How Old Do You Have to Be to Drive a Boat in Maine?

There is no single answer to how old you have to be to drive a boat in Maine, because the state sets its rules by the boat’s horsepower and the operator’s age rather than by one blanket minimum. A child of any age can run a motorboat with 10 horsepower or less. Above that, supervision and a safety course come into play, and personal watercraft like jet skis are off-limits entirely to anyone under 16.

Motorboat Rules by Age and Horsepower

Maine sorts motorboat privileges into tiers.

For boats with 10 horsepower or less, there is no minimum age. A child under 12 can operate a boat with more than 10 horsepower only if someone at least 16 years old is in the same boat and directly supervising. If that supervisor was born on or after January 1, 1999, the supervisor also has to hold a boater safety course certificate.¹

Once a child turns 12, they can operate higher-powered boats without a supervisor sitting next to them. At that point the safety course becomes the deciding factor. Anyone born on or after January 1, 1999, must complete an approved boater safety and education course before operating a motorboat with more than 25 horsepower for recreational use, and they have to carry the certificate and produce it if a law enforcement officer asks.¹ Without that certificate, an operator in this age group is capped at 25 horsepower.

Boaters born before January 1, 1999, face no course requirement under this provision, whatever the boat’s horsepower.

Jet Skis and Personal Watercraft: 16 and Up

Personal watercraft carry the tightest age rule in the state. No one under 16 may operate a jet ski or similar personal watercraft under any circumstances. Adult supervision does not change that.² Families sometimes assume a teenager can ride a jet ski as long as a parent is on board; they cannot.

At 16 an operator is old enough, but if they were born on or after January 1, 1999, they must first finish the approved boater safety course and carry the proof with them. Maine also prohibits personal watercraft operation between sunset and sunrise, and everyone aboard, operator and passengers alike, has to wear a U.S. Coast Guard-approved Type I, Type II, or Type III life jacket at all times. Inflatable life jackets do not qualify for personal watercraft.²³

Who Needs the Boater Safety Course

The January 1, 1999 birth date is the pivot. If you were born on or after that date, you need an approved course before you can:

Operate a motorboat with more than 25 horsepower for recreation
Operate any personal watercraft
Supervise a child under 12 on a boat with more than 10 horsepower

Approved courses are offered online and in person through providers listed by the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, and they must be approved by the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators or meet an equivalent standard.⁴ The certificate does not expire, and Maine accepts NASBLA-approved cards issued by other states, which helps visiting boaters.

A few operators are exempt. Licensed Maine guides authorized to carry passengers for hire, holders of a valid U.S. Coast Guard mariner credential, and holders of a Canadian vessel operator’s card do not need the separate boater education certificate. Renters get a temporary pass: the rental agreement itself serves as authorization for up to 60 days.¹

Life Jackets for Kids 12 and Under

Age determines one more thing on Maine waters. Starting January 1, 2026, every child age 12 or younger must actually wear a U.S. Coast Guard-approved life jacket while on any recreational watercraft, including motorboats, jet skis, kayaks, canoes, and paddleboards. Before this change, the jacket only had to be available on board.⁵ Now it has to be on the child.

Every boat still needs one Coast Guard-approved life jacket for each person aboard, and boats longer than 16 feet also need a throwable device such as a ring buoy. Canoes, kayaks, and paddleboards are exempt from the throwable requirement.⁵

Penalties and Parent Liability

Getting the age and course rules wrong is a civil infraction with a fine between $100 and $500. That covers operating without the required certificate, letting an underage child run a boat beyond the allowed horsepower, or supervising a young operator without holding the required certificate yourself. Accumulate three or more civil boating-law violations within a five-year period and further violations become Class E crimes rather than civil matters.¹

The liability does not end with whoever is at the helm. If a minor child operates a personal watercraft illegally, the parent or guardian can be held responsible. Boat owners face their own exposure: if you own a watercraft and negligently allow someone else to operate it illegally, that is a separate violation charged against you.¹

One more age-linked rule matters once an operator is running the boat: Maine enforces a zero-tolerance alcohol standard for anyone under 21 on the water, meaning any detectable amount above 0.00 is a violation. The general limit for operators 21 and older is 0.08, and a boating-under-the-influence conviction is a Class D crime.⁶ Younger boaters who assume the rules relax on the water are wrong. Before handing the keys to a child or teenager, confirm the operator meets every age, horsepower, course, and life jacket requirement that applies to them.

1
Maine State Legislature. Maine Code Title 12 13068-A – Operating Watercraft; Prohibitions
2
Maine State Legislature. Maine Code Title 12 13071-A – Operating Personal Watercraft
3
Justia Law. Maine Code Title 12 13071-A – Operating Personal Watercraft
4
Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. Maine Boating Laws and Responsibilities
5
City of Saco, Maine. Important Change to Maine State Law Personal Flotation Devices
6
Maine State Legislature. Maine Code Title 12 10701 – Hunting Under the Influence; Operating Watercraft Under the Influence