The Boat Center

At 12, a person may operate a motorboat without supervision in Wisconsin after completing a boating safety course accepted by the Wisconsin DNR. Ages 10 or 11 may operate only with a parent, guardian, or designated adult at least 18 who has a valid boating safety certificate or was born before January 1, 1989. Ages 12 through 15 may use that supervision option instead of certification. Operators 16 or older born on or after January 1, 1989 must have completed an accepted course. No one under 12 may operate a personal watercraft, no one under 16 may rent one, and operators 12 or older must be certified; adult supervision is no substitute. The rental operator sets its own minimum, so confirm it when booking.

Source: Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (dnr.wisconsin.gov)

Wisconsin does not require a general boating license, but operators born on or after January 1, 1989 generally need boating safety certification or an accepted out of state equivalent and must carry proof aboard. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources administers the rule. No one under 10 may operate a motorboat. For motorboats other than personal watercraft, qualifying adult accompaniment is allowed for operators age 10 and older instead of certification. Personal watercraft operators must be at least 12, and those subject to the cutoff must be certified; accompaniment is not a substitute, and renters must be at least 16. Rental customers 16 or older may use the state rental education certificate, valid through that calendar year only for watercraft they rent. People born before the cutoff are exempt.

Source: Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (dnr.wisconsin.gov)

Wisconsin’s best boating areas include Great Lakes coast, bays, a large reservoir, river water and connected Northwoods lakes. Lake Michigan offers open coastal water along eastern Wisconsin, while Green Bay borders the west side of the Door Peninsula. In south central Wisconsin, Castle Rock Flowage provides broad reservoir boating plus access to navigable Wisconsin River waterways. Farther north, the Eagle River Chain offers connected lake cruising in the Northwoods. These waters give boaters distinctly different settings, from exposed Great Lakes shoreline to sheltered inland routes.

Source: Travel Wisconsin (travelwisconsin.com)

Popular Wisconsin boating destinations include Lake Geneva, Bayfield and the Apostle Islands, Minocqua, Lake Winnebago at Oshkosh, and Sturgeon Bay. Lake Geneva combines lake cruising with beaches and a lively waterfront city; the Apostle Islands offer Lake Superior sea caves and island scenery; Minocqua is known for abundant lakes, fishing, water skiing and leisure boating; Lake Winnebago draws boaters, swimmers and anglers to Wisconsin’s largest inland lake; and Sturgeon Bay offers scenic Door County shorelines, marinas and charter fishing.

Source: Wisconsin Department of Tourism (travelwisconsin.com)