Boat Rentals in Bronx, NY

The best time to go boating in the Bronx is July through September on Eastchester Bay and western Long Island Sound, when the Sound’s average summer bottom temperature is in the upper 60s. NYC Parks allows its designated kayak and canoe launches to be used from April 1 through December 1, leaving colder spring and fall options.

Tide is especially important near the Bronx shoreline. NOAA describes upper Eastchester Bay as shallow, with shoals and wrecks, and notes tidal current near Pelham Bridge. Plan the day’s route and timing around the tide, particularly in a deeper-draft boat.

Source: Long Island Sound Study (longislandsoundstudy.net)

From the Bronx, you can boat on Eastchester Bay and City Island Harbor, continue into Long Island Sound, paddle the Bronx River, or use the Harlem River corridor. Around City Island, small craft use boat clubs and railways; the channel beside Rodman Neck is no-wake, while City Island Harbor is sheltered. Eastchester Bay is shallow, with shoals and wrecks.

Paddlers can put in at Concrete Plant Park for the tidal lower Bronx River, or use the floating docks at Roberto Clemente State Park. From the Harlem River, powered boats can reach the Hudson through Spuyten Duyvil Creek or head toward Hell Gate and the East River, where currents and traffic require caution.

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

Boaters leaving the Bronx can make day trips on Long Island Sound to New Rochelle Municipal Marina, Mamaroneck Harbor and Port Washington on Manhasset Bay. New Rochelle welcomes transient boaters and puts groceries and local entertainment within walking distance. Mamaroneck Harbor draws crews to Harbor Island Park, with a public fishing dock and village restaurants and shops nearby. Port Washington’s Town Dock overlooks Manhasset Bay, sits close to Main Street and offers dockage, moorings and a pumpout station.

Source: City of New Rochelle (newrochelleny.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)

New York boaters should carry one U.S. Coast Guard approved life jacket per person; children under 12 must wear one while underway on any boat 65 feet or less, including rowboats, canoes and kayaks, unless inside a fully enclosed cabin. Operating while impaired by alcohol or drugs is illegal, and a blood alcohol level of 0.08 percent or higher is intoxication. Mechanically propelled boats must be registered. Personal watercraft operators must be at least 14, complete a boating safety course, wear an approved life jacket, and operate only between sunrise and sunset. Statewide, boats and equipment must be Clean, Drain, Dry or treated before launching in public waters. New York State Parks oversees boating safety.

Source: New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (parks.ny.gov)

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)

Alongside the boat rentals on this page, Bronx has 2 boat clubs, 5 marinas and 2 boat dealers.