Shannon Cruise With Dogs??

oo7tk

Wondering has anyone ever done this before and have any helpful information for me..

Looking to rent a boat for 4 nights at the end of July and bring my 2 dogs with me, just something I always wanted to do but wondering is it more hassle than it’s worth bringing pets??

Thanks

fergal.b

I believe the hire company that do allow pets charge between €50 - €100 per pet and your choice of boat will be limited, if they are not used to boats and you want a relaxing time it might be best to leave them behind.






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Buffalosoldier

We hired boats on Shannon for the past 10 years. We always take on board our Labrador, he loves sitting on the deck while cruising. I personally would be more stressed if I would have to leave the dog with someone while on holidays. Emerald Star allows dogs on all their boats and charge €50 supplement. This can be paid in the marina when you are collecting the boat. If you will be nice, they might not charge you if you are renting a boat in low season. Carrick Craft allows dogs on their smaller boats (Waveline Class, Carlow ) they charge €100 supplement here and £80 up on the Erne. I think both companies have limit of two dogs per boat, don't quote me on that I only have one dog. On lough Ree there is Locaboat, they allow dogs on their boats too and charge €35 supplement. There are also couple of other small companies renting the boats who allow dogs on board, you can try Quigleys Marina on Lough Ree, they have 2 bigger boats for hire and allow dogs but can be expensive.

You can contact hire agent Brian at shannon-river.com, he is a great guy and will get you the boat you need for the same or better price than if you rent direct from a hire companies. Simply let him know when you want to go and he will get you quotes from all hire companies.

For the piece of mind I definitely recommend PFD (Life Vest) for your dog, I have one brand new one for sale on adverts. I would also suggest to wait until September, low season is much more relaxed on Shannon and the boats can be rented for a fraction of the summer price.

The_Wanderer

Last year I cruised on the River Shannon with my parents and their dog. No issues what so ever, except for the first hours when all he wanted to do was jump overboard and go for a swim! But that phase soon passed after a good telling off and he was great company for the week long trip.

We enjoyed it so much we are doing it again in late April, this time with 2 dogs.

My parents had the same reservations as yourself about bringing a dog along. But in the end they were delighted that they did so I advise you to do the same.

We used Emerald Star out of Portumna, no issues at all with them and as far as I know they have no restrictions on what type of boats dogs are allowed on.

Buffalosoldier

Portumna is ideal base for a short duration cruise (3-4 days )to pick up the boat as you can explore Lough Derg. It's also perfect location if you don't have much experience with the boats as there are no locks and only one bridge on your way to the lake.

The_Wanderer

Buffalosoldier wrote: »

Portumna is ideal base for a short duration cruise (3-4 days )to pick up the boat as you can explore Lough Derg. It's also perfect location if you don't have much experience with the boats as there are no locks and only one bridge on your way to the lake.

Very true regarding bridges and locks but it presents it's own difficulties as well with wind and possibly waves. Have to be careful out there on the lakes.

I'll be spending a few days on Lough Derg before heading up the Shannon for the second part of the trip.

Buffalosoldier

The_Wanderer is correct, don't go on the lake if there is bad weather forecasted as it can get choppy. If the wind is S/SW and above force 4, go up the river, plenty of nice spots too and you can easily make to Clonmacknoise and back in 3 days. Before you go, you can also download the trial version of Navionics App, it's free for 14 days. Great navigation aid on the lake as sometimes the buoys are hard to spot when the visibility is poor.....

Panrich

I have been intrigued by the thoughts of bringing our golden retriever with us on one of these cruises since I first read this thread.

I see that these boats use about 3+ litres of fuel per hour. Is it filled at the outset like hire cars and usage measured and paid for afterwards? I wouldn't think there are too many petrol stations along the river

Next, how do those who bring their dogs handle the toilet situation? Is it via regular stopoffs on the riverbank at suitable spots?

And speaking of the toilet situation, I see that there are some boats that have flush toilets and others that don't. Is there a requirement to get your hands dirty on some of these boats?

Buffalosoldier

Most of the boats have enough fuel on board to last you a week. Depending on the boat the 3 litres per hour is optimistic, most of the boats I hired burned anything between 4 and 8 litres per hour. It depends how big is the boat and what RPM you are running the engine. If you keep it below 1600 rpm, you should get closer to 3 litres per hour, if you will run it most of the time at 2100 rpm you will burn much more fuel. You will burn more fuel if you go up the river than if you go downstream. I suggest to keep it below 1600 as you don't go that much quicker on full throttle.. The whole point of holidays on Shannon is to slow down and relax...

At the end of the hire period, you bring the boat back to the hire company and they fill the tank up. Then you only pay for the fuel you use. Some of the companies take the fuel deposit, in that case they refund you a difference.

If you need a top up during your holidays, there are few places where you can fill the tank up. The hire company will tell you where you can top up the diesel and where you can't. You can only do it in IBRA registered places. The fuel tank caps are usually protected with the lock but those registered places have a keys.

There are plenty of stops on the way where you can walk your dog, eat lunch and stay overnight. All will be marked on your charts, the charts are supplied by hire company.

Don't worry about the toilets, there are two types. Electric and Manual, in both cases you don't need to get your hands dirty. Both are flushing toilets. Electric toilets use a bit more water so you might need to empty your waste tank quicker... If there are only two people on board, you should be ok with the waste tank for a week...again depending on the boat, some of them have more than one toilet and more than one holding tank..

Emptying the tank is not that hard and rarely messy if you are careful...there are plenty of places on Shannon where you can pomp out, those will be marked on your charts.. You will need a Smart Card to operate it, you can buy them from hire company or in local shops on the way...

Panrich

Thank you for taking the time to write that reply. It's a totally new holiday idea for us so to have this quality feedback is invaluable.

Buffalosoldier

Not at all, any questions please ask...I am not an expert but have some experience with boat hire companies....and yes I think it's a great idea to spend holidays with the dog..the only disadvantage I can think off is that you can't take dogs to most of the pubs and restaurants on the way... It was never a problem for us, we mostly cook on board as my wife is vegan. Most of those places would't serve vegan food anyway, (I can't blame them)..During warmer months there are still places on the way where you can sit down for a pint outside with your dog....so not a big deal.. I will repeat my self here, before you go, for a piece of buy a life vest for your dog! Man(Dog) overboard manoeuvre on a choppy lake or fast flowing river can be difficult even for experienced boater so don't take your chances, you can get one for around e20-30.

Tabnabs

Just to back up the advice of getting a life jacket/vest for your dog. Often the hardest thing is getting a wet and heavy pooch back into a boat and so the straps on a life vest can be invaluable.

Buffalosoldier

Once our dog misjudged the distance and landed only with front paws on the jetty, he slipped between the boat and the jetty

He didn't even wear the collar so it was super hard to get him on board as he is around 50kg's...The strap would make it much easier and so much less stressful experience..since than, he always wears PFD even at the dock..

The_Wanderer

Panrich wrote: »

I have been intrigued by the thoughts of bringing our golden retriever with us on one of these cruises since I first read this thread.

I see that these boats use about 3+ litres of fuel per hour. Is it filled at the outset like hire cars and usage measured and paid for afterwards? I wouldn't think there are too many petrol stations along the river

Next, how do those who bring their dogs handle the toilet situation? Is it via regular stopoffs on the riverbank at suitable spots?

And speaking of the toilet situation, I see that there are some boats that have flush toilets and others that don't. Is there a requirement to get your hands dirty on some of these boats?

Evening,

Like Buffalosoldier I would highly recommend it.

Feel free to have a look at my pictures from the two cruises I have done so far.

2016 - https://thewandererphotos.smugmug.com/FeaturedGallery/Shannon-Cruise

2017 - https://thewandererphotos.smugmug.com/FeaturedGallery/River-Shannon-Cruise-2017

This might just tickle your taste buds somewhat!

W

Panrich

The_Wanderer wrote: »

Evening,

Like Buffalosoldier I would highly recommend it.

Feel free to have a look at my pictures from the two cruises I have done so far.

2016 - https://thewandererphotos.smugmug.com/FeaturedGallery/Shannon-Cruise

2017 - https://thewandererphotos.smugmug.com/FeaturedGallery/River-Shannon-Cruise-2017

This might just tickle your taste buds somewhat!

W

Thanks for that. Those are great photos.