Freedom Boat Club – Lewes, DE (@ Riverside Business Park & Marina)

Delaware sets no minimum age to operate an ordinary motorboat, but that does not determine whether a rental company will rent one to you. Under Title 23, Section 2221, anyone born on or after January 1, 1978 must complete approved boating safety instruction and carry the certificate when operating a registered or documented vessel. Personal watercraft have separate rules: operators may operate unsupervised at 16, while 14 and 15-year-olds may operate only under the direct supervision of a parent or legal guardian. Section 2213 also requires a personal watercraft renter to hold a valid automobile driver’s license. Each rental operator sets any additional minimum, so confirm it when booking.

Source: Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (delcode.delaware.gov)

Yes. Anyone born on or after January 1, 1978 must complete an approved boating safety course and carry the certificate when operating a motorized boat, including a personal watercraft, on Delaware waters. DNREC states no minimum mandatory age for boats other than PWC. PWC operators must be at least 14; ages 14 and 15 require direct parental or guardian supervision, while certified operators 16 or older may operate unsupervised.

Renters subject to the birth date rule are not exempt and must carry proof. Statutory exemptions cover valid U.S. Coast Guard captains and Delaware River and Bay pilots or equivalents; no temporary certificate exemption is listed. DNREC’s Office of Boating Safety and Education administers the requirement.

Source: Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (dnrec.delaware.gov)

From Lewes, you can boat on the Lewes and Rehoboth Canal, pass through Roosevelt Inlet to Delaware Bay, enter the Broadkill River, or follow the canal to Rehoboth Bay. The tidal canal has a posted 4 mph limit, while Delaware Bay is the open-water choice. Roosevelt Inlet is a jettied connection between the bay, canal and Broadkill River. The Broadkill offers an inside-passage river route, though NOAA reports bridges and snags farther upriver. Rehoboth Bay is reached through the shallow-draft canal route.

Trailered boats can use the Lewes Boat Ramp on Pilottown Road; paddlers and other small craft can launch at Canalfront Park.

Source: NOAA Office of Coast Survey (nauticalcharts.noaa.gov)

From Lewes, boaters head to the Delaware Breakwater East End Lighthouse for close-up views from Delaware Bay; Harbor of Refuge for an anchorage behind the outer breakwater beside its lighthouse; Reef Site 8 in Delaware Bay to fish around charted concrete and the Golden Eagle tug; and Dewey Beach, reached through the Lewes and Rehoboth Canal, for a Rehoboth Bay stop with slips, fuel and supplies.

Source: NOAA Office of Coast Survey (nauticalcharts.noaa.gov)