Which boat for Irish inland waters

Ireland's inland waters range from a canal two boats wide to lakes where the waves build like the sea. No boat suits all of them. Decide where you want to go first: the locks, bridges and depths of that water decide the boat.

Size limits, waterway by waterway

The numbers that matter most when you buy: the length and beam (width) a lock takes, the depth (draft) you can count on, and the headroom under the lowest bridge (air draft).

The exceptions, worth checking before you buy:

• Grand Canal: 1 m of draft in Dublin, and 2.45 m of headroom under the Ringsend railway bridge.
• Royal Canal: Lock 10 at Ashtown takes less than 3.5 m of beam; 2.1 m of headroom at Sheriff Street, Spencer Dock.
• Barrow: the 2.58 m is at Carlow bridge, over a width of 2.4 m; the 0.76 m is what the depth can fall to in summer.
• Shannon–Erne Waterway: the 3.2 m is over a width of 3 m.
• Shannon: 9 m of beam on the Upper Shannon, 12 m on the Lower, 5.75 m on the Camlin River. The 3.85 m is at Killaloe bridge at normal summer level, the lowest on the main river.
• Erne System: the lock is Portora Lock.
• Lower Bann: Coleraine town bridge leaves about 4.2 m at low water but only 1.5 m at high water.

Sources: Waterways Ireland's boater information for the Grand Canal, Royal Canal, Barrow, Shannon–Erne Waterway, Shannon and Lough Allen Canal, Erne and Lower Bann.

Two things catch buyers out:

• Beam on the canals. A cruiser 4 metres wide that is at home on the Shannon and the Erne will not fit a Grand Canal, Royal Canal or Barrow lock (3.9 m).
• Air draft with everything up. Measure from the waterline to the highest point with the canopy, windscreen, mast, lights and aerials up. A flybridge cruiser that clears Killaloe may still be too tall for the Shannon–Erne Waterway (3.2 m) or the canals (2.7 m) unless its top folds down. On the Upper Shannon the road bridges at Tarmonbarry and Roosky leave about 2.35 m and 3.0 m when lowered; the lock-keepers lift them for taller boats.

Kayaks and canoes

The cheapest way onto the water, and a lovely one: the canals and the Barrow are calm, sheltered and full of wildlife, and you can lift a kayak around a lock. Waterways Ireland exempts open, undecked boats with an engine of 15 hp or less (10 hp on the Erne) from registration, which covers an open canoe; for a decked kayak, ask Waterways Ireland (craft registration).

The big lakes are another matter. Lough Derg, Lough Ree and the Erne build waves fast in a strong wind: keep close to the shore, read the lake forecast and wear a buoyancy aid. The water is cold even in summer (Safety on board). Check, clean and dry your kayak when you move to another water: zebra mussels and invasive weeds travel on hulls (invasives.ie).

Small boats and fishing boats

An open boat of four to six metres with an outboard is the angler's boat on Lough Corrib, Lough Derg, Lough Ree and the Erne, and it goes on a trailer to any lake with a slipway. Things to know:

• An open, undecked boat with an engine of 15 hp or less needs no Waterways Ireland registration on the Shannon; on the Erne the limit is 10 hp (Waterways Ireland). Above that, register it (free).
• On a boat under 7 metres, everyone in an open boat or on deck must wear a lifejacket while it is under way, and nobody under 12 may drive a boat with an engine over 5 hp (S.I. 921/2005).
• Lough Corrib's rocks lie just below the surface all over the lake; newcomers are advised to take a local guide (Discover Ireland).

RIBs and inflatables

A small inflatable or RIB makes the ideal tender for a cruiser: ashore to a lakeside pub, out to an island. As a fast boat in its own right it has less room to run inland than you might think: the limit is 5 km/h near bridges, jetties, harbours and moored boats on Waterways Ireland navigations (Special Marine Notice 1/2026), 5 knots on the whole Erne (Waterways Ireland), and 3.2 knots (about 6 km/h) on the Grand and Royal Canals. Personal watercraft (jet skis) are banned on Lough Corrib (WI Marine Notice 29 of 2021), and nobody under 16 may drive a jet ski or a fast power boat (S.I. 921/2005).

Cruisers

The classic Shannon and Erne boat: a cabin cruiser with berths, a galley, a toilet with a holding tank and a diesel engine. Choose by where you will cruise:

• Shannon and Erne only: the locks take 31 m (Shannon) and 36 m (Portora on the Erne), so headroom (Killaloe 3.85 m, the Erne 4.2 m) and draft are usually the limit, plus 5.75 m of beam if you want the Camlin River.
• The whole Shannon–Erne system: within 24 m × 4.5 m, a 1.2 m draft and 3.2 m of air draft over a 3 m width.
• The canals and the Barrow too: within 18.5 m × 3.9 m, about 1 to 1.2 m draft and 2.7 m air draft.

The builder's plate gives the boat's design category under the Recreational Craft Directive. Category D is designed for winds up to force 4 and waves up to 0.3 m (occasionally 0.5 m); category C for winds up to force 6 and waves up to 2 m (Directive 2013/53/EU, Annex I). A category C boat has more margin on the open water of Lough Derg, Lough Ree or the Broad Lough on Lower Lough Erne; a category D boat is built for sheltered water.

Practical points: heating stretches the season; a holding tank must be pumped out at the service points (Smart Card); a bow thruster helps a single-handed crew in a crosswind.

Narrowboats and barges

Steel narrowboats and small barges suit the canals: slow, stable, warm in winter and built for locks. Keep within 3.9 m beam for the Grand and Royal Canals and the Barrow, and under 3.5 m for Lock 10 on the Royal. Wide-beam barges belong on the Shannon and the Erne. On the canals the paperwork is a permit rather than a registration: see Buying a boat in Ireland for the permits and where to keep it in winter.