Gage Marine Minocqua

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)

From Minocqua, the main boating choice is the connected Minocqua Chain: Lake Minocqua, Kawaguesaga Lake, Mid Lake, the Tomahawk Thoroughfare and Tomahawk Lake. Lake Minocqua is the in-town cruise, with docks near Torpy Park; Kawaguesaga has an irregular shoreline with bays and islands; compact Mid Lake leads into the narrow Thoroughfare; and Tomahawk Lake provides the chain’s broadest open-water run.

Typical put-ins are the Schoolhouse Bay or Thirsty Whale ramps on Lake Minocqua, Dam Road on Kawaguesaga, and the Thoroughfare ramp for access toward either Lake Minocqua or Tomahawk Lake.

Source: Town of Minocqua (townofminocqua.org)

Boaters can make day trips on the Minocqua Chain to Torpy Park, Cedar Park, the Minocqua Public Fishing Pier and the Lake Tomahawk Recreation Area. Torpy Park has docks beside the beach and downtown; Cedar Park is a quieter Lake Minocqua stop with a docking pier, picnic table and grill; the public fishing pier provides a boat dock and accessible fishing deck near the Highway 51 bridge; and the Lake Tomahawk Recreation Area has a separate docking and fishing pier with picnic tables. These stops offer swimming, picnicking, fishing and town access without leaving the chain.

Source: Town of Minocqua (townofminocqua.org)