Seine, Rhône, Canal du Midi, Rhine or Danube: an experienced inland skipper takes your boat to its destination, lock after lock.
Europe has the densest inland waterway network in the world — and one of the most demanding: Freycinet gauge, bridge clearances, hundreds of locks and national rules (CEVNI, French VNF licence, Moselle lock tolls). Our inland skippers know these constraints and plan the safest, fastest route for your boat.
Whether you are bringing a motor cruiser from Holland to Paris, taking a sailing yacht with its mast down to the Mediterranean via the Canal du Midi, or delivering a new boat on the Rhine, we plan the route around your boat’s actual length, beam, draft and air draft.
The most economical way to reach the Med from the Channel or the Atlantic without rounding Spain: the mast is lowered onto the deck and the boat follows the Seine, the Centre or Burgundy canals, the Saône and the Rhône. Our estimator automatically includes mast lowering and re-stepping.
Inland cruisers are made for canals, but a delivery of several hundred kilometres takes organisation and stamina. Our skippers string the legs together, manage technical stops and hand your boat over clean and ready to cruise.
France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Hungary: we coordinate cross-border deliveries via the Rhine, Meuse, Moselle, Mittellandkanal or Main–Danube canal.
Boat, route, dates, constraints: 2 minutes online.
A detailed quote and the profile of the selected professional.
A tracked job with a report at every stage.
“We bought our boat in the Netherlands with no idea how to bring it home. Jan studied the route down to the centimetre for the Canal du Nord. Delivered to the Arsenal marina in 12 days.”“Our yacht crossed France via the Canal des Deux Mers with the mast on deck. Mast lowering, locks, re-stepping in Sète: we didn’t have to handle a thing.”“Up the Rhine against the current with our 13 m motor cruiser. Experienced skipper, completely at ease among the barges. Arrived in Basel on schedule.”Speed is limited: 6–8 km/h on canals, 10–15 km/h on large rivers. Including locks, expect 50 to 100 km per day.
Almost always: bridges limit air draft to 3–6 m. Only the Dutch Staande Mastroute lets you sail with the mast up.
The owner. Its cost depends on the boat’s surface area and duration; it is included in your estimate under “passage costs”.
French coasts, Corsica, Greece and major routes: Mediterranean–Atlantic, France–Caribbean.
Learn more
Groceries delivered aboard, special requests, boat preparation before you arrive.
Learn more
Road haulage, oversize convoys and cargo ships for trips the water can’t cover.
Learn more
Haul-out, engine winterisation, storage ashore or indoors, and spring relaunch.
Learn more
A Boatway expert replies within one business day.