Boat Clubs in Sag Harbor, NY

The best time to boat the Sag Harbor Cove and Bay complex is late June through September, especially if warmer water matters. The Village’s official boating season runs from April 1 through October 31, while local temperature records put August water around the low 70s and identify it as the warmest month.

Midsummer is also the busiest period. Sag Harbor’s harbor plan describes extensive summer vessel activity and congestion near the narrowed channel at the North Haven bridge and the channel intersections by Long Wharf. To reduce congestion, avoid midsummer weekends, check the day’s wind forecast and allow extra time through those approaches.

Source: Village of Sag Harbor (sagharborny.gov)

From Sag Harbor, choose Sag Harbor itself, Sag Harbor Cove, Noyack Bay, Smith Cove or Gardiners Bay. The harbor is protected by a breakwater and has a five mph limit; Sag Harbor Cove is reached through a marked channel about 8 feet deep. Noyack Bay offers generally protected Peconic cruising, while Smith Cove is a small-craft anchorage in northerly weather. Gardiners Bay is the more open option, reached through Shelter Island Sound, whose Sag Harbor route has numerous shoals.

Trailer boats can use the Village of Sag Harbor Ramp on Bay Street. Village dockage also includes Marine Park, Marine Park Basin, the transient dock and a mooring field.

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

From Sag Harbor, boaters make day trips to Greenport, Dering Harbor, Coecles Harbor and Three Mile Harbor. Greenport’s Mitchell Park Marina puts crews beside the boardwalk, carousel, shops and restaurants. Dering Harbor is a recognized yacht and motorboat anchorage with moorings and float landings. Coecles Harbor offers a designated transient anchorage, guest moorings and marina services in Shelter Island waters. Three Mile Harbor, opening from Gardiners Bay, draws boats for its soft bottom anchorage with good holding ground and a public commercial landing.

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

Yes, but New York calls it a Safe Boating Certificate rather than a boating license. The state generally requires recreational operators of motorized vessels to complete a state-approved course and carry the original certificate, including for personal watercraft. Operators of other motorboats must be at least 10, while PWC operators must be at least 14. Renters age 18 or older may operate a livery motorboat without a certificate after receiving basic instruction and safety information; a rented PWC may be operated without one only within a marked area near the livery. Renters under 18 need a certificate, and no one under 16 may rent a PWC at all. Course graduates receive a temporary certificate valid for 90 days. Valid U.S. Coast Guard operator licensees are exempt. New York State Parks administers the program.

Source: New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (parks.ny.gov)

New York boaters should carry one U.S. Coast Guard approved life jacket per person; children under 12 must wear one while underway on any boat 65 feet or less, including rowboats, canoes and kayaks, unless inside a fully enclosed cabin. Operating while impaired by alcohol or drugs is illegal, and a blood alcohol level of 0.08 percent or higher is intoxication. Mechanically propelled boats must be registered. Personal watercraft operators must be at least 14, complete a boating safety course, wear an approved life jacket, and operate only between sunrise and sunset. Statewide, boats and equipment must be Clean, Drain, Dry or treated before launching in public waters. New York State Parks oversees boating safety.

Source: New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (parks.ny.gov)

New York's only statutory rental age is for personal watercraft and specialty prop-craft: Navigation Law §73-a bars a livery from renting one to anyone under sixteen, and in the same clause requires genuine proof of identification and age plus compliance with the boating safety certificate rule in section 49. A personal watercraft renter over eighteen may skip that certificate only where the livery keeps them within five hundred feet of the agent assigned to supervise, on a clearly marked craft.

Operating age is separate. Section 49 sets ten years for a mechanically propelled vessel and fourteen for a personal watercraft, each with a certificate; a personal watercraft operator may instead be accompanied by a certificate holder over eighteen. Rental companies set their own minimum age.

Source: New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (nysenate.gov)

Alongside the boat clubs on this page, Sag Harbor has 13 boat rentals, 5 marinas and 2 boat dealers.