Marinas in Sturgeon Bay, WI

July and August are the best months for boating on Sturgeon Bay and through the Sturgeon Bay Ship Canal. Local seasonal dock contracts begin when open water permits and end October 15.

Summer measurements found Sturgeon Bay surface water mostly in the 60s in June, in the 60s and 70s in July, and mostly in the 70s in August. Sheltered areas were generally warmer than the open channel, while Lake Michigan beyond the canal was colder. Wind-driven mixing affects these temperatures, and NOAA reports that canal and bay currents can run in either direction at up to 7 mph.

Source: Wisconsin DNR (apps.dnr.wi.gov)

From Sturgeon Bay, you can cruise the marked channel through Sturgeon Bay itself, follow the Sturgeon Bay Ship Canal to Lake Michigan, or continue past Sherwood Point into Green Bay. Public launch options include Sawyer Park and Sunset Park. The canal has a 5 mph limit, while Lake Michigan and Green Bay are the open-water choices.

For a more sheltered outing, Sawyer Harbor is a protected inlet at the mouth of Sturgeon Bay, with a launch at Potawatomi State Park. George K. Pinney County Park provides another launch directly onto Green Bay.

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

Good day-trip choices from Sturgeon Bay are Sawyer Harbor, Egg Harbor, and Horseshoe Island. Sawyer Harbor is a sheltered inlet at the mouth of Sturgeon Bay, with Potawatomi State Park’s Green Bay shoreline and boat launch nearby. Egg Harbor Marina offers short-visit tie-ups within walking distance of restaurants, shops, the public beach, and Harbor View Park. Horseshoe Island, part of Peninsula State Park, is accessible only by boat and has a rustic trail around the island for visitors who go ashore.

Source: Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (dnr.wisconsin.gov)

Wisconsin does not require a general boating license, but operators born on or after January 1, 1989 generally need boating safety certification or an accepted out of state equivalent and must carry proof aboard. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources administers the rule. No one under 10 may operate a motorboat. For motorboats other than personal watercraft, qualifying adult accompaniment is allowed for operators age 10 and older instead of certification. Personal watercraft operators must be at least 12, and those subject to the cutoff must be certified; accompaniment is not a substitute, and renters must be at least 16. Rental customers 16 or older may use the state rental education certificate, valid through that calendar year only for watercraft they rent. People born before the cutoff are exempt.

Source: Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (dnr.wisconsin.gov)

Know Wisconsin’s life jacket, alcohol, registration, operator and invasive species rules before launching. Carry one U.S. Coast Guard approved wearable life jacket per person; personal watercraft riders must wear one. On federally controlled waters, children under 13 must wear one while underway in an open vessel. Operating with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.08 percent or higher is illegal. Motorized boats and sailboats over 12 feet generally require registration.

No one under 12 may operate, lease or rent a personal watercraft; operators ages 12 to 15 need an approved safety certificate, and renters must be at least 16. Remove attached plants and animals and drain all water before transporting your boat. Check landing signs for stricter local rules.

Source: Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (dnr.wisconsin.gov)

At 12, a person may operate a motorboat without supervision in Wisconsin after completing a boating safety course accepted by the Wisconsin DNR. Ages 10 or 11 may operate only with a parent, guardian, or designated adult at least 18 who has a valid boating safety certificate or was born before January 1, 1989. Ages 12 through 15 may use that supervision option instead of certification. Operators 16 or older born on or after January 1, 1989 must have completed an accepted course. No one under 12 may operate a personal watercraft, no one under 16 may rent one, and operators 12 or older must be certified; adult supervision is no substitute. The rental operator sets its own minimum, so confirm it when booking.

Source: Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (dnr.wisconsin.gov)

Alongside the marinas on this page, Sturgeon Bay has 2 boat rentals and 8 boat dealers.