Willis Marine Center

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)

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)

From Huntington, start in sheltered Huntington Harbor, then follow its marked, 5 mph channel into Huntington Bay, which opens to the broader, open water of Long Island Sound. Huntington Bay is protected from most winds but exposed to northerlies. From the bay, Northport Bay offers good anchorage, while Centerport Harbor is a shoal small boat harbor reached through a seasonally buoyed channel.

Common town put-ins are Mill Dam Ramp in Huntington, Soundview Ramp by the Northport Power Station, and Hobart Beach Ramp on Eaton’s Neck.

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

Boaters leaving Huntington go to Lloyd Point, Northport Village, and Port Jefferson Harbor for day trips. The embayment at Lloyd Point on Lloyd Harbor is identified by New York State Parks as a primary anchoring and shore access destination. In Northport Harbor, the Village Dock meets the west end of Main Street, with water and electric available at the dock. Port Jefferson Harbor welcomes transient boaters near shops, restaurants, cultural attractions, and Harborfront Park, all within a short walk of the marina docks.

Source: New York State Parks (parks.ny.gov)