Boat Clubs in Redondo Beach, CA

The boat clubs we list in Redondo Beach are Freedom Boat Club. Membership gets you access to a shared fleet without owning, maintaining or storing a boat yourself.

Late August through September is the best all-around window for boating from King Harbor onto Santa Monica Bay, especially if warmer water matters. NOAA’s coastal temperature guide shows the Santa Monica Basin averaging in the upper 50s during winter, rising through the 60s, and reaching the upper 60s in August and September. For any month, choose the day by checking the National Weather Service marine forecast and buoy observations for wind and swell, then use NOAA’s King Harbor tide prediction when planning your departure and return.

Source: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, National Weather Service and NOAA Tides & Currents, ncei.noaa.gov, weather.gov and tidesandcurrents.noaa.gov (ncei.noaa.gov)

From Redondo Beach, you can explore King Harbor, head onto Santa Monica Bay, anchor at Malaga Cove, or continue to Marina del Rey. Put in at the public Redondo Beach Small BLF on Portofino Way in King Harbor; its three basins are largely sheltered by breakwaters and connect to the bay through the harbor entrance.

Beyond the breakwaters, Santa Monica Bay is open coastal water, with Redondo Canyon reaching close to shore. Malaga Cove is an exposed anchorage for boaters with local knowledge. Marina del Rey offers another protected, manmade harbor with guest berths at Burton Chace Park.

Source: NOAA Office of Coast Survey (dbw.parks.ca.gov)

Day-trip choices from Redondo Beach include Marina del Rey, Alamitos Bay, Rainbow Harbor and Avalon Harbor. Marina del Rey’s Burton Chace Park offers guest docks on the Main Channel, with groceries and shopping nearby. Alamitos Bay has public docks beside a commercial center with restaurants, while downtown Rainbow Harbor provides short-term public mooring for a shopping or dining stop. Avalon Harbor offers an island outing with shoreboat service, marine fuel, boating supplies and public showers.

Source: Los Angeles County Department of Beaches and Harbors (beaches.lacounty.gov)

California requires a Boater Card, rather than a conventional boating license, for most recreational operators of motorized vessels. Since January 1, 2025, the requirement applies regardless of age and includes personal watercraft. Operators generally must be at least 16 for vessels over 15 horsepower; ages 12 to 15 may operate only if supervised on board by an attentive adult 18 or older, and must either hold a card themselves or be supervised by a cardholder.

Rental vessel operators are exempt. Exemptions also cover direct supervision and qualifying temporary visitors. Approved applicants may print a 90-day temporary card while awaiting the permanent card. California State Parks’ Division of Boating and Waterways administers the program.

Source: California State Parks Division of Boating and Waterways (parks.ca.gov)

California boaters should carry a Coast Guard approved life jacket for everyone and ensure children under 13 wear one whenever a recreational vessel is moving. Operating a boat, water skis or similar device at a blood alcohol concentration of 0.08 percent or higher is illegal. Sailboats over eight feet and motorized vessels must be registered with DMV. Personal watercraft may not operate from sunset to sunrise; operators generally must be at least 16, while ages 12 to 15 require qualifying onboard adult supervision. California registered vessels using freshwater also need current Mussel Fee Stickers, and some waterbodies require inspections. The responsible agency is California State Parks’ Division of Boating and Waterways.

Source: California State Parks, Division of Boating and Waterways (parks.ca.gov)

In California you must be 16 or older and hold a California Boater Card to operate a vessel powered by a motor of 15 horsepower or more, including a personal watercraft. Someone aged 12 to 15 may operate that same class only while supervised on board by a person at least 18 who is also in possession of a California Boater Card. The supervising adult needs the card, not just the years. State Parks' Division of Boating and Waterways administers it. The rental company sets its own minimum rental age, often higher, so confirm it when booking.

Source: California State Parks, Division of Boating and Waterways, dbw.parks.ca.gov and californiaboatercard.com (parks.ca.gov)

Alongside the boat clubs on this page, Redondo Beach has 6 boat rentals, 3 marinas and 1 boat dealer.