Fantastic Houseboat Holiday on Rideau! We (husband & I, teen daughter and golden retriever) had a fantastic holiday on the 36' Colonel By. Days were spent swimming and kayaking and the evenings playing cards & board games. Best family holiday!! The boat came with everything we needed and more. Rob and Heather are extremely helpful and their boats are well maintained and very comfortable. I have told everyone we know about our wonderful holiday and cannot recommend the location or Big Rideau Lake Boat Rentals highly enough. I am just about to rebook for next year as I am sure they will sell out soon!

Amazing! Great value keeps the kids of screens! Great experience for the family! Kids loved it, owners are very knowledgeable and clearly take great care of their boats. Family owned and operated unlike other corporate companies in the area. We will book again!

Great experience and fun week! Had a great week onboard the 37 foot Nina. Very clean and well equipped. Rob and Heather were great from start to finish. Such a relaxing vacation. Don’t hesitate as they book up super fast, even for next year!

Houseboating fun We had a great time on our 37’ rental houseboat from Big Rideau Lake Boat Rentals. Very well equipped boats, comfortable and easy to maneuver. First time on the Rideau and enjoyed the experience.

Relaxing break on the Rideau We rented the boat 'Colonel By' 36' for a week - 2 adults, a teenager, and 2 small dogs. Although we knew that many of the businesses such as the restaurants along the Rideau were closed because of the pandemic, we still jumped at the opportunity to have a relaxing vacation, and we weren't disappointed. The boat itself was very clean and well appointed, and had everything we needed without needing to bring much other than clothes and food. We had done a houseboating vacation before on the Trent-Severn waterway and so we were not new to locking, and found this process on the Rideau to be very well organized and run, and the staff are particularly attentive to 'newbies' to make everyone feel confident! The boat's engine and navigation system were in perfect working order and we had a very relaxing time finding secluded areas for swimming in the very clean, warm lake water. We managed to find places to stay overnight at several locks. The owners were very knowledgeable and helped us to plan what to take and what would be unnecessary; The boats 'kitchen' is very small but serviceable - as well as propane powered stove burners there is a microwave and a barbecue to help with cooking. Good to note also that with power on mooring the on board air conditioning worked extremely well - perfect for the hot, sticky evenings! As with all Ontario waterway holidays, the bugs can be annoying. All in all, a very good experience and we would book again in a heartbeat!

Houseboat Trip Exceeded Expectations We just returned from a week on the Rideau Canal with a houseboat from BRLBR. Having no experience with a boat this size, we opted for the 32’ model. We had four of us on the boat for the first three nights. Heather had warned us it would be tight, but it worked out fine. We were able to eat in restaurants in Westport, Newboro, and Chaffey’s Lock which made it easier while there were four of us onboard. When we were down to two of us, we went to Davis Lock and Col. By Island where we did our own cooking. As previous reviews have mentioned, the houseboat is fully equipped and other than clothing, bedding, towels, food and drink, nothing else was needed. Even the kayaks were included. Our thanks to Heather for the quick responses to our pretrip questions and to Rob for the excellent instruction on all aspects of boat operation. The suggested itinerary was perfect for us. This vacation exceeded our expectations and we recommend BRLBR highly!

5 Star Vacation Would like to thank Heather Heins and husband Rob for a wonderful experience along the Rideau. This trip has been on our bucket list for a few years and it was great to share with Family who live on or near this historic waterway. After moving away from the area it was wonderful coming back to enjoy the breathtaking views from the water. Houseboating allowed us the opportunity to travel at our own pace, enjoy the locks experience and the stops along the way. Edmonds, Merrickville, Poonamalie locks and a stop at Westport all had their unique appeal. The personal touch from this local company was the way to go. We brought way more “supplies” than we needed as each boat have stocked kitchens, a BBQ, roomy fridge and freezer, and many special touches to make the experience feel very homey. The iPad GPS and charts made navigating easy, making me feel comfortable about wandering. Family fishing, swimming and kayak wandering will always be remembered. The cost and value was a factor in deciding to go with Rideau Lake Boat rentals, but their personal touches made us realize we had made a great choice for our 5 star vacation.

Lovely houseboat trip We had a wonderful week with our two kids on the houseboat. BRLBR was great -- thanks Heather and Robert!

The most relaxing vacation! Just returned from a wonderful week boating between Portland and Jones falls (2 adults and one teenager). If you never experienced house boat I highly recommend you to try. This was the most relaxing experience -going through beautiful sceneries, lakes, swimming and kayaking. The owners of the company are good, honest, hardworking and amazing -Heather even helped us to unpack and was so friendly and warm. Rob not just the boats guru, he is also a very creative person - we found out that he actually added many features to the boat's interior that made it even more comfortable to travel. The boat equipped with everything you can think of -even a toaster. We had hot showers on a boat, wonderful meals that we cooked in a kitchen and barbecue, beautiful nights looking at the stars.Most peaceful and relaxing experience. Thank you for the great service and memorable week.

Well kept Houseboats Our 3rd time in 12 years renting houseboats in Ontario. Twice on the Rideau and once on the Trent S. Rideau Lake Houseboats runs a tight ship. The boats are well maintained. The 115 outboard sipped fuel. We were happy to have the "real" AC for a couple of the warmer nights. (must be connected to power) An important bonus was the GPS tablet they provide. Took all of the guess work out of navigating. They threw in a couple of Kayaks for our trip that were much appreciated. Heather and Rob were great to work with. Some great pics and some great memories!