Do I need licence to use a rowboat in France?
Motorised vehicles always require licence if engine is powerful enough
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Reader question: I am planning to use a rowboat this summer in France across various rivers and lakes. The boat is 2.5 metres long; do I need a licence for it?
Not all boats require a licence in France.
The general rule is that any boat with a motor (either a motor boat, sailing vessel with motor back-up, jet ski or water scooter) that is more than 6hp (4.5kW) requires a licence.
Sailing vessels equipped with a motor to manoeuvre in port are also affected by this.
These permits come either in the form of permis plaisance option côtière (coastal) or permis plaisance option eaux intérieures (river/inland water), depending on where the boat is being used.
For watergoing vessels without a motor, including rowing boats, pedalos, kayaks, canoes, etc, no permit is required.
Other requirements in place
However, there are still several other regulations you need to consider.
The size of your rowing boat does not matter for licence purposes, but because it is 2.5 metres long it must fulfil certain manufacturing requirements and have a ‘CE’ mark showing it has been approved for sale in Europe. More information is available here.
You should check local regulations in place before using your rowboat, as some stretches of water may be off limits.
For example, Lake Néouvielle (Hautes-Pyrénées) and several other waterways in Pyrénées national parks ban all water activities, including using rowboats.
If you are not hiring the boat out directly from a camp or activity site for use on its premises, check the local rules via a quick internet search.
The same applies if using the boat on a river or other waterways – there may be restrictions based on expected traffic or use of the river by other vessels.
This is particularly the case along canals, and prefectures can list bans on certain vessels using these.
Restrictions may be lifted at departmental level or apply to the entire length/area of a waterway traversing multiple departments.
Rowboats being used along the coast should not go more than 300m from the coastline.
