Good to know

Your journey starts and ends in Motala.

You can choose of three different routs: Green, Blue or Red rout, read more under “Routs”. If you rent for two weeks charter you are able to combine the routs.

You pay the fee for the canal by the time of your booking, the fee is 565€ or 762€ depending on size of the boat. You only pay the fee once even if you choose two weeks booking.

You pick up the boat on Saturday between 12 – 14.00 (12 – 2 pm)

You leave the boat on Saturday at 9.00 ( 9.00 am)

If the times not matching your request it might be possible to change for an additional fee. Please let us know in advance so we have a chance to plan for this.

You can book directly on this website by clicking here or by calling +46 70 54 69 169.

When you book a boat, you sign an agreement with us and accept our rental conditions. 30% of the agreed rental amount has to be paid within 5 days after the booking. The full amount has to be paid at the latest 40 days before your journey begins. Complete rental terms can be found here.

Rental period

Unless otherwise stated, the rental period is by the week, from Saturday to Saturday. If you like to know more, please contact us via e-mail boka@kanalcharter.se or by phone.

Confirmation

After booking, you will receive a booking confirmation and payment informations to your registered e-mail address.

Always make sure that you get a booking confirmation and that it’s matching your preferences. If you did not receive a booking confirmation to your e-mail account within 24 hours, please contact us!

Gota Kanal Charter has the ambition to make your trip on the canal a fantastic and memorable experience!

Our previous guests and we believe that a boat trip on the Göta Canal is quite safe. You only meet people that you yourself choose to share the trip with and there is the opportunity to cook, use the toilets on board, etc. We spray and are careful with the cleaning of the boats before new guests arrive.

But of course you as a guest want to know what applies if that “in case of” happens.

When booking, 30% of the amount is paid. It is possible to cancel the trip without reason no later than 40 days before the date of the trip takes place. When you cancel you have the opportunity to move your booking to the latest next season and can then use your already paid amount. Once you have decided on the new date and boat, you are required to pay the remaining amount.

If cancellation takes place after full payment is done, which should normally take place no later than 40 days before the trip (unless it is a rebooking), and it would be impossible to get to the boat due. Closed borders or travel bans, the trip can be moved to the next season at the latest. Should your impediment be due to. Illness or other, we recommend that you contact your insurance company or the insurance via your card payment company in order to receive compensation.

In case of change and rebooking, the price may differ, if the price is higher you must pay the difference, if the price is lower you will not receive any compensation back.

Does it still feel unclear? Please contact Pontus for more information, pontus@kanalcharter.se / +46 70 54 69 169

Your trip on the Göta Canal is coming closer. It’s time to order options/extras.

Please fill in the form if you want to book any additional options. All prices includes VAT. Click here to choose options.

After booking, you have to pay 30% of the rental amount, including the channel fee, within 5 days to confirm the reservation. The easiest way for you to pay is by credit card. Click on the payment link you will receive in your confirmation mail. You can use it later for your final payment as well.

Bona folkhögskola, Svarta gatan, 591 46 Motala

There is free parking lots around the harbor, but they are not valid for long time parking and normally only valid for 24 hours, you park on your own risk on these. We can offer you a parking lot in our locked garage just by the harbor. This cost 15 € / day.

Recent airports are Landvetter (Gothenburg), Stockholm Skavsta (Nyköping), Stockholm Arlanda, Linköping City Airport (KLM), and Norrköping.

Motala base is quite easy to reach from the central station and there are good connections by train to and from Motala.

If you want to arrive by bus or train, you can find time tables and informations here: www.sj.se, www.flygbussarna.se and www.swebus.se

We can arrange transfers from a number of railway stations, airports, and bus terminals for remuneration.

Click here for complete rental terms in pdf format.

After booking, a booking confirmation will be send to your registered e-mail address. Make sure that the booking confirmation is in accordance with your wishes. If you have not received a booking confirmation within 4 hours of booking, contact us!

Payment

The prepayment of 30% of the total amount has to be paid within 5 days from the booking date. The booking is only confirmed after your first payment!

The final payment, the remaining 70%, and, if booked, the collision damage waiver, has to be paid to Göta Kanal Charter at the latest 40 days before your trip starts. If no collision damage waiver is booked in additional, you have to leave a cash deposit at your arrival, which will be refunded in full after your journey, when the boat is turned in undamaged.

If Göta Kanal Charter has not received the final payment 30 days before your journey starts, the booking for your trip will be canceled and the boat released to another tenant. In this case the prepayment will not be refunded by Göta Channel Charter.

If booking a trip which starts in less than 40 days, the entire amount has to be paid to Göta Kanal Charter within 3 days after the booking date.

Change of reservations

If you like to have parts of your reservation to be changed, for example the renting period or the boat, we charge an additional fee of EUR 40 on your invoice. After your final payment is completed, at the latest 40 days before your journey starts, unfortunately nothing can be changed anymore.

Cancellation Terms

To cancel a boat booking, you have to send an e-mail to boka@kanalcharter.se. Always check that you receive a confirmation of your cancellation within 48 hours.

Until the prepayment is paid, there is no cancellation fee, if you choose to cancel a booked boat.

For a cancellation after the prepayment until 30 days before the journey starts, Göta Kanal Charter will not refund the prepayment, but no other cancellation fee will be charged.

If the booking is canceled earlier than 30 days before the journey starts, the money paid-in for the journey will not be refunded, but no other cancellation fee will be charged in additional. Eventually paid fees for options like for example rent bicycles or collision damage waiver will be refunded.

The only thing you can’t get away from when you hire a boat is the responsibility. You are the one who has to make sure that the boat is handled safely and with good seamanship. You are responsible for your passengers ‘safety and for ensuring, that the boat you steer, and other boats around you, will not get damaged. For this reason we require that you can show that you have some kind of nautical competence and experience. Documented or proven experience counts more for us, than a piece of paper that shows you have taken part in a course. The requirements can differ from boat to boat, and also vary depending on which water the trip takes place on.

Deposit

As well as the hire sum, Göta Kanal Charter also requires that you pay a deposit in the form of cash or that the sum is paid into the company’s bank account before the hiring period begins. The amount of the deposit varies from boat to boat and is roughly equivalent to the insurance excess in the event of damage. The deposit can be kept, partly or completely, if a damage occurs caused by you. If it is a big damage the deposit is used to pay the insurance excess. Smaller damages to the hull, fittings, equipment, etc. will be valued in accordance with a template or a ‘price list’ drawn up in advance and the equivalent sum is deducted from the deposit before it is paid back.

Our boats are onboard equipped with first aid kits and life vests in common sizes. If you need other sizes, for example for children or in XXL, please inform us as early as possible. We have a small amount of life vests in uncommon sizes as well. Otherwise we recommend to bring your own. The boats have a GPS plotter as navigation equipment and all necessary paper charts for travelling the canal as well.

The most common route is Sjötorp- Söderköping, or opposite, in 7 or 14 days. You have enough time to wait one or two days if the weather is bad, especially before you cross lake Vättern, the biggest lake on your route, which needs the most attention and accuracy of your whole journey. If you feel insecure don’t hesitate to contact us, we will find a solution.

Nothing is more important for us than your safety!

Read more on the page Routes.

We’ve collected information on lockage here. Read our about lockage or see a video on how our locks work. And don’t worry – of course you can ask our lock keepers for instructions on site!

Lockage up

• Boats with winches should be in front of those being held by hand.
• Secure the boat with a short stern line both on land and in the boat.
• The stern of the boat should be directly below the ring the stern line secured to.
• The bow line should be one or two rings in front of the bow.
• All lines must be taut throughout lockage – haul in the bow line!
• Sailing boats can use their winch for the bow line.
• The boat must remain very close to the lock wall.
• Never loose your attention – even if everything seems totally relaxed at the moment!

Lockage down

• Stay ahead of the yellow line to ensure that the boat is clear of the lock threshold when the water is released.
• Pull the bow and stern lines through suitable rings on the lock edge, but never secure the lines on both the quay and the boat.
• Release the lines continuously.
• In a double lock or flight of locks one person should remain on land to move the lines. However, before lockage begins in the final lock chamber, everyone should be on board.

Click here to get to a more detailed instruction.