SMI Marine

Kentucky’s legal minimum to operate a personal watercraft or motorboat over 10 horsepower without supervision is 12, provided an operator ages 12 through 17 possesses a safe boating certificate. Under KRS 235.285(7), a person under 12 may not operate either vessel class on Kentucky public waters. A 12 to 17 year old without the certificate may operate only while accompanied on board by a person age 18 or older or a person possessing a safe boating certificate. Nonresidents in that age range must possess a Kentucky certificate or recognized equivalent. Rental operators set their own booking minimums, so confirm the age requirement when reserving.

Source: Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources (apps.legislature.ky.gov)

Kentucky does not require a general boating license for adults, but operators ages 12 through 17 need boating credentials when running a motorboat, including a personal watercraft, over 10 horsepower on public waters. Children under 12 may not operate those vessels. A qualifying youth may carry a Kentucky Safe Boating Certificate or proof of completing a NASBLA approved course, or be accompanied on board as allowed by state law. Equivalent credentials are accepted for nonresident youths. Renting does not create a separate exemption, and current state pages do not list a temporary rental certificate. The Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources administers boater education.

Source: Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources (fw.ky.gov)

From Louisville, point a rented boat onto the McAlpine upper pool of the Ohio River, with three distinct outings on the same connected water. Carrie Gaulbert Cox Park provides a public put-in for main-channel cruising past Louisville’s downtown bridges, where boaters share the river with commercial traffic. Harrods Creek connects with the Ohio and offers a narrower creek setting with docks and small marina basins. Six Mile Island is the nature-focused option: an undeveloped, boat-access-only preserve with no facilities, reached from Cox Park. Its official visitor page warns of barge and motorboat traffic.

Source: U.S. Coast Guard Navigation Center (navcen.uscg.gov)

From Louisville, boaters use the Ohio River to reach Six Mile Island for boat-only access and waterbird watching, Twelve Mile Island for a long-established boating and fishing stop with shore access, and James T. Duffy’s Landing in Jeffersonville for transient docks and a picnic break. Six Mile Island is undeveloped, Twelve Mile Island is publicly owned, and Duffy’s Landing adds a public ramp and seasonal gazebo, giving crews three distinct local day-trip choices.

Source: Kentucky Office of Nature Preserves (eec.ky.gov)