Le Boat - Castelnaudary in Castelnaudary

Rated by Liezl Matthee on 23rd September 2024

A big shout out to Le Boat, we had an absolutely awesome experience. Boat was spotless. We had two small towels, which was immediately replaced by 4 big ones at the next port. Staff was friendly, helpful and just overall great! Everything you would need for cooking, cleaning etc. was excellently provided. We ordered the Starter Pack, which I would highly recommend. Can definitely recommend this kind of holiday!!! We will absolutely do it again with Le Boat. Communications from Le Boat before the trip was excellent, and they were more than willing to help/advise on anything we needed to know. Especially Taxi's from Pick up and Hand Over of boat. Nothing was to much for them.

Rated by Stephen Jenner on 1st July 2024

All in all we had a great time cruising the canal. The check in/out was smooth and efficient, the driving lesson we got was useful and the guide book to the route and amenities was really useful. However, the boat itself did not meet our expectations. It was really old, compared to all the other boats. The staff told us that the boat was so old that we could basically do anything to it (except sink it) and it wouldn’t matter. The sun shade was missing and this was a real issue during our travel. There was a simple umbrella but this was not suitable for a boat because it kept blowing away with the wind. The staff told us the boat was too small for a sun shade but we saw the same boat from another company with a sun shade, so this was not true. I realise we booked ‘budget’ but it really did feel ‘budget’ and we expected more for a rental fee of over 2000 eur for one week. When I told the staff at check out that the boat did not meet our expectations, they simple asked us to give a 10 feedback score anyway.

Rated by Mitchell Richard on 19th June 2024

This was our first trip to Europe and what a way to experience it. We did a ten day cruise from Castelnaudary to Port Cassafieres on the Canal du Midi in France and it was everything we had hoped it would be and more. Le Boat was great, friendly and professional service pre-departure, at the departure base and on arrival at the end destination. We found the sleeping pads on the boat uncomfortable and bought some air mattresses instead and weren't provided with the grocery pack included with our purchase of the Gold Bundle, but other than that everything was great. The premier line of boats are in great shape and work very well. Will definitely recommend Le Boat as a rental provider.

Rated by vicki Pearson on 24th June 2024

Would highly recommend using Le Boat for any canal tour. Their staff are great and try to be as helpful as possible. Any issues are dealt with quickly and their boats were in much better condition than any of the other companies' boats we saw. The layout of the Vision SL3 was perfect for 3 couples, lots of room.

Rated by Cristiano D'Adamo on 24th April 2023

What a sad outfitWe selected ‘Le Boat’ to travel the ‘Canal du Midi’ based on a pre-Covid recommendation from an acquaintance, but we regret not having researched their competitors before making our overpriced reservation. Our boat, a 2012 Bavaria, was a relic of a long ago past. Chipped gelcoat throughout, broken side bumpers (the ones attached to the hull), faulty doors and hatches, badly done renovation (the upholstery was crudely redone). Cheap kitchenware, including useless knives. Faulty Bimini (no shade), faulty BBQ (could not open it), clogged kitchen sink (we had to become our own plumbers), reversed refrigerator door (I know, too much effort to swing them around…). Zero supplies of any kind, not even dish soap. Plastic ropes (dock lines) that will chew into your bare hands and you must use them constantly at every lock. A few euros more and they could have bought soft ones. The most blatant shortcoming is the absence of a rudder indicator, so you will have to guess if you have it right (as in straight) or not. You will also have to guess your speed, or install an app on your phone, as we did.Our boat had a forward cabin that was smaller than the aft one, and the shower – separate from the head (bathroom) – was a joke. The door opened indoor leaving minimal space to step in and then close it. The height inside the shower was, perhaps, 5’8’’ (1.7 meters), so if you are a tall person, you are out of luck. The shower is in the main cabin area; if you are prudish, that will not do for you.The Le Boat facilities, especially Port Cassafieres, are in a state of abandonment. Broken down docks with loose planking, broken water faucets, garbage, dust and dirt everywhere. It gives an indication of a company that is going through hard times. Employees are all nice, and they probably all need their job, so they do their best despite the situation. When, upon our return, we were asked how the cruise had gone, I could sense the whole office screaming ‘incoming’ and waiting for a barrage of complaints to follow. I spared them. What is the point of harassing the poor employees who have almost no control over this sad state of affairs?We went aboard boats from some of their competitors and they were much better. My recommendation would be to shop around before you make your reservation with ‘Le Boat’. Especially consider that Port Cassafieres is literally in the middle of nowhere with no shopping facilities nearby. Avoid the side trip to Narbonne because the port is closed and there is no water nor power anywhere along the way. Le Boat will only tell you just before leaving that the port is closed, not when you are making a reservation.The glossy brochures (call it a sort of canal guide) provided by Le Boat are out of date and indicate water, power, and facilities no longer there. In essence, you need to assume that the water you have on board needs to last you for at least 3 to 4 days. Some of the small ports along the way will make you pay and will not give you more than a few hundred liters.A final consideration. I had years of boating experience and I found handling this boat, the locks and the canals challenging, especially when the wind was fierce, as it often is in Narbonne. I have no idea how anyone without any prior experience may be able to enjoy it. We witnessed boats hitting docks, bridges, and locks just like bumper cars. Nothing dramatic, but I’m sure the various company made the captain pay for the damages (get insurance!). Moreover, it takes some advanced level of physical strength to handle the ropes. Did I mention that all the sewage is dumped straight into the canal and that often, while handling the ropes that filthy water gets on you?