Renting a Boat to Cruise the Shannon

destraynor

Hi all,
Myself plus about 7 friends are interested in renting a boat this Summer ( June 08) to cruise the River Shannon. We're pretty clueless about it, and I'm wondering if anyone has any recommendations for a good city to start, good places to stop, a good place to rent the boat from etc.

Thanks in advance

mikemac

destraynor wrote: »

wondering if anyone has any recommendations for a good city to start,

Well there aren't too many cities along the Shannon

Fantastic idea and I know people who have done this.
Start up in Carrick-on-Shannon and work your way down south.
If you want to start in the midlands then try Portumna.

http://www.emeraldstar.ie/
These are the main crowd doing it and they have a massive operation in Portumna. Give them a buzz and thank god you're going in June 2008 as it would be misery on the lake in this weather

If you get to Tipperary call into Terryglass and Garrykennedy. Be warned, the locals are cute hoors and don't wear a Clare jersey during the summer GAA fixtures if you want to leave alive! :eek:

Emerald Star will take 3 or 4 of your group and show you how to pilot a boat. It's not so hard.
And the rest of you can stock of crates of beer.
Can the pilot of a boat be done for drink driving? I'll take this question to the legal forum

cson

Funny-ish story. I'm from Portumna and one of my mates told me that back in the oul days the river froze (I don't believe him, we're not exactly in Siberia now are we) and some lad drove a mini up to Athlone from Portumna up the river. Just the thought of it makes me chuckle.

On topic, Emerald Star have a ****e load of Cruisers around my ghetto but be warned, depending on how long you go for, it'll cost you. They'll train you on how to use the boat but if you do piss act and manage to sink it, its not very good.

Good choice of Hollyday though, been meaning to do something similar myself. If you want to know anything else, give us a shout.

destraynor

Excellent stuff guys, thanks for the info.

jonnywc

have done this for a few years on the trot now...be carefull as it become a quite expensive addiction.Th afew companys operating a good boat rental service on the shannon...emerald star as mentioned already and silverline cruisers in banagher..both with reasonable prices with a higher quality of boat..your second option is carrickcraft..rite next to the emerald star base in carrick and next to the silverline base in banagher.Not a bad choice for the budget concious..all when contacted will gladley send you a brochure or check out their sites for more info...as i said in the begining it can become quite an expensive addiction...imm off to the south of france with emerald star...good discounts as ive cruised with them before

BigglesMcGee

I've done this a few times.
Best advice i can give is book the boat the week before you plan to go on holiday as bad weather can make your trip a misery.


Dont fall for the scare tactics that there might not be boats available if you leave it too late - there always are.

If you wait til just before you want to go you will get a better deal. Also you can look at what the weather will be like and make the decision then.

highlydebased

Emerald star are quite good from experience

bittihuduga

a silly question -
few of my friends are planning to do this around june aswell.
i would love to join them
unfortunately i do not know swimming.
do you think its safe out there for a fella like me without swim knowledge?

Tabnabs

A great holiday, I recommend Lough Derg (Emerald Star, Portumna) as the river north of here cuts through flat and disappointing countryside.

These guys have a world of information
http://www.iwai.ie/

wilson10

bittihuduga wrote: »

a silly question -
few of my friends are planning to do this around june aswell.
i would love to join them
unfortunately i do not know swimming.
do you think its safe out there for a fella like me without swim knowledge?

Hi,

I have been cruising the Shannon for over 10 years and the only "swim knowledge" I have is of the stone variety. My lack of swimming ability doesn't bother me as I take sensible precautions to avoid drowning should I be unfortunate enough to enter the water unintentionally.

While on deck, wear your life jacket, especially if you are carrying out a task like handling ropes while leaving a berth, tying up or passing through a lock. Even a good swimmer won't swim too well if he is knocked unconcious as he slips and falls in.

Wear sensible shoes, with flat rubber soles that grip and don't slip. Watch and take notice of the training video at the hire base, it shouldn't just be for the person or persons who are going to do the piloting, the safety aspects involve everyone.

If everyone on board takes safety seriously then I'm sure you will have a great holiday.

As for location I would recommend starting in Carrick and heading south. Athlone and back in a week is a nice manageable trip taking in some nice stopoffs. The scenery is better down on Derg but it can get very rough for the novice boater.

Have a great trip

bittihuduga

thanks mate for your suggestions...improved my confidence

HonestJoe

destraynor wrote: »

Hi all,
Myself plus about 7 friends are interested in renting a boat this Summer ( June 08) to cruise the River Shannon. We're pretty clueless about it, and I'm wondering if anyone has any recommendations for a good city to start, good places to stop, a good place to rent the boat from etc.

Thanks in advance

Here's a youtube video of a guy cruising the Shannon
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NJd0vEAU280

HonestJoe

wilson10 wrote: »

Hi,

I have been cruising the Shannon for over 10 years and the only "swim knowledge" I have is of the stone variety. My lack of swimming ability doesn't bother me as I take sensible precautions to avoid drowning should I be unfortunate enough to enter the water unintentionally.

While on deck, wear your life jacket, especially if you are carrying out a task like handling ropes while leaving a berth, tying up or passing through a lock. Even a good swimmer won't swim too well if he is knocked unconcious as he slips and falls in.

Wear sensible shoes, with flat rubber soles that grip and don't slip. Watch and take notice of the training video at the hire base, it shouldn't just be for the person or persons who are going to do the piloting, the safety aspects involve everyone.

If everyone on board takes safety seriously then I'm sure you will have a great holiday.

As for location I would recommend starting in Carrick and heading south. Athlone and back in a week is a nice manageable trip taking in some nice stopoffs. The scenery is better down on Derg but it can get very rough for the novice boater.

Have a great trip

I took a trip but read this page first. Good to see new information on Cruising the Shannon.
http://www.ballybegvillage.com/boating_cruising_holidays_ireland.html

bongi69

Did this a few years back, and its one of those holidays I'd do again and again.

Rented a 6 berth off a company called Shannon Private Cruisers (I think!), based in Rooskey. Great thing was the boat didn't have any branding, so you didn't look the tourist.

If you're heading North, Lough Key forest park is a good stopping point.
We also found ourselves tying up to the bank in a few spots where it was quiet. It beat the marinas, and at least you could hop off and have a bit of a BBQ, cleaning up after of course

bittihuduga

any suggestions for 6 adults?
would like to do it for 3-4days only not a full week.
last year could not do it.
i hope to do this year
looking for a economical one to rent

PWR

be warned, its addictive. Emerald Star very good. My preference would be out of Portumna and into Lough Derg, make sure to visit Garrykennedy and the old barge harbour at the Castle, and Dromineer is close to there. The boats themselves are very easy to manage, and very comfortable.

In good weather I can think of very little I would rather do, and in bad, i'd still go! Doing it since I was a kid and until I had my own kids, and hoping to get back to it.

rustyf81

Hey,
Just looking up cruises to do on the Shannon or Tully Bay for a weekend as a surprise 30th present for my boyfriend. I think its a good present? Any opinions? I haven't booked it or anything yet, just checking out prices..very costly! Any advice re best company to go with? So hard to decide what to get and who to go with!! Neither of us have any cruise experience-is this a drama? The nervous part of me is thinking we should hire a captain to go with us!!
All help much appreciated

ohdatlewis

rustyf81 wrote: »

Hey,
Just looking up cruises to do on the Shannon or Tully Bay for a weekend as a surprise 30th present for my boyfriend. I think its a good present? Any opinions? I haven't booked it or anything yet, just checking out prices..very costly! Any advice re best company to go with? So hard to decide what to get and who to go with!! Neither of us have any cruise experience-is this a drama? The nervous part of me is thinking we should hire a captain to go with us!!
All help much appreciated

By all means go for it. I did it with my family the summer before last and can honestly say we had the best holiday in years. It's extremely relaxing and is a great experience. I wouldn't have much advice on prices etc, all the companies provide similar cruisers though.

rustyf81

I think its a deadly present too. It's just a pity its sooooo dear!! AGGGHH!!! and I know its his 30th and all that, but I'd have liked to have gotten him a few more bits to go along with it. its coming up at 500e for the two nights. :eek: even writing it sounds expensive, esp when you can get a week for like 800. we're stuck to a weekend cause of work and all that.
So if anyone can give advice re prices, id appreciate it