South Dakota does not require recreational boat operators to hold a boating license or boater education card, so rental customers do not need a state education card or temporary education certificate. This also applies to personal watercraft operators. South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks recommends, but does not mandate, an approved boating safety course.

An operator under 12 may not run a motorboat with more than 6 horsepower unless someone age 18 or older is aboard. An operator under 14 may not run a personal watercraft unless accompanied by someone age 18 or older, except in an emergency.

Source: South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks (gfp.sd.gov)

South Dakota boaters should follow registration, life jacket, sober operation, personal watercraft, and invasive species rules administered by South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks. Carry a Coast Guard approved wearable life jacket for each person; children under seven must wear one above no wake speed unless in a cabin or below deck. The vessel blood alcohol limit is 0.08. Motorboats of any length and nonmotorized boats over 12 feet must be registered. Personal watercraft riders must wear approved life jackets; operators under 14 need an adult age 18 or older aboard, and unlighted watercraft cannot operate between sunset and sunrise. Remove organic material and drain transported boats.

Source: South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks (gfp.sd.gov)

The best time for recreational boating in South Dakota is June through August, with late May and September serving as shoulder months. Travel South Dakota treats June through September as the summer season at Oakwood Lakes, while South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks identifies Memorial Day through Labor Day as the peak boating season. Expect more boating activity during that peak and lighter use outside it.

Watch the forecast even in midsummer. In western South Dakota, most severe thunderstorm and tornado warnings occur from late May through August, most often from midafternoon into early evening.

Source: South Dakota Department of Tourism (travelsouthdakota.com)

The best boating choices in South Dakota span three distinct regions: the broad Missouri River reservoirs through central and southeastern South Dakota, the glacial lake country of the northeast, and Black Hills reservoirs in the west. Lake Oahe and Lake Francis Case offer expansive reservoir water along the Missouri corridor. In the northeast, Lake Thompson represents the prairie glacial lakes, while the connected Oakwood Lakes accommodate boating, canoeing and kayaking. Near Rapid City, Pactola Reservoir provides a scenic Black Hills setting for boating and paddling.

Source: Travel South Dakota (gfp.sd.gov)

Popular boating destinations in South Dakota include Lewis and Clark Lake near Yankton, where visitors can boat, sail, fish and enjoy sandy beaches; Lake Oahe near Pierre, with expansive water for boating, kayaking, canoeing and paddleboarding; Lake Francis Case at Chamberlain, a sprawling Missouri River reservoir with scenic blufftop views; and Pactola Reservoir west of Rapid City, where Black Hills scenery attracts boaters, paddleboarders, swimmers and anglers.

Source: Travel South Dakota (travelsouthdakota.com)