Has anyone rented a boat on the Shannon?

DullSpark

I have 2 friends returning from abroad in a few weeks and we're thinking of renting a boat and going up the Shannon for 3 nights.

Has anyone done this before and would recommend a company?

It will 5 or 6 lads, all in our 30s.

I said I would book it but now I'm thinking could it be a bit dodgy, could I get stung if any thing is broken or marked. There is collision insurance which I will take out but 6 lads on a boat for that amount of time something will surely break. On the site it offers a cleaning service for €150 at the end and it still wants a deposit of €700 despite taking the collision insurance.

Alkers

I wouldn't be too worried, they do give you a briefing / demo when renting although you kind of get out of it what you want. If you're interested and want to try yourself etc they're more than happy to spend time showing, if you're happy to just wing it they pretty much leave you to it

Are you worried about crashing or leaving the boat in a state or what?

US3

You say you're sure ye will break something on the boat and are complaining about paying a deposit?

standardg60

You'll have the time of your life OP, half the fun is crashing into things.

The hire companies allow for this in reality, we've broken windscreens and run aground and expected them to throw a wobbler, they just shrugged and let us carry on. They're the stories we remember best.

standardg60

I would recommend hiring from Banagher for the first time btw, it's nice and easy and allows you to visit Shannonbridge and Terryglass on a 3 day hire, both well worth visiting.

DullSpark

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120832885#Comment_120832885

I'm not too worried about crashing, one the guys is an advent sailor and does part time work sailing barges. Just have 1 or 2 clumsy friends but we all haven't met up in years so things could be different now 🤞

DullSpark

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120832911#Comment_120832911

Shut up

DullSpark

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120832996#Comment_120832996

We were planning portumna just because it's the closest commute. Would you recommend and nice stops along the river. There is a bar in Shannonbridge that I've been to before. Any recommendations?

standardg60

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120853803#Comment_120853803

All depends on the weather, if it's calm you could head for garrykennedy and mountshannon, both are good, but if it's any way rough stay off the lake (it can feel like you're in the middle of the Atlantic), and head north for banagher and shannonbridge.

The boat has to be back by 10am I think on the last day so aim to spend the last night in either portumna itself or terryglass which is fairly close.

youngblood

Would be interested in hearing what company you went with and total cost?

Sounds great and always on the bucket list!

zg3409

Ring around, shop online etc. It can be expensive when you factor in fuel and pushing a heavy boat around. Many may be totally booked out and they have high season rates. If you go last minute you might be able to haggle but wrong time if year. Plan to be tied up by 5pm as it's hard to get mooring at busy sites after that and you may be hit by other boats double parking etc. Try to have food on board except for evening meals as you can have breakfast and lunch on the move.

o1s1n

I've done this twice now, it's brilliant fun.

The first time with four people, the second time just me and the missus. Was a little trickier going through locks and the likes with just two people but you get the hang of it.

Both times we did it, we went for a package with fuel and insurance included.

Added about 200 to the price, but it meant we didn't have to worry about spending loads on fuel at the end and didn't have to put a 2k hold or whatever it was on our cards for insurance.

Edit: just checked for you and we used 'Shannon River Boat Hire' on both cruises.

One thing I will say, when you stop up for the night to sleep, make sure you pick a fairly calm marina. I've spent one evening with anchor dropped in the middle of a lake and a few moored beside lakes and although slightly choppy water can be nice and relaxing, it does get a lot worse at night the sound of your boat hitting the side of the marina and noises like that can keep you awake all night.

The night we spent in the middle of a lake was absolutely mental. Was an experience to be sure (having drinks in the middle of a lake with the sun going down was a memory I'll never forget) but once the water got choppy, jesus christ. Thought we were going to wake up beached on the coat somewhere, kept waking up to check my GPS location on my phone haha.

DullSpark

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120854407#Comment_120854407

Thanks for the heads up. That lake is fairly huge but weather conditions would not have even crossed my mind. Think the crowd I was looking at want the boat back for 9am or for an extra €100 can hold on to it until 12

DullSpark

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120871125#Comment_120871125

I still haven't booked it but Emerald star seem to be the cheapest, they offered me a better price over the phone than on online. They don't get good reviews like the other companies and seem to have a few extra charges like a fee per hour that the boat is been driven/sailed

DullSpark

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120871184#Comment_120871184

Thanks for your reply. Have yet to look at that company that you went with. That fuel and insurance sounds like a great deal, I'd much rather pay that than have them come back to me after and saying how much I owe them.

If the weather is on our side then it should be a great weekend. Its far cheaper than getting hotel rooms between the 6 of us and can only be a bit of craic