Marinas in Old Saybrook, CT

The marinas we list in Old Saybrook cover Safe Harbor Marinas. Between them they handle slips, storage, fuel and service.

The best time to boat in Old Saybrook is late June through September, when the Connecticut River mouth and adjoining Long Island Sound offer their warmest water of the year. NOAA’s New London coastal averages rise from the upper 40s in April to the low 60s in June, reach the low 70s in August, and remain around 70 in September. The Baldwin Bridge State Boat Launch and its floating docks are listed as year-round.

Plan each outing around tide and wind. NOAA warns that currents at the river entrance can be strong, especially during the first three hours of ebb, while Sound tidal flow may cross the current between the jetties.

Source: Connecticut DEEP (portal.ct.gov)

From Old Saybrook, you can cruise the lower Connecticut River, enter North Cove, launch a paddlecraft on South Cove, or pass through the Saybrook breakwaters onto Long Island Sound. Baldwin Bridge State Boat Launch handles trailered and car-top boats on the river; town access includes the North Cove ramp, Sheffield Street Town Dock and South Cove’s car-top site. North Cove is a dredged small-boat basin with excellent anchorage. South Cove is tide-dependent and closed at low tide. The Connecticut River has designated slow-no-wake stretches around Old Saybrook, while Long Island Sound provides the open-water choice beyond the river mouth.

Source: Town of Old Saybrook (oldsaybrookct.gov)

Boaters from Old Saybrook can head up the Connecticut River to Essex, Hamburg Cove and Calves Island, or stay local in North Cove. Essex has a town dinghy dock beside the Connecticut River Museum, with village restaurants within walking distance. Hamburg Cove offers a marked channel leading to a turning basin with mooring piles. The passage by Calves Island is widely used for summer mooring, with a special anchorage west of the island. Near Saybrook Point, North Cove provides an excellent small-boat anchorage.

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

Yes. Connecticut generally requires a boating certificate rather than a license, with no birth date cutoff. Connecticut residents, real property owners and operators of Connecticut registered vessels need an SBC or CPWO for motorboats or sailboats 19½ feet or longer. Personal watercraft operators need a CPWO or an accepted reciprocal certificate.

Children under 12 cannot operate over 10 horsepower without a certified adult onboard. Operators under 16 need adult supervision onboard a personal watercraft; for other vessels, they may operate uncertified under a qualified adult. Non-PWC rentals from a boat livery for 14 days or less are exempt. Temporary certificates are available to qualifying new boat owners. Connecticut DEEP administers the program.

Source: Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (portal.ct.gov)

Connecticut boaters should know DEEP’s rules for life jackets, sober operation, registration, personal watercraft, and slow speeds near shore. Anyone under 13 must wear a life jacket while a vessel is underway unless below deck or in an enclosed cabin; every PWC rider must wear one. Operating under the influence is illegal; the blood alcohol limit is .08, or .02 for operators under 21. All motorboats and sail-only boats 19½ feet or longer must be registered. PWC operators need a Certificate of Personal Watercraft Operation; those under 16 require onboard supervision by an adult at least 18 with a CPWO. Slow-no-wake limits apply within 100 feet for motorboats and 200 feet for PWCs.

Source: Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (portal.ct.gov)

Connecticut DEEP’s minimum operating age depends on vessel type. To operate a motorboat over 10 horsepower alone, an operator must be at least 12 and hold an SBC or CPWO; under 12 requires an onboard certificate holder age 18 or older. Under 16 without a certificate, a person may operate a non-PWC vessel only under direct supervision of someone 18 or older who has held a boating certificate for two years. A PWC operator under 16 needs onboard supervision by someone at least 18 who holds a CPWO. At 16, that supervision requirement ends. Confirm the rental operator’s minimum when booking.

Source: Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (portal.ct.gov)

Alongside the marinas on this page, Old Saybrook has 2 boat rentals and 2 boat dealers.