Erie Canal houseboat rentals: Explore New York's historic waterway

"Low bridge, everybody down," the folk song from the early 1900s, takes on new meaning when cruising the Erie Canal, through some of the original 363 miles from Albany to Buffalo. This marvel of human engineering opened 200 years ago, in October 1825, expanding trade and facilitating movement between the Midwest and New York, thereby helping to solidify the Empire State's name.

The Erie Canal is now mostly used for recreation. Trains and trucking assumed the shipping routes, leaving the artificial waterway, with its 571 feet of elevation changes, to kayaks, crew shells, fishing boats and houseboats.

A rented houseboat is the perfect way to explore the waterway and its towns. Holding two to six people, houseboats come with toilets, a shower, a kitchen and even heat and air conditioning (when plugged in at the dock). There’s no professional pilot — after training, renters drive the boat.

Erie Canal Adventures (ECA), with 11 houseboats, is currently the only company renting. Starting and ending in Macedon, about 30 minutes by car from Rochester, boaters decide to go west and visit cute, small towns — many of which popped up or expanded due to canal activity. Or go east, for a more secluded nature approach.

ECA provides itinerary ideas for three,  four or  seven nights, with recommendations on docking locations, things to do and expected timing on the water between towns.

Renters do not need a boating license but receive instruction. After watching 45 minutes of videos, interspersed with live commentary, the trainer guides renters on how the boat works, including the fuse panel, driving instruments, heating/AC, filling up the water tank and connecting to electricity when docked. Fortunately, renters do not need to empty the septic tank. Once the boat is loaded, the trainer gives on-the-water instructions for using the radio and navigating a lock. Then it’s back to Macedon to practice docking before the trainer turns the boaters loose.

Nearby towns and happenings

Most boaters go west. The first town is Fairport, a quaint spot. Stop before or after its unique lift bridge, which slopes at a 32-degree angle. The canalside downtown sports restaurants, local breweries, ice cream and other shops. A former canning site a few blocks away is home to Iron Smoke Distillery, an atmospheric bar with Victorian couches and live music.

Pittsford, the next major town, rivals Fairport for appeal and dock activity. The Pittsford Flour Mill faces the canal with its 1800s grain tower, now repurposed as offices. Close by is the Village Coal Tower, which stores coal for canalboats and local residents. It’s now a restaurant. Walk to the Pittsford Farms Dairy & Bakery, a popular local attraction for ice cream, cheese and pies.

Father west is Rochester (take the Genesee River fork) and sleepier small towns, each with their charms. VICS of Spencerport offers fantastic ice cream flavors to enjoy after a meal at Texas Bar-B-Q Joint. Its tantalizing aromas waft to the boats.

Though Brockport offers free bike usage from the dock, ECA houseboats come with bikes stored on the roof. Paths consistently run alongside the Erie Canal, providing alternate exploration options when docked. Sit canalside in Brockport and enjoy the weather, ordering loaded nachos and burgers at The Custom House. In Holley , take a short walk to  Holley Falls, its lovely waterfall fed by canal water.

Going east, take the Cayuga-Seneca Canal offshoot and visit Seneca Falls, which thanks to the canal widening, doesn’t actually have a waterfall anymore. The town was the site of the first Women’s Rights Convention in 1848. Learn about it at the Elizabeth Cady Stanton House and the Women’s Rights Hall of Fame. Seneca Falls was a model for Bedford Falls — details and memorabilia at the It’s a Wonderful Life Museum.

The boat galley doors lock, making it safe to explore the land. Houseboats are a tourist attraction in the locks and when docked. Even many locals are curious, not having seen the inside of a canal houseboat.

Locks, docks and bridges

During training, houseboaters learn how to radio ahead, enter, stabilize the boat and exit the locks. Boat crew members grab ropes or cables hanging down the canal walls with gloved hands or looped ropes. Watching the gravity-fed locks fill or drain is fascinating — the boat rising or dropping up to 25 feet in short order. The entire process takes 15-20 minutes.

Locks and lift bridges are staffed only at certain hours; houseboats are told not to travel at night. ECA provides dock amenity information, including water and electricity hookups, showers, toilets and town access. Some towns charge d about $20 for overnight docking, with no fees for shorter daytime stops. Dockmasters collect the fee, or boaters can visit a staffed canal building.

Most of the docks have a Little Free Library to swap out books. Dockside signage often provides local and canal history, as well as sites of interest. You'll learn that the canal digging began on July 4, 1817, and continued for eight years by farmers (and eventually immigrants) without power tools.

The original canal was 40 feet wide at the top, 28 feet wide at the bottom — and only 4 feet deep. It was widened and deepened from 1836 to 1862 for larger boats, and by 1918, it was 120 to 200 feet wide and up to 23 feet deep. .

Houseboating details

Houseboats are a tourist attraction in the locks and when docked. Even many locals are curious, having never seen the inside of a canal houseboat.

The houseboats are more responsive than one might think — a slight tiller adjustment quickly changes its direction. Docking can be a little challenging, especially when parallel parking. It takes practice and often listening to your crew’s barking orders. But there’s satisfaction when cozying up to the dock, tying the ropes around the piling and plugging into power, especially when canalside viewers are watching.

Eat on board or dine in the towns — or do both. The boat’s stovetop works when cruising, but you’ll need dockside power for the coffee maker, microwave, oven, water heater or other appliances. The boat comes with a tiny propane grill, which must be used on the dock. While boaters can buy supplies (including ice) in town, the boat’s small refrigerator and a cooler or two hold enough for many meals during a 4-day cruise.

You won’t see gas stations along the canal, but the houseboat’s tank lasts several weeks, using only a half-gallon per hour. People who get motion sick are in luck: The water is flat. Leave the  medicine behind.

A 42-foot boat comes with two cabins with double beds, or families can opt for the 41-foot boat, which swaps out a double bed for bunk beds. The dining room table folds out as another sleeping option. Choose travel companions carefully; there is privacy (doors between the cabins), but not much soundproofing. Walking to the bow or the kitchen requires crossing through the cabins.

The cruising pace is slow, up to 7 miles per hour-lower when other boats are nearby.

Erie Canal Adventures offers 11 houseboats for rent from late May through October. Rentals are available for three, four or seven days. (1125 Marina Pkwy., Macedon, 315-986-3011, eriecanaladventures.com; Cost: $2,625 to $5,190, including fuel, canal fees and dishes/linens).