Woods Hole Yacht Club

Massachusetts sets 12 as the minimum age to operate a motorboat without direct adult supervision, if the operator satisfies the applicable boater safety certificate rule; personal watercraft operators must be at least 16. A child under 12 may operate a motorboat only while accompanied on board and directly supervised by a certificate holder at least 18. Direct supervision requires visual contact and verbal communication at all times while underway.

Certification is phased by birth date under Massachusetts General Laws chapter 90B, section 9E: people born after January 1, 1989, have been covered since April 1, 2026; those born on or before that date must comply by April 1, 2028. Rental operators set their own minimums, so confirm when booking.

Source: Massachusetts Environmental Police and Boat and Recreation Vehicle Safety Bureau (mass.gov)

Yes. Massachusetts requires a boater safety certificate, rather than a boating license, for motorboat and personal watercraft operators born after January 1, 1989; those born on or before that date must comply by April 1, 2028. Personal watercraft operators must be at least 16. Children under 12 may operate a motorboat only under direct onboard supervision by a certified adult age 18 or older.

Rental customers are not generally exempt, and temporary rental certificates are only under consideration for lower power boats. Exemptions include direct supervision, qualifying nonresident certificates, merchant mariner credentials, certain military and commercial fishing operators, and recent boat buyers carrying a temporary certificate. Massachusetts Environmental Police administers the program.

Source: Massachusetts Environmental Police (mass.gov)

From Falmouth, you can choose Vineyard Sound, Waquoit Bay, Green Pond or Buzzards Bay waters at West Falmouth Harbor. The Falmouth Harbor Ramp puts you in Falmouth Inner Harbor; follow its jettied channel to Falmouth Harbor and open Vineyard Sound. Waquoit Bay Landing serves a shallow bay with a marked channel. Green Pond Landing accesses Green Pond, where the narrow jettied entrance shoals rapidly. West Falmouth Harbor Landing reaches a protected but shallow harbor opening to Buzzards Bay; the harbor has a 6 mph speed limit and bares in places at low water.

Source: Town of Falmouth Harbormaster (falmouthma.gov)

From Falmouth, good day-trip choices are Washburn Island, Vineyard Haven Harbor, and Oak Bluffs Harbor. Washburn Island is a boat-only destination within the Waquoit Bay reserve, making it a natural island stop. Vineyard Haven welcomes visiting boaters with transient moorings, limited dockage, and public dinghy docks at Owen Park and near the ferry pier. Oak Bluffs draws boaters to restaurants and bars along the harbor, with additional shops, cafés, and ice cream in the town center.

Source: Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (mass.gov)