Riverly Reviews 

End of October was a good time to be on the Canal du Midi as there was no problem with long queues for locks and plenty of places to stop.
Our boat was a bit tired, but the engine was good.
Really disappointed that Locaboat boats do not have holding tanks, so all foul water goes straight into the canal.

Everything went extremely well, exept possibly the weather...
The boat was in great shape and worked flawlessly. Operating it was easy and the lochkeepers were very patient and helpful. The Locaboat staff we worked with were excellent.
We rented the 935 which was nicely laid out for a couple, and would work for a couple plus one. We cooked about half the meals onboard, which was easy and saved a few Euros. At Bram the grocery store was about a 25 minute walk. We rented M-F and followed their advice for where to go on our trip. It was very pleasant and scenic. We would love to go again.
Getting back to the weather, we rented during the last week of the season. As it turns out, the week before was quite warm and sunny, while our week it was cool and rained half the time. You take your chances in the shoulder season!

This is one of 5 trips we have been on Locaboat, the trip was fun but the boat has some issues. The heat did not work and at the end the toilet in front cabin had an issue. We did call about the heating issue and your tech came out to help but said that it did not always work, batteries needed to be replaced. The second to last night we did see the tech and asked about looking into toilet issue and he declined, which is why you are not getting the best score. Customer Service is so very important and to be put off really let the other parties very upset.

The staff and mechanics were professional, informative and helpful. I give them 5 stars.
However, all the guidebooks and even locaboat's own information about our route was wrong.
We chose Argens-Minervois as pick up and drop-off point and cruised to Carcassonne and return.
All information of this route plainly stated that this could be achieved in 3 and a half hours cruising per day. Due to the amount of traffic on Canal du midi, we were cruising 7 to 9 hours per day because of the sheer number of boaters. We waited to enter the triple lock of fonfille for three hours.
We always choose shoulder season to avoid crowds but according to your own Locaboat staff, there is no shoulder season on canal du midi and October is even more crowded than September.
your travel /cruising times need to be updated and communicated to boaters so they may make more accurate itineraries.
IT is for this reason that we will not be using Argens as a base in the future.
Regretfully,
Laurent Martel and Amanda Eurich

Great help from Christophe at Agen.

Very enjoyable way to slow down and see the countryside in a different way. The boat was well equipped and fun, although there are a lot of locks and they require a bit of planning and wherewithal to negotiate.
Staff were thorough in their orientation and helpful when we had a breakdown. We really enjoyed the trip.

The only negative we had was that the front bed was quite damp because the overhead hatch wasn't sealed for pre-delivery cleaning. But the weather was fab and it dried out over the next couple of days.
My lack of useful French meant I missed needing to push the key in 3/4 into the turn to engage the starter motor, but there were other ways to start the boat.
Otherwise the boat was very comfortable and performed well.
The highlight was the length the staff at Agen went to help us after the voyage. Above and beyond and trés gentile, and we were very grateful.

The staff at Brams was great, the boat was super clean and very confortable.

very helpful, informative staff

All was perfect! Thank you

Their service was just great. We blew an impeller (mostly our fault) in the locks, called Locaboat on a Sunday, and Guillaume was there in half an hour and changed it out for us. On taking out the boat, the instructions were thorough and included a short shakedown cruise, important because with no keel these boats handle VERY differently from what you might be used to.

That said, the shower in the forward cabin leaked and the head had to be kept in the sink. This caused the pump to come on throughout the night. Also, the WiFi unit we rented could not hold its charging cable and was mostly useless, although they refunded that charge. The bicycle rental was fine and came with a lock.

Overall I would use Locaboat again because the people made the experience great and overcame the equipment hiccups.

Our trip on Locaboat was fun and interesting but it was not without problems. The bow thruster on our boat malfunctioned and it took 3 visits by the technician to get it working properly. Locaboat's response was prompt but it was still very problematic to have the thruster quit working just when you needed it. Our boat was also smelly. I think it was from the bilge because it was improved some by plugging the bathroom drains when they weren't being used. This problem bothered us the whole trip. The orientation to the boat was cursory at best. More time should have been spent on instructions for driving the boat, especially backing. Despite these problems we enjoyed the trip and would consider a similar trip perhaps with one of Locaboats newer model boats.

It was good that the handover of the boat was well prepared. The bikes were also ready for us. After the handover and Captain training we went grocery shopping and by the time we got back - the gate was closed hence we could not park our car. We managed to figure it out, but for future clients it would be good to mention that in case they plan to do grocery shopping - they better do it before boat handover

In the Locaboat website there is an analysis of the services that are NOT included in the 'all inclusive' package. Concerning rubbish, it is not clearly stated where the customers should put it or move it upon returning the boat. Since it is in a written form, it should be completely clear. So, the task of clarification rests with the port manager. He/she shall clarify the issue. This is even more important because the customer allegedly should carry the rubbish to the PUBLIC bins that are situated about 100m from the port of Bram. I would like to remind you that everywhere in Greece the sailing customers are not obliged to carry the rubbish to the public bins.

Locaboat were very helpful. It was our first canal trip and I'm sure it won't be our last. Locaboat provided us with maps and suggestions on where to stop. Stunning scenery throughout our trip. Blissful!

Locaboat and its personnel did a fine job. Everything was as advertised. Our one issue, a flag tangled in our prop, was handled quickly and we were on our way within just a couple of hours.

Our one disappointment was the canal's condition from Argen-Minervois to Carcassonne. It was basically an overgrown ditch with little possibility of enjoying any view of the countryside. Past Carcassonne the view of the countryside was beautiful.

We liked the adventure of cruising thru the locks and the peaceful scenery between the locks. However we were not given any training in an actual lock although there was one right next to our departure base. Nor were we given good info about what place we could reasonably expect to reach the first night. We expected to have villages along the canal - but it was only in Castlenaudary that we were able to find a town and restaurants close to the canal. The first night, our daughter and son-in-law had to bicycle two mile in the dark to find just a gas station with fast food meals. On the stretch from Castlenaudary to Bram, there were 15 locks, most of them double or triple plus one quadruple! So we did not have a moment to relax! We gave up after just three days on the canal and spent the rest of the week in Toulouse.

Lovely barge for 7 of us on the canal de Garonne and River Baise in September 2023. Almost no rain, helpful Locaboat team in Agen, great experiences in the locks, local villages and restaurants along the way plus taking turns with bikes rides along the canal and in several of the villages and towns

We were a group of 4 couples who boated over 7 days between Negra and Argens. The penichette 1500 13 berth worked so well for our group. We had so much fun learning how to navigate the locks and master the boating experience.

A suggestion is to provide more up to date info on the villages and cafe / dining options, perhaps a travel app could be considered.

Thanks for a great service, we are looking forward to hearing more about the clean up of the Canal Du Midi waters. This will be awesome.