Snug Harbor Motel & Marina

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 Montauk, you can boat on Lake Montauk, Block Island Sound, Fort Pond Bay, Napeague Bay and Napeague Harbor. Put in at the West Lake Drive ramp on Lake Montauk, then follow the marked route past Star Island and through the jettied Montauk Harbor entrance into the sound; currents ease after entering the harbor.

Fort Pond Bay provides open anchoring water but is exposed to some winds and shoals abruptly near shore; paddlers can launch there from the small ramp at Navy Road. Napeague Bay has extensive shallow areas, while Napeague Harbor is a shallow small-craft refuge reached through channels around Hicks Island.

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

From Montauk, practical day-trip choices include New Harbor on Block Island, Sag Harbor, and Three Mile Harbor. New Harbor sits on Great Salt Pond, where visiting boats find moorings, an anchorage, marinas, and access to town or Crescent Beach. Sag Harbor offers transient dockage and moorings, with village shops and restaurants a short walk from its marina facilities. Three Mile Harbor offers a marina-focused stop with recreational boating facilities, waterfront restaurants, marine services, and a Town boat basin.

Source: Block Island Tourism Council (blockislandinfo.com)