Terms of Hire

The agreement

These Terms of Hire apply when you book self-drive electric boat hire with Shannon Drift at Shannonbridge, County Offaly, through www.shannondrift.ie or with us directly. By completing a booking you agree to these terms.

A booking is confirmed when payment succeeds and you receive a confirmation (usually by email from our booking system), not merely when you submit the form. If payment fails, no hire is confirmed.

These terms are governed by the laws of Ireland. The Irish courts have jurisdiction, without limiting any mandatory consumer rights you have where you live.

What you are hiring

You hire the whole boat for the duration shown at checkout — one hour, two hours, half day or full day — not a seat. Prices are per boat, in euro, and include the safety briefing, lifejackets and use of the boat for that slot.

Each boat has a fixed capacity (for example five, seven or eleven people depending on the boat). The price does not change with party size, but you must not exceed the boat’s capacity. If your party does not fit, contact us before the day and we will try to move you to a larger boat if one is free.

Start times and return times follow the booking calendar. Half-day and full-day windows are as stated in your confirmation. You must be back alongside by the end of your hire so the next guest is not delayed.

Booking and payment

The full hire price is charged online when you book, through our payment provider. There is nothing further to pay for the hire itself on the day if payment has already succeeded.

If we cannot confirm the booking after a successful payment, we will refund the charge to the original payment method. In rare cases a person on our team must finish a refund by hand; if that happens we will sort it as soon as we can.

Card details are handled by the payment provider. We never see or store your full card number on this website.

Security deposit

On arrival we take a refundable security deposit of €200–€500 as a pre-authorisation on a card machine at the venue. The amount depends on the boat and the hire. It is not charged through the website booking flow.

The pre-authorisation is released when the boat is returned safely and in reasonable condition, subject to any deduction for damage, loss or unreasonable use beyond ordinary wear. Your bank may take a short time to show the release on your statement.

If you cannot provide a card for the deposit on the day, we may refuse to hand over the boat. In that case the online hire payment is handled under our cancellation rules for a guest-side no-show or refusal, unless we agree another arrangement.

Cancellation and changes

More than 72 hours before your start time, you may reschedule or take a refund free of charge.

Between 24 and 72 hours before your start time, we will move the booking value to a credit toward another date rather than refund cash, unless we agree otherwise.

Under 24 hours before your start time, the booking is non-refundable if you cancel or do not arrive.

If we cancel because conditions are unsafe — high water, wind, or anything else that would make the hire unwise — you are not charged for that decision. We will offer another date (credit) or a refund of the hire price paid online.

Refunds go back to the original payment method. Timing depends on the payment provider and your bank or card issuer; many refunds show within a few business days, but your bank may take longer.

To change or cancel, email hello@shannondrift.ie or call +353 90 967 4000 with your booking reference as soon as you can.

Who can take the helm

No boating licence is required. The person in charge of the boat must be an adult (18 or over), must attend the safety briefing in full, and must be capable of operating the boat safely and soberly.

Children are welcome as passengers when supervised by the adult in charge. Child-size lifejackets are provided. Anyone under 18 who steers does so only under the direct supervision of the adult in charge, who remains responsible for the boat.

We will not hand over a boat to anyone who appears to be under the influence of alcohol or drugs, or who refuses the briefing or lifejacket rules. No refund is due in that case.

Please arrive about 15 minutes before your start time for the briefing. Hire time starts at the booked start time.

Safety

Lifejackets are provided in adult and child sizes and must be worn on the water. This is not optional.

You must stay within any area we describe at the briefing, follow the rules of the river and give way as instructed. The Callows and Shannon channels have working boats, shallows and weather that can change quickly.

Every boat has a means of contacting us. If anything goes wrong — grounding, mechanical worry, a person in difficulty — call us before you attempt a repair or put yourself at risk. We would rather come to you.

You must not overload the boat, tow other craft, race, or use the boat in a way that endangers people or property. Glass bottles and open flames are not appropriate on deck; use common sense with food, drink and children.

Damage, deposit and liability

You are responsible for the boat and its equipment while it is in your charge. Ordinary wear and tear is on us. Damage, loss or mess caused by negligence, misuse, ignoring the briefing or breaking these terms may be charged against the security deposit and, if the cost is higher, pursued beyond it.

Report any damage or incident when you return, or as soon as you can by phone if you cannot return safely.

Nothing in these terms excludes or limits liability for death or personal injury caused by our negligence, or for fraud, or any other liability that Irish law does not allow us to exclude.

Subject to that, we are not liable for loss of enjoyment, indirect or consequential loss, or for delays or cancellations caused by weather, river conditions, third parties or events outside our reasonable control. Our total liability for any claim arising from a booking is limited to the hire price you paid for that booking, except where the law requires otherwise.

You hire a self-drive boat after a briefing; the water carries inherent risk. You accept that risk for yourself and your party so far as the law allows, and you must ensure everyone in your party follows the safety rules.

Season and hours

We operate April to October. Start times follow daylight, so the last available return moves through the season. The booking calendar only offers times that work on the date you choose; from late October some afternoon windows shorten with the light.

Website and content

The website is provided to describe the hire and to take bookings. Content, branding and software on the site belong to us or our licensors. You may not copy or reuse them for commercial purposes without permission.

We aim to keep prices, availability and descriptions accurate; the booking flow and your confirmation are the final word on what you have paid for. The site is provided as available; we do not guarantee uninterrupted access.

Changes to these terms

We may update these Terms of Hire from time to time. The version on this page at the time you complete payment applies to that booking. For a booking already confirmed, we will not change the commercial terms (price, cancellation tiers already earned, or hire length) against you without your agreement, except where the law requires a change.

Effective date: 10 August 2026.

Getting in touch

Questions about either document, or a request about your data — email hello@shannondrift.ie or call +353 90 967 4000.