South Bay Marina

At 12, a person may operate a motorboat without supervision in Wisconsin after completing a boating safety course accepted by the Wisconsin DNR. Ages 10 or 11 may operate only with a parent, guardian, or designated adult at least 18 who has a valid boating safety certificate or was born before January 1, 1989. Ages 12 through 15 may use that supervision option instead of certification. Operators 16 or older born on or after January 1, 1989 must have completed an accepted course. No one under 12 may operate a personal watercraft, no one under 16 may rent one, and operators 12 or older must be certified; adult supervision is no substitute. The rental operator sets its own minimum, so confirm it when booking.

Source: Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (dnr.wisconsin.gov)

Wisconsin does not require a general boating license, but operators born on or after January 1, 1989 generally need boating safety certification or an accepted out of state equivalent and must carry proof aboard. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources administers the rule. No one under 10 may operate a motorboat. For motorboats other than personal watercraft, qualifying adult accompaniment is allowed for operators age 10 and older instead of certification. Personal watercraft operators must be at least 12, and those subject to the cutoff must be certified; accompaniment is not a substitute, and renters must be at least 16. Rental customers 16 or older may use the state rental education certificate, valid through that calendar year only for watercraft they rent. People born before the cutoff are exempt.

Source: Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (dnr.wisconsin.gov)

From Green Bay, you can run the Lower Fox River into lower Green Bay, then choose open bay water or a more protected river approach. Green Bay Metro Boat Launch sits on the Fox just below its confluence with the bay, where wave action is generally less severe than on the bay. Neil LaFave Suamico Boat Landing is farther inside the Suamico River and protected from bay wave action before you reach the west shore. Bay Shore Park offers a breakwater-protected harbor for launching onto Green Bay, providing another sheltered starting point.

Source: Brown County Planning and Land Services and Brown County Parks (browncountywi.gov)

Good day-trip targets from Green Bay include CityDeck on the Fox River, Bay Shore Park on the Bay of Green Bay, and Oconto’s Breakwater Park and Harbor. CityDeck has transient docks for stepping ashore in downtown Green Bay. Bay Shore Park offers a breakwater-protected harbor, picnic areas, and trails along the Niagara Escarpment. At the mouth of the Oconto River, Breakwater Park and Harbor provides transient wall dockage and slips, fishing areas, a pavilion, and dining for a longer waterfront stop.

Source: City of Green Bay (greenbaywi.gov)