, including our Kia Sorento that takes most of our caravans out for tests. And its road manners proved to be totally plain-sailing, following without a hint of nodding that you sometimes get with a heavyish single axle caravan. It s equipped with chassis manufacturer BPW s idc (Intelligent Drive Control) anti-snaking device; something that caravanners especially value when choosing a single-axle caravan. If the system detects the start of a sway, it electronically activates the caravan s brakes, to pull it back into correct alignment. Fluyts indeed, all Buccaneers have nose weight gauges built into the jockey wheel assembly. A lovely bedroom, with chunky metal curtain poles for extra style There s a towel rail directly above the heating system outlet A retractable shower towel rack brilliant! Feature lighting is set under the edge of the kitchen surface The ceramic toilet s flush button is set into the wall; it takes its water from the main tank BUY THIS IF... Single beds are your choice and you also want top spec and top quality ALSO CONSIDER... Coachman VIP 565-4, a similar layout, it s got high spec and it s 22,595 options to go for... A roof-mounted satellite dish OUR VERDICT If you revel in caravan quality, and you can t resist technological equipment like a rain-sensing rooflight, you ll like Buccaneers. This is surely one of the most luxurious and most comprehensively equipped twin-bed caravans you can buy.