Trent Severn Charter?

For the past few years we've either chartered or motored our own boat with another couple for at least a week-long trip each year. It's time to start planning our 2016 trip and we've been thinking about the Trent Severn Waterway. From everything I've heard and seen and read it's a beautiful trip. I searched this forum and googled quite a bit for a charter in that area. We did find one, Heritage Coast Charters, but they don't have the Bayliner 4087 available for bareboat, week-long charters any more. We did find the houseboat charters. Those might be a lot of fun and I'm sure they're very popular, but -- well fine, okay, I admit it, I just can't handle a floating mobile home, it violates every nautical instinct in my body. We're looking for a real boat, a trawler, aft cabin, something generally in the ballpark of our Mainship 37 Motoryacht at home, or at least something comfortable for two couples. That Bayliner 4087 would have been really nice because sometimes we add another guest or two and it had three berths. I found a couple sailboat charters too, like one in Picton, but I see the max height on the Trent Severn is 22 feet so a sailboat wouldn't work.

Anybody know of any charter possibilities for the Trent Severn other than the houseboats? Thanks.

Kt Our family has spent summers on the Trent for several generations, I would have said there were "no" yacht charters, let alone one that offered any selection but it seems your research has proved otherwise.

Try not to get too hung up on the houseboat thing, it is in fact the best way to travel the Trent for an extended period. Shallow draft for exploring, cheap on gas, tons of room inside and out. EASY TO LOCK THROUGH. It would be a breeze for you but it was always great entertainment for us residents to watch the green captains trying to squeeze them into the locks on a windy day. The stories I could tell!

If it were me and even if my boat was sitting at our old dock I would rent a houseboat to do the Trent, great fun. The shallow draft is vital to getting the most from the trip. Remember much of it is solid rock. (mainly Simcoe to GB) and straying far from the channels is a no-no for deep draft inboards.

Good luck, it will be a trip you will never forget.

PS Don't forget the buoys reverse toward the northern end.

Don't forget to stop in Campbellford for Dooher's Bakery. The cream filled glazed donuts are the best.

Dooher's Bakery in Campbellford, ON

Avoiding Houseboats has one advantage

You won't get lumped in with the unskilled fools in other houseboats. Just kidding; however, some houseboat charterers do not enjoy good reputations for seamanship.

We cruised the Trent Severne with a group of ten or so other boats, mostly built by Edey & Duff. The scenery is great, and the variety of locks fun.

If you had a couple of weeks you could charter a trawler from Manitoulin Island and go down to Port Severn and into the western sections - the eastern shore of Georgian Bay is also pretty spectacular.
CYC has some trawlers in Gore Bay.

I've done the Trent Severn many times on deliveries and in my own boats. I much prefer the NY State Canal System .... many more places to stop and much more to do.
English style canal boats can be chartered there and are much more "boaty" than a house trailer that floats.

Boatpoker - I hear you, but right now the US Dollar scares me! Cheers.

David

David Rive said:

Boatpoker - I hear you, but right now the US Dollar scares me! Cheers.

David

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Don't let the Canadian dollar scare you too much. We spent the last two weeks of August in the canal from Oswego and out into Lake Erie.

$14.00 US for 1.75l of rum, Fuel is 20 -25% cheaper so almost break even and then compare what you'll spend for docking every night on the Trent with the $100. NY canal pass that includes free docking every night. Most docks with power, water, Wifi, beautiful; parks and museums and some places even throw in free laundry facilites. 2 weeks on the Trent will cost you much more than the discounted dollarette will cost you in NY.