Bay Harbor Motors

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 Staten Island, you can choose Great Kills Harbor, Raritan Bay, Upper New York Bay, or the Arthur Kill and Kill Van Kull waterways. Great Kills Harbor is a shallow small-craft anchorage with a buoyed entrance, a marina and a public trailer-boat ramp, making it the clearest starting point. Raritan Bay is part of Lower Bay and is full of shoals, so follow the charted channels. Through The Narrows, Upper Bay offers a harbor run toward the Battery on a marked main passage. Arthur Kill leads to Newark Bay, while Kill Van Kull carries extensive commercial traffic between Newark Bay and Upper Bay.

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

Good day-trip destinations from Staten Island are Sandy Hook, Atlantic Highlands Municipal Harbor and Liberty State Park. Sandy Hook marks New York Harbor’s southern entrance and offers a sandy shoreline and its historic lighthouse. Atlantic Highlands draws boaters with transient berths and harbor restaurants. Liberty State Park offers marina transient dockage, a waterfront promenade, views of Manhattan and the Statue of Liberty, and access to the park’s attractions.

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