Port of Rochester 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 Rochester, the main boating choices are the Genesee River harbor, Lake Ontario, and Irondequoit Bay. Launch at the public ramp beside the Port of Rochester Marina: the port is where the Genesee meets Lake Ontario, so you can stay in the river harbor or head onto open Great Lake water. For a bay outing, launch small or power boats at Irondequoit Bay State Marine Park, which also provides access to Lake Ontario. Expect no-wake water within 300 feet of the shoreline, a dock, pier, raft or float, or an anchored or moored vessel.

Source: City of Rochester (cityofrochester.gov)

Good boating day trips from Rochester include Braddock Bay, Snider Island, Devil’s/Helds Cove, Pultneyville and Sodus Point. Braddock Bay draws anglers and wildlife watchers to its shallow bay and marsh complex. In Irondequoit Bay, Snider Island and Devil’s/Helds Cove are county-identified popular fishing locations. Pultneyville Docks offer a stop on Salmon Creek, while Sodus Point combines Sodus Bay boating with a beach and lighthouse museum. Together, they give Lake Ontario boaters a mix of fishing water, wetlands and waterfront stops.

Source: New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (dec.ny.gov)