When you’re ready to upgrade your downriver rambling, proceed directly to the James River Batteau Co. “This is the Cadillac tour of the James River,” Company co-founder Will Smith says. “If you want to float with a big bunch of friends, this is the most comfortable way to go.”
Batteaux (batteau’s Francofied plural) are flat-bottomed wooden boats designed in the late 1700s specifically for central Virginia’s unique rivers. The James River Batteau Co., founded earlier this year by Smith and buddy Will Cash, operates a 50 x 8-foot batteau outfitted with benches and chairs.
The nascent business offers two riverbound experiences: a midday float with a historical bent and a sunset cruise with charcuterie boards and live acoustic tunes. Clients are welcome to B their own B, while the James River Batteau team provides cups and ice along with those meats and cheeses.
Smith and Cash have been in batteaux since their youth, with Smith’s father having floated in the James River Batteau Festival for the first time in 1987, the year his son was born. The Batteau Co. founders’ experience makes them knowledgeable tour guides—and steady-handed batteaumen.
“You wouldn’t bring your grandmother tubing down the river, but we’ve had people up to 90 years old out there,” Smith said. “This is a pleasure, flatwater float, not an adrenaline experience.”