Freedom Boat Club – Beach Haven, NJ

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)

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)

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)