Freedom Boat Club – New Gretna, NJ (@ Viking Yachting Center)

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 Tuckerton, start on Tuckerton Creek, follow its marked dredged approach into Little Egg Harbor, and use the Intracoastal Waterway to continue through the marshes toward Great Bay and the Mullica River. For a trailered powerboat, New Jersey’s ramp guide lists marina ramps on Tuckerton Creek.

Tuckerton Creek’s approach can have cross currents and has an 8 mph channel limit. Little Egg Harbor is shallow, with marsh islands and narrow unmarked cuts that can end abruptly. The Intracoastal Waterway is the inside route. Great Bay generally runs 4 to 7 feet deep, while the Mullica River has entrance shoals but a deep, clear midchannel once inside.

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

From Tuckerton, boaters can head to Beach Haven, Little Egg Reef and the Holgate Peninsula. Beach Haven makes a convenient waterfront town outing on the route linking its dock with Tuckerton Seaport. Little Egg Reef draws anglers and scuba divers to artificial structures intended to create fishing grounds and underwater habitat. At Holgate’s western edge, boat landing is permitted from September 1 through March 31 for access to state shellfishing waters; outside that window, choose another landing spot.

Source: Tuckerton Seaport (tuckertonseaport.org)