Boat Clubs in Beach Haven, NJ

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

The best time to boat in Beach Haven is late June through September, when Little Egg Harbor and the local Intracoastal Waterway have their main warm weather season. The borough staffs its Ninth Street bay ramp from June 15 through Labor Day, and launch passes are required through September 15. As a nearby coastal benchmark, NOAA’s Atlantic City averages rise from the mid-60s in June to the upper 60s in July and low 70s in August and September. Pick a calm forecast day: land and sea breezes are common, and NOAA warns that cross currents are especially strong at Beach Haven Inlet.

Source: Borough of Beach Haven (beachhaven-nj.gov)

From Beach Haven, you can cruise Little Egg Harbor, follow the New Jersey Intracoastal Waterway toward Tuckerton Creek and Great Bay, or reach the Atlantic through Beach Haven Inlet. Boats typically start at the borough’s 9th Street bay ramp or Beach Haven’s bayfront marinas. Little Egg Harbor has extensive shallow water around marshy islands, so stay with the marked route. Tuckerton Creek has a dredged, lighted approach channel; Great Bay has general depths of 4 to 7 feet along the Intracoastal route. Beach Haven Inlet opens to ocean water, but NOAA warns of changing channel conditions, wrecks and shoal spots.

Source: Borough of Beach Haven (beachhaven-nj.gov)

From Beach Haven, boaters head to Tuckerton Seaport, Little Egg Inlet Reef, and Great Bay’s Landing Creek. Tuckerton Seaport is a boat-accessible stop on Tuckerton Creek with exhibits about local boats, fishing, shellfish, and bay culture. Little Egg Inlet Reef draws anglers and divers to an artificial reef built with vessels and other structures. Landing Creek offers a scenic Great Bay anchorage with thick-mud holding. Together, these destinations provide a mix of shore time, offshore fishing, and quiet anchoring around Little Egg Harbor and Great Bay.

Source: Tuckerton Seaport (tuckertonseaport.org)

Yes. New Jersey requires operators 16 or older of power vessels, including personal watercraft, to hold a boating safety certificate. The requirement goes by age, not by birth year. Ages 13 to 15 may operate only an electric powered vessel, or one at least 12 feet long with under 10 horsepower, and still need a certificate; children under 13 may not operate power vessels at all.

Operating on non-tidal waters also requires a New Jersey boat license, an endorsement the Motor Vehicle Commission adds to a driver's license or ID card. It is an additional required document, not a replacement for the safety certificate. Out of state proof is accepted for visits under 90 days, as are Coast Guard operator licenses. The New Jersey State Police Marine Services Bureau administers certification.

Source: New Jersey State Police Marine Services Bureau (nj.gov)

New Jersey boaters should know five core rules enforced by the New Jersey State Police Marine Services Bureau. Children 12 or younger must wear a properly fitted Coast Guard approved life jacket while underway; from November 1 through May 1, everyone aboard a recreational vessel under 26 feet must wear one while underway, except inside a cabin. Operating with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.08 percent or more is prohibited. All power vessels and all titled boats must be registered. Personal watercraft operators must be at least 16 and have a boating safety certificate, may not operate between sunset and sunrise, and must obey no wake restrictions.

Source: New Jersey State Police Marine Services Bureau (nj.gov)

New Jersey does not use an adult supervision exception: the minimum age is 13 for limited power vessels and 16 for any power vessel, including personal watercraft. Operators ages 13 through 15 need a boating safety certificate and may operate only an electric powered vessel or a vessel at least 12 feet long with less than 10 horsepower. Anyone under 13 cannot operate a power vessel, and the State Police manual says there are no exemptions to the age requirements.

The rental operator sets its own minimum, so confirm it when booking.

Source: New Jersey State Police Marine Services Bureau (nj.gov)

Alongside the boat clubs on this page, Beach Haven has 3 boat rentals and 4 marinas.