Shannon boat hire - newbie questions

BailMeOut

Hello

Our kids are at an age now that I think they would really enjoy a few days boating on the Shannon. Been googling looking for some hire options for August and wondering why the vast majority of options appear to be higher up the river and usually north of Athlone. We live in Cork as was thinking that Killaloe and Lough Derg would be best place to start but not really seeing many options from there to rent. Is in and around Lough Ree where it is all about for Shannon cruising?

Thank you

pH

You have a number of options for the southern part of the Shannon:

- Emerald star have a base in Portumna which is the on the top of Derg.
- A little north of that in Banagher you have Silverline and CarrickCraft/Waveline
- And at the southern end of Ree you have Locaboat.

TBH the driving time to the rental base is almost irrelevant compared to the cruiser speed Portumna to Banagher is a 20 minute drive, I wouldn't make that the deciding issue as to where to hire from! Some of the hire companies offer one way trips, which if you're in Ireland and can get a car from say portumna to Carrick can make a lot of sense as you don't spend half your holiday doubling back.

Hope that helps!

dennyk

There are no cruiser boat hire companies based out of Killaloe or Ballina that I know of. I think the marina at AnnaCarriga rents some small open boats by the day, but not proper cruisers. The closest cruising company base would probably be Emerald Star in Portumna, on the north end of Lough Derg. Carrick Craft has a base in Banagher, which is a bit further up the river. Most of the other companies are quite a bit further upriver. Probably you should decide which part of the river you'd want to cruise before picking one, though; an extra hour or two of driving isn't much if you're planning on being on the river for a few days anyhow.

BailMeOut

Thank you - this is really helpful and confirms my limited research, i.e. the cruiser rentals are usually further up the river. I assume that is because it is better up river?

Going to try book something for mid August and will post info back here again as to what we ended up doing.

The_Wanderer

I rented from Emerald Star in Portumna last April for a 3 night cruise.

All I can say it was a fantastic trip. We're both hooked and will be back next year, maybe for a week!

The trip was broken down into:

Day 1: Portumna - Banagher.
Day 2: Banagher - Shannonbride - Clonmacnoise - Athlone.
Day 3: Athlone - Hudson Bay - Shannon Harbour.
Day 4: Shannon Harbour - Portumna (late checkout option used).

Feel free to take a peek at http://smu.gs/28KzZBK to see my pictures from the trip.

W.

Ferris

Not to offend anyone but I find the stretch of river from Banagher to Athlone a bit boring (Although Shannon Harbour and Shanonbridge are good fun). I am not sure its worth a day there and back of a short holiday to cover it.

Another great option is to head south from Portumna onto the lake as there are lovely stops and a more circular route.

Day 1:
Lunch - Terryglass,
Eve - Dromineer,

Day 2:
Lunch - Garrykennedy
Eve - Killaloe

Day 3:
Lunch - Scariff (river to Scariff is beautiful)
Eve - Mountshannon or return Portumna.

You would have to make the following considerations with this route however:
Weather - if windy the lake can be more uncomfortable than river stretches
Navigation - A little more challenging than following marks on the river but following the nav marks is still like joining dots. If you are methodical you should be fine, plenty of hire boaters do it.
Portumna Bridge - This bridge opens at certain times during the day. (http://www.iwai.ie/boating/index.html#Portumna)

The_Wanderer

Ferris wrote: »

Not to offend anyone but I find the stretch of river from Banagher to Athlone a bit boring (Although Shannon Harbour and Shanonbridge are good fun). I am not sure its worth a day there and back of a short holiday to cover it.

Another great option is to head south from Portumna onto the lake as there are lovely stops and a more circular route.

Day 1:
Lunch - Terryglass,
Eve - Dromineer,

Day 2:
Lunch - Garrykennedy
Eve - Killaloe

Day 3:
Lunch - Scariff (river to Scariff is beautiful)
Eve - Mountshannon or return Portumna.

You would have to make the following considerations with this route however:
Weather - if windy the lake can be more uncomfortable than river stretches
Navigation - A little more challenging than following marks on the river but following the nav marks is still like joining dots. If you are methodical you should be fine, plenty of hire boaters do it.
Portumna Bridge - This bridge opens at certain times during the day. (http://www.iwai.ie/boating/index.html#Portumna)

No offence at all, I can certainly tell you the stretch from Banagher to Atlone was in no way boring for us, as north of Shannonbridge the Shannon resembled a large lake which made navigation "interesting" at times.

Lough Derg is on my to do list. Next year will be either a week long one way trip or a 3 night trip based out of Carrick-on-Shannon.

JamesM

Portumna is a good place to start because, as Ferris said there are lots of brilliant places to visit on the lake, but if the weather is bad and windy, you can stay in the shelter of the river and go north.

thejaguar

I'll be picking up a boat this weekend in Banagher, we haven't really got any plan at the moment.

We'll have the boat for 2 nights and we have zero experience so I'd be grateful if anyone on here had any tips or suggestions.

Tabnabs

Up the river to Shannon Bridge, over night there. Down the river to Portumna (or terryglass) and overnight there and back up to base.

Seth Brundle

thejaguar wrote: »

I'll be picking up a boat this weekend in Banagher, we haven't really got any plan at the moment.

We'll have the boat for 2 nights and we have zero experience so I'd be grateful if anyone on here had any tips or suggestions.

They should show you the ropes (excuse the pun) before letting tou go but make sure that you're satisfied how to reverse, go through locks, etc
They will provide maps and explain river markings.
The only important thing is to take your time. I've done it a number of times and it's great.


FYI to anyone booking now; I booked about this time last year for a week in mid August with Carrick Craft by phone. Cheekily, I said that the online form looks for a voucher code but I hadn't one and could he give me one. Managed to blag 10% off the cost!

pH

thejaguar wrote: »

I'll be picking up a boat this weekend in Banagher, we haven't really got any plan at the moment.

We'll have the boat for 2 nights and we have zero experience so I'd be grateful if anyone on here had any tips or suggestions.

I'd say your best bet is south onto the lake, the river trip north is a little mundane compared to the vistas of Derg, that said Shannonbridge is a great spot with a good restaurant and nice pubs.

There is a road bridge at Portumna that needs to be swung to let boats through, it opens 6 times a day (4 on Sundays), if you miss it you will have a 2 hour delay on a very uninspiring waiting jetty, so check the times and aim to get there for the bridge opening.
http://www.portumna.net/home/information.html

The other thing to consider is the weather, Derg is a big lake and the forecast for this Saturday currently isn't great, so another option is to keep on the river and go to Athlone, the council have a secure mooring there (€12 per night) and there's plenty to do in Athlone of an evening.

thejaguar

How long would it take to get to Athlone?

Ferris

thejaguar wrote: »

How long would it take to get to Athlone?

4-6hrs, but lunch in Shannon Bridge and a pint in Kileens is essential, also you'd probably have to stop at Clonmacnoise to be fair. You'd get to Athlone in a day all in and its a good place to stop. Just be careful if leaving the boat unattended, Athlone is like all big towns that way.

thejaguar

Thanks for the info folks! Looking forward to it now.

I'll be sure to post how we get on once I'm back.

BailMeOut

do they typically allow dogs on the boats?

BoatMad

Ferris wrote: »

4-6hrs, but lunch in Shannon Bridge and a pint in Kileens is essential, also you'd probably have to stop at Clonmacnoise to be fair. You'd get to Athlone in a day all in and its a good place to stop. Just be careful if leaving the boat unattended, Athlone is like all big towns that way.

if you leave your boat in the Athlone town marina , there is no need to be concerned about leaving the boat unattended.

The_Wanderer

BailMeOut wrote: »

do they typically allow dogs on the boats?

I was looking at this for next year to possibly bring the parents dogs with Emerald Star. They charge €45 per dog.

BoatMad wrote: »

if you leave your boat in the Athlone town marina , there is no need to be concerned about leaving the boat unattended.

The marina in Athlone is attended up to a certain time of night (exact time I forget) and after that the gate is locked. You need a fob to gain access which you will get when you check in. Hence it is very secure and is actually out of the way of the main streets. No need to worry.

thejaguar

Well we had a great weekend, even if it took a couple of days to get my "land legs" back (and for the headache to clear).

It was late enough on Friday when we were all settled and everyone had arrived so we cruised up to Shannonbridge and spent the night there.
On Saturday morning we headed for Athlone - stopping off at Clonmacnoise for a bit of breakfast (we had a portable bbq with us).
We decided to go to Athlone to avoid the possibility (very likely in our case) of getting the timing wrong for the bridge in Portumna on Sunday morning on the way back.

Main thing is we had a great time. I know someone asked about Athlone - we moored just on the opposite side of the river from Sean's Bar and there was no issue with security - or at least, nobody touched the boat while we were in the pub.

The_Wanderer

Booked my 2017 cruise with Emerald Star today, for middle of April. 7 nights from Portumna on the Shannon Star Class boat.

Four of us going. Looking forward to it.

Quick question, how far could you get north from Athlone in a day? Have a rough idea of a plan but not really sure how far North from Athlone is possible.

VisionaryP

The_Wanderer wrote: »

Booked my 2017 cruise with Emerald Star today, for middle of April. 7 nights from Portumna on the Shannon Star Class boat.

Four of us going. Looking forward to it.

Quick question, how far could you get north from Athlone in a day? Have a rough idea of a plan but not really sure how far North from Athlone is possible.

It depends how fast you go, and whether you want to go non-stop for the day or take breaks. You'd easily get to Dromod/Roosky at a leisurely pace with breaks in one day, or going harder you could hit Carrick or Boyle. What had you planned?

To give you an idea, I picked up my boat in Roosky and got to Boyle in 4.5 hours going an average of 7kph.

The_Wanderer

VisionaryP wrote: »

It depends how fast you go, and whether you want to go non-stop for the day or take breaks. You'd easily get to Dromod/Roosky at a leisurely pace with breaks in one day, or going harder you could hit Carrick or Boyle. What had you planned?

To give you an idea, I picked up my boat in Roosky and got to Boyle in 4.5 hours going an average of 7kph.

I was thinking Lanesborough or Roosky, didn't think I would get to Dromod but might strike out for that if enough hours left in the day. I would intend to stop along the way.

Thanks for the info.

Ferris

Its not far from Roosky to Dromod, 30min or so. Dromod can be busy however.

My folks had a great time in Termonbarry a few weeks ago and spent a night in Richmond Harbour. There is a really nice restaurant called the Purple Onion in Termonbarry. Richmond harbor is off the beaten track as its up the Camlin River, height is restricted by a bridge which needs to be considered, but its a place I would like to return to in the near future.

Also I wouldn't rush Lough Ree, Coosan Point, the Inner Lakes and Lecarrow are all not to be missed imo.

Seth Brundle

Ferris wrote: »

Its not far from Roosky to Dromod, 30min or so. Dromod can be busy however.

My folks had a great time in Termonbarry a few weeks ago and spent a night in Richmond Harbour. There is a really nice restaurant called the Purple Onion in Termonbarry. Richmond harbor is off the beaten track as its up the Camlin River, height is restricted by a bridge which needs to be considered, but its a place I would like to return to in the near future.

Also I wouldn't rush Lough Ree, Coosan Point, the Inner Lakes and Lecarrow are all not to be missed imo.

There are quiet mooring points on the canal towards the private marina in Termonbarry. Stayed there last year. Short walk along Shannon into the village. Petrol station on the western side of town was grand for shopping.

LeCarrow is nice and quiet but from memory the canal was full or weeds so be careful of your engine's water filter getting blocked.

Seth Brundle

Just to add, some of the more quaint spots such as Jamestown and Drumsna can have all their mooring spots taken early so don't sell yourself short time wise what with the evenings cl getting shorter.
However it worked out nicely for us last year as we ended up staying at the jetty beside the lock on the Jamestown canal.
The important thing is not to travel long distances in one day but to relax and enjoy the cruise!

Boater123

kbannon wrote: »

Just to add, some of the more quaint spots such as Jamestown and Drumsna can have all their mooring spots taken early so don't sell yourself short time wise what with the evenings cl getting shorter.
However it worked out nicely for us last year as we ended up staying at the jetty beside the lock on the Jamestown canal.
The important thing is not to travel long distances in one day but to relax and enjoy the cruise!

Was in Drumsna today at 11:30 and the place was packed, boats having to raft on. There was a charity swimming event on but still a lot of boats for that time of day.

VisionaryP

kbannon wrote: »

Just to add, some of the more quaint spots such as Jamestown and Drumsna can have all their mooring spots taken early so don't sell yourself short time wise what with the evenings cl getting shorter.
However it worked out nicely for us last year as we ended up staying at the jetty beside the lock on the Jamestown canal.
The important thing is not to travel long distances in one day but to relax and enjoy the cruise!

If you are considering Jamestown, The Cottage Restaurant there is one of the nicest in the country. Superb grub. Ask for their tasting menu. It's not listed on the regular menu, but they do one. Really phenomenal food. You'll need to book in advance during summer.

Cathal01

Hello.

We are sailing from Banagher early July from a Thursday to Monday morning. Planning to go north.
I'm not sure how it works at all... do you have to moor at a marina for the night or can you just pull in wherever you please and switch off for the night?
Are the Marinas safe, as in can people walk up to the boats or are they secured? Can you drive the boat in the dark or should you be moored by nightfall? ANY and every tip you could give me please. Trying to do a loose itinerary. Thanks!

Seth Brundle

Hi Cathal,
there are private and public marinas, you'll see pretty quickly which are which but you will be using the ublic ones (unless you are in Banagher/Athlone/Carrick and cruising with a company such as Emerald Star who will have their own private moorings). Private marinas will have plenty of signs telling you to keep out.
Some moorings such as Roosky are just moor against the pier (see here) whilst other public ones are more like a marina e.g. Dromod (note that there are private marinas beside this).

I'd also recommend bringing a bird book and a set of binoculars (if you are interested in that kind of stuff).

You should not just drop anchor in the middle of a lake or river and head to bed! Whilst you can drop anchor during the daytime, be sensible and don't put your family in jepoardy by doing it at night.
In general the marinas are peaceful but whilst there are other holidaymakers out and about, don't leave any valuables on board. The boats wouldn't be very secure.
In some marinas there will be double (or triple) mooring where people will tie their boat onto yours. They will obviously have to walk across your boat to get ashore.
The marinas should be safe to stroll around in (you're possibly more likely to slip on them than ).
Depending on your boat, you may or may not have toilet and shower facilities. Some marinas will have these.

The boats don't have headlights so you need to plan where you'll be staying that night early on in the day. Don't leave yourself short on time. There are plenty of mooring places but some will be busier than others. You should probably aim to be moored by evening until you get the habng of it.

The company will also tell you about the bilge pump (although most boats have automatic ones now), water and also about the required engine time to recharge the battery.

Take your time when learning how to steer it (forwards and reverse). The company will show you but on our last time it was a young fella who is eager to head out for the night. Steering is slow unlike a car - don't expect it to react immediately when you turn the wheel. On my first occasion, we were in Le Carrow canal and discovered this and panic set in (which obviously didn't help) - the steering wheel was frantically moving from left to right and back.

In the locks you'll need two to three people to be comfortable. One to pass the front rope to the lock keeper (and hold the end), one to hold the rear rope. You have to pay the lock keeper (it's about €2 plus tip). Take your time entering the locks - feck any impatient arrogant pricks that will be behind you.

You can get navigational charts from Waterways Ireland but the cruise company should also have them (we like to also have our own copy because we're nerds!).

The best tip I can suggest is to have fun. It's a brilliant holiday!
Don't forget to wave at the other boats passing by like you're an American tourist (seriously!)

Cathal01

Thanks so much for your help! Much appreciated.

The_Wanderer

Seth Brundle has done a good rundown.

Just one thing is the locks are €1.50, but are changing to smartcard payments from 1st July. See https://www.waterwaysireland.org/smart-card-roll-out

The cards can be brought from your hire company or local shops / pubs. 10 unit card is €6.XX . I think "XX" it is 30 cent but not 100% on that.