Q. I am thinking of buying a cruiser with the idea of cruising the erne/shannon waterway what is the maximum height of a boat which will pass under all the bridges on the entire route as i am looking at a number of flybridges.

A. The airdraft of the Shannon Erne Waterway is 3.2m over a width of 3.0m.
Areas(s) : Shannon Erne Waterway Navigation Cruising

Q. Can you tell me how many craft use the Shannon-Erne Waterway in a year?

A. Whilst it is not possible to indicate the total number of craft that use the waterway (as boats may be launched at slipways and taken out locally without being recorded) Waterways Ireland does keep a record of the boat passages at the locks at each end of the waterway. The Shannon – Erne Waterway has a total of 16 navigation locks along its length and they are numbered from east to west. The boat count figure represents the total number of boats passing through the lock in both directions in a year. So if a boat were to pass through the system from the Shannon to the Erne and make a return trip later then the boat would be counted initially at Lock 16 and again at Lock 1 and on the return leg at Lock 1 and then at Lock 16 i.e. twice at each end. The overall estimation of boat activity is made more complex in that some boats make partial journeys and some make one-way trips. However we can say that in the 14 seasons that have passed since the Shannon – Erne Waterway was opened to navigation in 1994 there have been an average of 3163 passages recorded annually at Lock 1 (Co. Fermanagh) and 2600 passages recorded annually at Lock 16 (Co. Leitrim).
Areas(s) : Shannon Erne Waterway

Q. new to boating. Just bought a boat, a 14 foot cuddy with 20 hp engine. Living in carlow. How much is it to use this boat on the barrow and where do i pay this. I will be registering this boat, will this allow me to use this boat on other water ways i.e lakes, rivers and canals.

A. On the Barrow Navigation, Grand Canal, and Royal Canal boats must show a name or number. For travel throughout the year an annual permit can be purchased which includes mooring and lock passage charges. For shorter periods of travel boaters can purchase monthly mooring permits and pay for lock passages on an individual basis Lock Passage: €0.60 Mooring: €12.70 per month Annual Permit: €126.00 For a full list of of permit sales locations please consult the Waterways Ireland guide to to Navigating Irelands Inland Waterways. For use on the Erne, Shannon Erne and Shannon Navigation boats over 10bhp on Erne and 15bhp on others must be registered with Waterways Ireland Inspectorate. This is free of charge. Please contact the Inspectorates office in Athlone for further details +353 (0)9064 94232
Areas(s) : Waterways Ireland General Shannon Navigation Shannon Erne Waterway Erne System Royal Canal Grand Canal Barrow Navigation Navigation Cruising

Q. Is there a sat navigation map available for the shannon / erne waterway

A. Navionics have produced a sat navigation map for the Shannon Erne Waterway. You can get further information from Navionics UK by emailing sales@navionics.co.uk or by telephone - 0044 1752204735.
Areas(s) : General Shannon Erne Waterway Navigation