prmbrown

I'm considering a week long, self drive canal boat trip in east central France, on the Nivernais specifically. I've researched the most popular canal boat operators such as Le Boat and Locaboat and the feedback on the condition of the boats is very unsettling. Some will say the boats were fine while others complained of fleas, mechanical failures, etc. A great many earn one star ratings.

In this forum, I've read one or two comments about renting canal boats from private parties but my internet searches haven't produced any results. How does one find a private party canal boat for rent? Also, what have been the experiences? Are the boats any better or worse than the commercially available boats and are they any more economical to rent?

Sarastro

There are all kinds of people renting canal boats with many different types of expectations. There is nothing wrong with Leboat, Canalous, or Locaboat. The quality and condition of the boats they offer is commensurate with the price you pay. Don´t hire an expensive boat and expect it to be have first class appointments. The bottom tier boats are well-used, noticeably older, and many are not much more than functional. It is also imperative that you completely check out any boat before you depart the base.

I have rented from several private parties and have been very pleased. The cost is usually far lower and the boats can be much better equipped. The only concern is that you must have a French Permis Fluvial or equivalent to meet renters insurance requirements (as well as the owners piece of mind).

Linssen has a rental program but these boats are top-of-the-line and are priced accordingly:

https://www.linssenboatingholidays.com/en/

Probably the site with the largest number of boats listed by their owners is:

https://www.clickandboat.com/

Sarastro

Correction: <i>Don´t hire an expensive boat</i>

That should be: <i>Don´t hire an inexpensive boat</i>

prmbrown

Thanks Sarastro. Actually, it was a comment of yours on a thread, now several years old, that got me thinking about a private boat. And yes "you get what you pay for" is still pretty accurate but I'm constantly on the hunt for a different way to approach things and I welcome your input. Thanks for the web link.

I'll check out the Permis Fluvial certification. That might be a little more than I bargained for.

Sarastro

Many years ago, what started the canal boat rental craze was that the French government allowed rental companies to operate without the need for their customers to possess waterway licenses. The government gave the exemption to boat enthusiasts, renting from a well established company, to operate on predetermined routes which were simple to navigate and relatively easy to use.

Going beyond the basic oversight of an established rental company means you must have the appropriate qualifications. Obtaining a Permis Fluvial requires a little study and a workable command of the French language.

However, I am relatively sure that someone with an interior waterways permit from a country other than France can legally operate on French canals. Unfortunately, I cannot offer any guidance on the specifics of which foreign licenses are recognized and accepted by French authorities but a bit of internet searching could provide useful results.

prmbrown

Interesting, I'll look into reciprocity of permits.

Thanks again

jan47ete

Search the Forum for canal barge, etc. I wrote 2 lengthy reports as it was one of the best trips of our lives. Did it with Crown Blue who is now Le Boat and it was INCREDIBLE!

prmbrown

Thanks jan47ete. I'll renew my forum search for your reports.

julies

I've been meaning to put together a trip report but haven't yet. Maybe I'll get to it in the next week or so.

In October we did a very last minute canal boat rental on the Garonne. Our rental was through LeBoat, and we were those whose evaluation of the boat itself (not the people working for LeBoat) was a 1*.

What we were promised and what was delivered was not the same. The boat we were given was 12 years older than we had been told it was. We needed several service calls while on route--a toilet was leaking waste water (the company knew about this problem and sent us off nevertheless pretending that it had been taken care of) and the steering mechanism wasn't working (two different times this needed to be fixed). Our boat was old and tired, but that wasn't our complaint with the company. We rented a cheaper boat and weren't expecting deluxe by any means. Mechanics on a rental boat should be functional, and these definitely weren't.

I don't know that we'd do another trip with a canal boat rental.

prmbrown

Mixed reviews on these boats for sure, Julies. Thanks.

A bit of a gamble and one that I'm not sure I want to take. The in season prices have sky rocketed since I started looking which I should have known would happen but I was naive to think they wouldn't double.

Thanks again to all for this input.

nukesafe

Well, one way to do it is to buy a boat. A good friend and neighbor and his wife took a luxury barge cruise in Holland a number of years ago. They enjoyed it, except for the price, but felt they would really prefer to do it themselves, as they were boat people.

They explored renting a boat for the next summer, but found the price prohibitive, so they went to Holland to buy a boat. They figured they would protect the investment with insurance, and sell the vessel if they did not enjoy the experience. After 12 years of exploring the European inland waterways for a few months each season they finally sold the boat a couple of years back, when failing health made scrambling up slippery lock ladders less attractive.

Might not be the thing for you, but they had a hell of a good time.

P.S. If you do go that route you might consider loaning it to us sometimes, as they did for us.

prmbrown

Nuke,

Your comment is spot on and exactly what got me interested in renting a boat...to see if I would like to buy one. I met some people who have done exactly that and the price was very reasonable to buy, operate, maintain, etc a canal boat. Six years later they are still enjoying their investment. So yes, your comment is exactly in line with my thinking! But gotta try it first.

julies

You should probably read the trip report I currently have going. I have just started to discuss our canal boat trip last October.

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...e-boat-car.cfm

prmbrown

Thanks Julies,

Started reading it tonight.