Barge-style self-drive hire boat for 2 people

This luxurious Penichette 1022FB boat is specially equipped for ultimate comfort for two people. It has a spacious forward cabin and separate facilities, a central sitting-galley area and steering position and an aft galley-sitting section. There are large windows, good visibility and lots of natural daylight.

Outside, there is a raised aft sun deck and steering position, safe side-decks to move about on and a raised front deck that’s also great for sun-bathing, lounging around and taking in the passing scene.

Locaboat Penichette self-drive hire boats are unique in their barge-style appearance and the range has been refined and developed continuously since its original creation in 1977, being designed specifically and perfectly for use on the French waterways. They have excellent, predictable handling.

At A Glance

Key Features:

      • Forward cabin with island double bed, hanging cupboards and storage
      • Separate shower and toilet-washbasin compartments
      • Raised sitting-dining area, with fitted galley kitchen, twin sun roofs and inside steering position
      • Saloon with 230v socket (using a quayside connection)
      • Upper, open aft deck with seating and steering position
      • Bow thruster
      • Maximum comfort : 2 persons
      • Length: 10.2m – 33ft 6″

Self drive hire boats are easy to operate and clients are always given thorough hands-on instruction before setting out – including about dealing with the locks that punctuate French inland ‘voyages’, that are straightforward to become familiar with, and that actually provide lots of interest for the boating holiday or vacation. Steering positions are located either inside the hire boat or outside (in the sunshine) on an aft (rear) deck or on the boat’s roof. Controls are simple – a steering wheel for direction and a throttle linked to an automatic gearbox. Push the lever to go forward, pull back to go into reverse and slow down. Some boats have bow-thrusters to push the boat sideways and help change direction at slow speeds.

On a boating holiday or vacation on the rivers and canals of France it is possible to stop – to moor up – almost anywhere. Against the river or canal bank in the middle of some gloriously peaceful scenic countryside, or to a quayside or pontoon in the middle of a picturesque historic village. Not only does every day bring fresh scenes, fresh pleasures, but also almost every turn of the waterway does the same.

For more information, see the “All About Hire Boating” page

Locaboat Penichette® 1022FB regions - Midi-Languedoc

Hire Boating – Camargue and Mediterranean Coast

map camargue provence► Self-drive boats available in Camargue-Languedoc
■ LeBoat: Beaucaire and St Gilles
■ Locaboat: Lattes (Montpellier)
■ Nicols: Aigues-Mortes and Bellegarde

Canal Rhone a Sete – River Lez

The River Rhone rises in the Swiss Alps and is joined by the Saone at Lyon becoming one of Europe’s major waterways,  and as it heads south it passes memorable and famous towns such as Valence, Viviers (a beautiful hilltop medieval village overlooking the river), Avignon with its famous bridge and papal palace, and finally Arles, where Van Gogh created his most iconic sun-drenched paintings. Here, the Petit Rhone branches off into the Camargue,  Europe’s largest river delta where the reed marshes are teeming with wildlife – including over 350 species of waterbirds, wild black bulls and the famous white Camargue horses. Not to be missed is the fortified crusader town of Aigues Mortes, founded by the French King Saint Louis in 1242.

Heading west from Aigues-Mortes, just metres from the Mediterranean, runs the lock-free Rhone-Sete Canal arriving at France’s own Venetian-style seaport, Sete, and the Etang de Thau, a large inland lagoon, where waterborne visitors may live like kings on fresh moules marinières and bouziegues oysters, washed down with Muscat wines and Noilly Prat vermouth.

– [below] In the region: Sete, Mediterranean, Camargue, Van Gogh/Arles, Avignon, Pont du Gard, Aigues-Mortes –

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Hire Boating – Midi-Languedoc

map midi languedoc► Self-drive boats available in Midi-Languedoc
Hire Fleets and Bases
■ LeBoat: Port Cassafieres, Narbonne, Homps, Trebes and Castelnaudary
■ France Afloat / Linssen: Capestang
■ Locaboat: Bram, Argens-Minervois and Negra
■ Nicols: Le Somail and Port Lauragais

Canal du Midi – Canal de la Robine

The Canal du Midi has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in recognition of the achievement of architect Pierre-Paul Riquet in linking the Etang du Thau in the south east with the River Garonne in Toulouse, effectively connecting the Mediterranean with the Atlantic. His engineering prowess can be seen in the flight of nine characteristically oval-shaped locks at Fonserannes near the ancient city of Beziers, and if ticking off UNESCO sites is your thing, then you get two for one in Carcassonne, where the canal passes close to the ancient citadel that forms one of the most iconic skylines in the whole country.

The canal meanders between the vineyards of Corbieres to the south and the Minervois to the north and a visit to the wine town of Minerve, one of the most beautiful in France, is a treat. A diversion along the Canal de la Robine leads to Narbonne, which dates back to Roman times when it was a strategic trading centre, and even today its covered market, supplied by local producers, is a kind of foodie heaven.

– [below] In the region: Minervois, Minerve, Canal du Midi, Beziers, Narbonne, Carcassonne –

midi-sunflowers-500x300 midi-lock-500x300 midi-canal-500x300 narbonne-500x300 carcassonne-musicians-500x300

^ click to enlarge images and open gallery ^

Summary | Cruise Locations | Gallery | Booking Enquiry

NOTE: french-waterways.com aims to provide the most comprehensive selection of the self-drive hire boats that are available for boating holidays and vacations in France. We have partnered with the leading operators to whom all enquiries are directed (we ourselves do not act as agents, make bookings or take payments). Details here have been provided by the operator and are published in good faith. We cannot therefore guarantee their accuracy nor warrant regarding condition. Boats may be subject to availability, price change, or withdrawal without notice.