Shannon cruise - any tips?

mossym · 18-09-2020 2:32pm

i ran by those two tied up on the pontoon in killaloe , that's my usual run route. (well i usually turn just before them as it's evident in the pic you run out of surface there

)

HeidiHeidi · 18-09-2020 5:00pm

They certainly don't skimp on fenders

:D

(with good reason, I'd imagine!)

They're mighty-looking boats, I did a week out of Carrick-on-Shannon over 25 years ago (:eek:) with a gang of pals, and it still stands out as one of the best fun holidays ever!

Alkers · 18-09-2020 5:29pm

HeidiHeidi wrote: »

They certainly don't skimp on fenders :D

(with good reason, I'd imagine!)

They're mighty-looking boats, I did a week out of Carrick-on-Shannon over 25 years ago (:eek:) with a gang of pals, and it still stands out as one of the best fun holidays ever!

Yeah, it's funny, the amount of stick people on the inland waterway facebook groups give hire boats because of the amount of fenders out the whole time. We found that 1) the fender lines are spliced so that you can't undo them 2) the fender lines are so short that it is hard to get the fenders up onto the side decks and if you do, they fall down easily and 3) lifting all fenders on one of the boats resulted in a 0.1knts increase to top speed - so it's really not as significant a drag factor as you'd imagine.

For the rental company one incident of a hire party forgetting to put them back out or not securing them properly would likely outweigh any difference to having them stowed on board when not required.

antietam1 · 21-09-2020 5:19pm

Alkers wrote: »

Yeah, it's funny, the amount of stick people on the inland waterway facebook groups give hire boats because of the amount of fenders out the whole time. We found that 1) the fender lines are spliced so that you can't undo them 2) the fender lines are so short that it is hard to get the fenders up onto the side decks and if you do, they fall down easily and 3) lifting all fenders on one of the boats resulted in a 0.1knts increase to top speed - so it's really not as significant a drag factor as you'd imagine.

For the rental company one incident of a hire party forgetting to put them back out or not securing them properly would likely outweigh any difference to having them stowed on board when not required.

I used the fire extinguisher from my own boat on a fire on a private boat, 3 or 4 of the folks from hire boats did the same.
I wonder did they lose their deposit?

afatbollix · 10-01-2021 9:07pm

I'm thinking about a trip this summer, I have to say all the websites make it confusing. Most seem like booking.com of booking boats with there 20% charge on top, Is there any direct websites I should look at?

The reason for a boat is that hopefully, we have a family do in Athlone and the hotel is already €265 a night! They have a marina so for the price of a couple of nights in the hotel we could be half way to a boat for a week.

How long would it take to get from Carrick to Athlone? Would it be possible in 1 full day? Then we would take our time going back.

Seth Brundle · 10-01-2021 9:48pm

afatbollix wrote: »

I'm thinking about a trip this summer, I have to say all the websites make it confusing. Most seem like booking.com of booking boats with there 20% charge on top, Is there any direct websites I should look at?

For starters:
https://www.cruise-ireland.com/
https://www.emeraldstar.ie/

afatbollix wrote: »

How long would it take to get from Carrick to Athlone? Would it be possible in 1 full day? Then we would take our time going back.

I'd say you'd be pushing it to do that distance to be honest. Plus youre missing a sh*tload of beautiful scenery. Hire the boat in Athlone, travel south and back for the day and after your family do, drop the boat off in Carrick?

The_Wanderer · 10-01-2021 11:17pm

The three main hire companies are:

https://www.emeraldstar.ie - bases in Carrick-on-Shannon and Portumna
https://www.cruise-ireland.com (Carrickcraft) - bases in Carrick-on-Shannon and Banagher.
https://silverlinecruisers.com/ - based in Banagher.

All the hire companies will quote you the base price (i.e. hire of boat). On top of that you'll have to pay Insurance and Fuel (bit like car hire) and usually a refundable security deposit. So make sure you read the T&C's of each hire company so your not surprised with any extra costs.

I've hired from Emerald Star (normally Portumna, but in 2020 from Carrick). Personally I found the service at Portumna to be more friendly as they are a smaller base and the first time I hired a boat was from Portumna and I found the boat induction to be excellent.

For this year I found Emerald Star to have gone really expensive for the type of boats I wanted so I've switched my business for 2021 to Silverline in Banagher where I've got one of their premier boats for 12 nights for slightly less than the price that Emerald Star were looking for 7 nights.

Silverline do seem to be regarded as having the best hire fleet and their reviews seem to indicate induction is of a good standard. Banagher is about 3.5 hours cruise to Athlone.

Carrick to Athlone in a day is doable but at a push, but best spread over two days with an overnight in Dromod, Roosky, Termonbarry, Richmond Harbour or Lanesborough.

The marina in Athlone is run by the council and costs €12 per night, payable to the attendant or at a ticket machine. Mooring there can be tricky due to the flow of water coming through the river off Lough Ree.

Another thing to remember is hire companies give you the boat on day 1 in the afternoon, 3 to 5pm and on last day return is at 9 am (10 am for Silverline). Emerald Star do offer an early check in (1200 depart) and late check out (1200 arrive) but that does cost extra.

If you any other questions, ask away!

W

afatbollix · 11-01-2021 8:52pm

Thanks, guys that's really helpful.

I knew this forum would help, I didn't know about Banagher and that should be doable in a day.

The event should be on the Saturday and pick up the boat on Thursday afternoon and see where we could get to and moar up and then motor on the Friday to make it to Athlone.

Also our little one will be 9 months old, Am I stupid to think a boating week is possible?

Also I can blame you Wanderer as it was your photos last year who got me interested and I just looked through them all again. Saying that, I shouldn't of read about your trip as the photos missed out on the rain

The_Wanderer · 12-01-2021 1:24am

afatbollix wrote: »

Thanks, guys that's really helpful.

I knew this forum would help, I didn't know about Banagher and that should be doable in a day.

The event should be on the Saturday and pick up the boat on Thursday afternoon and see where we could get to and moar up and then motor on the Friday to make it to Athlone.

Also our little one will be 9 months old, Am I stupid to think a boating week is possible?

Also I can blame you Wanderer as it was your photos last year who got me interested and I just looked through them all again. Saying that, I shouldn't of read about your trip as the photos missed out on the rain

Glad to have given you the bug! It's a wonderful holiday and something I wanted to try for ages before actually doing it. If you have concerns about spending 7 nights why not do a shorter trip (minimum is 3 nights)? If you don't like it at least you won't spend the week being miserable. Just make sure you make the right decision, especially with the baby. My first hire was 3 nights, just to make sure we didn't hate it! Since then it's always been 7 nights and my parents come along as well as they also love it. This year we're pushing the boat out (pun intended!) and doing 12 nights, planning on going from Banagher up to Belleek and back again. As I mentioned before, 12 nights from Silverline was cheaper than 7 nights that Emerald Star were offering for boats of a similar spec.

Oh there was plenty of rain, and even a storm for last year's trip.

If you told me before hand that there would be a red/yellow alert storm in August I'll have laughed at you. We spent that night on the WI jetty at Carrick-on-Shannon. I slept soundly but some of my family didn't. Must have been the several drinks I had earlier in the night! We heard the next morning that a family abandoned ship and sought refuge in the hotel opposite and also another family terminated their hire early and high tailed it back to Dublin before the storm arrived!

As for rain, have a look at my Richmond Harbour photos, not up to the usual standard as the camera got drenched (in its bag) and took the best part of 16 hours to dry out properly! Nly doing so when the sun came out on the way to Roosky. Thankfully my Silverline hire for this year has a full canopy if the weather isn't great.

Best advice is so your research before hand, get to know the rules of the navigation and understand the navigational map. It's important that you know your position on the map at all times, especially when on the big lakes. The map is available online at https://issuu.com/carrickcraft/docs/book

If picking up the boat from Banagher I would suggest night 1 at Shannonbridge, then day 2 up to Clonmacnoise for a look around and lunch onboard (about 1 hour from Shannonbridge) and then onwards to Athlone (about 2ish hours).

After that I would suggest visiting some spots on Lough Ree to fill up a few days before you have to head back south. A nice last night spot would be beside the lock at Shannon Harbour. Its about a 20 min cruise to Banagher. The small village is about a 5 to 10 min walk from that mooring with a lovely pub/grocer that does light meals. That's if the pubs are open by then! Not sure if you looked at all my Shannon cruise pictures but its featured in the 2016 and 2017 trips.

There is also a very active facebook group which you might find usual (I certainly do)

https://www.facebook.com/groups/717182844986491/?ref=share

RMDrive · 05-07-2021 1:40pm

Glad to have stumbled across this thread! Doing a one-way week from Portumna to Carrick starting on Saturday. It's be great to read the posts and to see the pictures. We're first-timers so excited and nervous about the trip.

A question please ... what time would we need to be moored up at a marina in order to be confident of having a place for the night? I've read some people say 3-4pm?

The_Wanderer · 05-07-2021 4:42pm

RMDrive wrote: »

Glad to have stumbled across this thread! Doing a one-way week from Portumna to Carrick starting on Saturday. It's be great to read the posts and to see the pictures. We're first-timers so excited and nervous about the trip.

A question please ... what time would we need to be moored up at a marina in order to be confident of having a place for the night? I've read some people say 3-4pm?

Welcome to the club and hopefully you get the bug like most of us have

What type of boat are you hiring off ES?

It really depends on how busy the said marinas are, weekends are probably busier, especially at this time of the year when are lot of "private boat owners" would be out on the water.

Have you any idea of the marinas you'll be overnighting at? My mode of operation is generally set off in the morning, stop somewhere for lunch and then head off to somewhere else for the evening. Arriving anytime between 1600 - 1800 generally.

If a marina is busy and no spaces you can always raft against another boat (see pict below), always nice to ask before hand if you can.

RMDrive · 05-07-2021 5:10pm

The_Wanderer wrote: »

Welcome to the club and hopefully you get the bug like most of us have What type of boat are you hiring off ES?

It really depends on how busy the said marinas are, weekends are probably busier, especially at this time of the year when are lot of "private boat owners" would be out on the water.

Have you any idea of the marinas you'll be overnighting at? My mode of operation is generally set off in the morning, stop somewhere for lunch and then head off to somewhere else for the evening. Arriving anytime between 1600 - 1800 generally.

If a marina is busy and no spaces you can always raft against another boat (see pict below), always nice to ask before hand if you can.

Thanks for the reply. We have a Magnifique boat from ES; so probably a large enough boat for our first time out. We were offered 2 free days plus the larger boat (we had booked an elegance) to do a one-way from Portumna to Carrick. It works for us so we said yes.

Not 100% sure on all of the Marinas we'll be stopping at, but Terryglass, Athlone, Hodson Bay, Tarmonbarry and Lough Key Forest Park are on the list of possibilities.

Is being allowed to raft against someone else considered a favour? So if they refuse you should try another marina? Or it it par for the course that most people will let you do this?

Given that we are newbies (and have a larger boat), is there marina/river etiquette that we should be especially aware of?

Thanks for the help!

DOCARCH · 05-07-2021 5:29pm

Just back today from 4 nights/5 days on the Shannon.

Went Carrick to Dromod to Lanesborough to Boyle to Leitirm Village and back to Carrick (and stopped off at a few other places along the way including Lough Key).

Got a spot no problem each evening along the way. We were usually in by around 6pm.

DOCARCH · 05-07-2021 5:46pm

RMDrive wrote: »

Is being allowed to raft against someone else considered a favour? So if they refuse you should try another marina? Or it it par for the course that most people will let you do this?

If there are no other spaces available, it's par for the course.

HeidiHeidi · 05-07-2021 5:50pm

If you're rafting, make sure the boat inside you doesn't want to leave at the crack of dawn!

The_Wanderer · 05-07-2021 6:21pm

RMDrive wrote: »

Thanks for the reply. We have a Magnifique boat from ES; so probably a large enough boat for our first time out. We were offered 2 free days plus the larger boat (we had booked an elegance) to do a one-way from Portumna to Carrick. It works for us so we said yes.

Not 100% sure on all of the Marinas we'll be stopping at, but Terryglass, Athlone, Hodson Bay, Tarmonbarry and Lough Key Forest Park are on the list of possibilities.

Is being allowed to raft against someone else considered a favour? So if they refuse you should try another marina? Or it it par for the course that most people will let you do this?

Given that we are newbies (and have a larger boat), is there marina/river etiquette that we should be especially aware of?

Thanks for the help!

The Magnifique is a nice boat. I had its sister vessels, the Royal Mystique on a week cruise from Portumna in 2018. Same bodyshell, window arrangement slightly different, different interior as the Mag has extra bedrooms.

A lot of those Marinas are fairly big so I say you'll be fine. Just relax and enjoy it.

The_Wanderer · 06-07-2021 10:21pm

RMDrive wrote: »

Glad to have stumbled across this thread! Doing a one-way week from Portumna to Carrick starting on Saturday. It's be great to read the posts and to see the pictures. We're first-timers so excited and nervous about the trip.

A question please ... what time would we need to be moored up at a marina in order to be confident of having a place for the night? I've read some people say 3-4pm?

One other thing to note before your trip.

Do your research on understanding the maps and what the markers mean and also make sure you crew understand how to tie knots to the cleats.
The cruise Ireland website (carrickcraft) has an excellent online resource for this, the best of all the hire companies.

An online copy of the navigation map is at
https://www.cruise-ireland.com/boating-guide/charts/

Online tutorials
https://www.cruise-ireland.com/boating.../online-tutorial/

It is highly recommended that you go through these to get an idea of what to expect.

Mick Tator · 07-07-2021 12:22am

Tip on rafting - it's considered impolite to tramp across a cabintop in the dark; if in daylight cross via the foredeck, not the cockpit.

RMDrive · 20-07-2021 1:10pm

Well here am I back on dry land after an AMAZING week on the Shannon. We had such a good time and the holiday completely exceeded our expectations.

Route:

We collected in Portumna on Saturday the 10th and after doing a bit of practice on Lough Ree, we moored up at the outside wall in Terryglas. It was here that we had our only ‘incident’ of the week. A private boat made its way into the adjacent private marina at quite a pace and the resulting wash snapped a rope in the boat beside us, and broke strands in 2 of our ropes. Some simple surgery allowed us to re-knot to the cleats and we were ship-shape again.

The following day had us though our first lock (very straightforward) and we headed north to Banagher for the night and the euro’s final. After touring Clonmacnoise the next day (and having a lovely swim there), we spent the first of 2 nights in Athlone. The staff at the marina in Athlone are really great, but the toilet and shower facilities are pretty terrible – they need to be gutted and rebuilt. We did Bay Sports the follow day (great fun) and spent another night in Athlone. We had a beautiful drive up to Drumod on Wednesday and after navigating the particularly tricky marina we had a lovely meal in Coxes restaurant. Drumod is such a well-kept and beautiful village. We really enjoyed our stop there.

Then it was off to Lough Key and the journey to there from Drumod was definitely the most scenic part of our trip – just beautiful. We had a fantastic barbecue at Lough Key followed by Zipit and swimming the next morning. Then back to Carrick-on-Shannon on Friday night in time to drop the boat back early the next morning.

The Boat:

Like a hotel that has seen better days, a lot of the ES fleet seems to be showing its age. Our Mangifique boat had several issues. It couldn’t be locked for starters with the upper sliding door not able to be latched closed. The toilet system stank after a few days despite us doing a pump-out in Athlone – even though ES told us that it definitely wouldn’t be necessary. And the overall cleanliness when we received the boat was poor enough. They definitely got it back a lot cleaner than when we received it. We stayed in Banager and got the opportunity to look at several Silverline boats. They seem to be quite a bit newer and are priced competitively – if we decide to go again, we may consider them.

None of these issues made the holiday any less enjoyable though – it’s just that when you are paying over €3,000 for a boat, I would expect not to have to deal with them.

Driving:

I was lucky that my BIL has a good bit of experience at sea, and that definitely helped when it came to mooring. The secret that I learned was to take everything slowly. The people who had the most trouble seemed to be those that operated the throttle in 2 positions – all the way forward or all the way back! Locks are very straightforward to manage – again just take your time. My favourite bit of the whole holiday was just sitting up on top, with the boat going at its top speed (which is a crawl 😀) and just letting the pace of your thoughts match the pace of your progress – just so relaxing and peaceful.

Activities:

Zipit and Bay Sports were brilliant – would highly recommend both.

Overall:

I know that the good weather helped things, but overall this was one of the top 5 holidays we’ve ever had. All 6 of us (4x adults, 11yo and 13yo) just loved it. Thanks to those on this thread who posted advice – it was all extremely useful.

The_Wanderer · 21-07-2021 7:30pm

https://boards.ie/discussion/comment/117636842#Comment_117636842

Delighted that you had a great holiday on the Shannon, it's the undiscovered country of Irish holidays. Since first doing a 3 night trip in 2016 I've been hooked and done one every year since then except 2019 when we got married (would have done one if I could have afforded it!).

Sorry to hear of your issues with the boat itself. The hire boats take a lot of punishment from the clients and I always expect to have some issue with them along the way. I've always hired from Emerald Star (ESL) and have found the boats to be very clean. But the basics should be right, no excuse for that so it's disappointing to hear that the boat wasn't to the standard you expected it, make sure you feed that back to them.

I might have mentioned it already, but for this year we originally planned to go in May, and wanted to go to Lough Erne. Looking at ESL they wanted €4k for a Horizon 3 boat for 7 nights ex Carrick, that is a high season price to me! I wasn't going to pay that. So I went looking at Silverline who have always been "that bit more expensive" but with ESL jacking their prices up so high Silverline are now cheaper. I booked the Silver Ocean for 12 nights (to go from Banagher to Lough Erne) for €3850, yes an extra 5 nights for a cheaper price than what ESL wanted!

Anyway lockdown was dragging on so in February we made a judgement call and decided to defer our holiday to end of August. The Silver Ocean wasn't available (booked solid all summer), but the Silver Shadow was (Silverline's other premier boat class). As we hit the special offer season and getting a slightly cheaper boat we managed to knock €1380 off the original quote! So not bad all round. I didn't take notes, but I did check ESL for the same week to compare costs for a 7 night trip ex Carrick and they were still more expensive with the limited availability they had.

So I'm looking forward to my cruise with Silverline and they are regarded as the best hire boats on the Shannon for being well maintained / presented etc.

As an aside I did manage to have a good chat with a ESL person recently, a chance encounter, and when asked the question "are you hiring this summer" I sheepishly had to admit we defected to Silverline! He admitted that the ESL owning company, Le Boat, have "got greedy" and raised their prices and we were't the only ones to have gone elsewhere. He hopes if people vote with their feet and go elsewhere they will realise the error of their ways and reduce prices accordingly, but it could be too late by then.

mossym · 21-07-2021 8:58pm

Having been moored in various harbors most weekends in the last few months I don't know if it will make any difference, rental boats everywhere and from what I hear they are all pretty much booked solid for the summer. Little doubt that they knew they would fill up regardless of the price and so raised their prices to capitalize

MB1380 · 26-07-2021 3:47pm

Is it realistic to get from Carrick to Athlone and back with 4 nights?

AndyBoBandy · 26-07-2021 4:46pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117663899#Comment_117663899

Yes, the very first time we went down as a group of friends, we made it from Carrick down to Hodsons Bay (Athlone is only about 45 minutes further south) and back in only a 3 night stay.

last year we went from Carrick down to Mountshannon and back in only 6 days

MB1380 · 26-07-2021 7:07pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117664255#Comment_117664255

That's great! We are a group of friends aswell so want to stop somewhere lively. Would you need to stay overnight between Carrick and Hodson Bay?

It says 9hrs to Athlone on the timetable?

Fann Linn · 26-07-2021 7:29pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117664866#Comment_117664866

Ye have to tie up every night with the hire boats. One of the main t&cs.

The_Wanderer · 27-07-2021 4:49pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117663899#Comment_117663899

I'm planning to do Athlone - Carrick in a single day this year as we power full steam ahead to get to the Shannon / Erne Canal and Lough Erne from Banagher so its entirely possible to do it in four nights.

Possible suggestion would be:

Day 1: Carrick - Dromod (if no room at Dromod, go to Roosky 20 mins further on).

Day 2: Dromod - Athlone stopping for lunch at Lanesborough.

Day 3: Athlone - stop somewhere on Lough Ree for Lunch - Tarmonbarry.

Day 4: Tarmonbarry - Carnodoe Lakes (Grange Lough / Kilglass Lough for a lunch stop) Jamestown.

Day 5: Jamestown - Carrick.

Navigational guide can be viewed at the link below to get some ideas of places to visit.

https://online.flippingbook.com/view/603509/

Jor-El · 27-07-2021 7:50pm

Hi folks,

How is navigating off the chart/map? How are you referencing where you are on the river at any given time?

Cheers

The_Wanderer · 27-07-2021 8:25pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117670201#Comment_117670201

The markers are all numbered (lettered in some cases) and you'll be cross referencing your position on the map with your location. You need to be aware of your location on the map at all times otherwise you run the risk of going aground if you don't pay attention to the markers and the map.

Jor-El · 27-07-2021 9:47pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117670370#Comment_117670370

Many thanks!

AndyBoBandy · 27-07-2021 10:27pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117670201#Comment_117670201

If you wanted, you could download the a Navionics app and subscribe to the Ireland/U.K./Holland maps, which would give you your position on the map fairly accurately….. a bit overkill if your only doing it once, but still a nice feature to have.

Also a great way to track your journeys…..

ec18 · 28-07-2021 12:00pm

how much experience do you need to hire boats? I've done some boating with smaller boats on Holidays before but nothing bigger than may 15ft.

JimmyVik · 28-07-2021 1:02pm

Its the price I want to know :)

Gerard93 · 28-07-2021 1:33pm

On the Shannon 2 x years ago Banagher to Lough Key and back in a week found Google Maps a great help along with the Paper Navigation Charts !

DOCARCH · 28-07-2021 5:31pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117672843#Comment_117672843

They say none. People tend to get the hang of it within a couple of hours.

RMDrive · 28-07-2021 5:38pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117672843#Comment_117672843

Having just come off my maiden voyage ... no experience required :)

If you've done a bit before then you'll be better off than most. Novices will have a more enjoyable time if they read a few threads like this and if you have a crew/family that will step up and help you out.

AndyBoBandy · 28-07-2021 6:44pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117672843#Comment_117672843

No experience required.

they'll bring you out for a small orientation run to show you how the boat operates and how to steer/control it (think like a forklift that steers from the back wheels). They'll observe you driving the boat, and once they are happy you have the basics, they'll let you away.

My advice would be that when entering locks or marina's/docks, drive the boat as slow as it will go while still maintaining control of it (for most rental boats this would be just having the forward or reverse gear engaged, but with no revs added (I'd call this ticking over in ahead or ticking over in astern), so engine idling, but with the forward or reverse gear engaged), once the boat is moving through the water you should have directional control with the steering wheel turning the rudder. If the boat is not moving, the steering wheel is about as useful as a chocolate teapot.

I'd advise finding some nice open areas like small/mid sized lakes with plenty of space in them, and just 'messing around' practicing various manoeuvres at slow speeds, to get the feel for how the boat reacts at such speeds (and also to give everyone a go at it). Likewise in reverse... some boats can manoeuvre quite well once moving in reverse, but some boats are also dogs in reverse. You'd mostly only use a burst of reverse power to slow down in a hurry, or to reverse out of a marina berth, but it's still good practice to be able to manouvre in reverse.

MB1380 · 04-08-2021 1:46pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117669397#Comment_117669397

Thanks,

We ended up doing:

Day 1 Carrick - Tarmonbarry

Day 2 Tarmonbarry - Athlone

Day 3 Athlone - Carrick (Took about 7hrs)

wrangler · 21-08-2021 9:51am

Emerald star very dear, We've never hired a cruiser, but was doing one this week, we were hiring a clipper based on the photographs. €1900 for the week ++++lots of extras.

We decided we'd see the boat beforehand, it's supposed to be a 4+2 so thought, based on the photos, it'd be fine for 4 of us.

Anyway, we got a chance to see it yesterday, it was horrible, It was just about big enough for a couple with one child.

We even looked at a ten berth and compared to boats I was looking at to buy, I'd consider them only big enough for a 4 -6 berth.

I guess what I'm saying is to see the boat before you commit

The_Wanderer · 24-08-2021 9:29pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117783774#Comment_117783774

ESL have gone very dear. After being a loyal customer since 2016 when I had my first trip, for this year we are going with Silverline which are now very competitive on price and are regarded as the best on the Shannon.

There is plenty of photographs on the various hire boat company websites to get a feel for the boat before hand.

4 + 2 means 2 cabins (2 persons in each) and the main saloon which the seat can covert into a double bed (the + 2).

First rule of boating, get a boat bigger than your needs if possible, i.e. in this case 3 cabins, so you can store all your bits in the spare cabin. I've generally stuck to this rule where possible, but not this year due to circumstances outside my control I had to defer my planned trip so the original boat I wanted (sticking to that rule) wasn't available.

wrangler · 24-08-2021 10:53pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117799327#Comment_117799327

There's no way two adults would sleep in the bow cabin of the clipper (4 +2), The whole boat was stuffy to say the least and small.

I only found silverline in the last few days and they look far better value. even their 8,9 berth isn't that much more expensive than 1900

Events have overtaken us now and would've had to cancel anyway but so lucky we went to see the boat before we booked

The_Wanderer · 11-09-2021 6:57pm

All the photos from my recent Shannon and Erne cruise have now been uploaded to the gallery. Click the image below or https://bit.ly/392FZ5X to view from the very start of our 12 night cruise from Banagher to Belleek and back again.

wrangler · 11-10-2021 10:33pm

If I bought a boat where is the best place to rent a berth around athlone, also a rough idea of cost also cost of comprehensive insurance

fergal.b · 12-10-2021 5:26pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118006888#Comment_118006888

You will find it very hard to get a mooring anywhere around Athlone there are big waiting lists with everyone doing staycations, if you do find a spot you could be looking at 1500 - 2000 a year for a 30 foot boat and even that price is going up due to the demand. Insurance is one of the cheeper parts of boating you could probably get 3rd party for 100 euro after that it depends on how much the boat is worth and all the gear that goes with it.

Shannon cruise - any tips?

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