Size restrictions for Shannon Erne waterway

Pete67 wrote: »

Hi folks, a question for those familiar with the Shannon and Erne waterways - if you wanted to be able to navigate from the lower Shannon right up to Lough Erne, what size of boat would be suitable? I've seen some quite large boats on L Derg, some with a very high superstructure, but wonder if some of these are too wide or tall for the canals? Is it possible in a 35 to 38 ft cruiser with a 12 ft beam?

The main thing that stops cruising the entire waterway would be air draft. That said a 5m beam gets you pretty much up and down the entire shannon, the only part with a smaller beam requirement (4m/13ft) is the lough Allen canal.

The lowest fixed point on the entire system is the bridge in Ballyconnel, 3.2m at normal levels. (Obviously there are other lower bridges, but these can be lifted/swung as needed)

So if your beam is less than 4m and airdraft less than 3.2 the entire waterway is open, any bigger and you may not be able to access parts.

full details here
http://www.iwai.ie/waterways.html