New Hampshire boating laws: life jackets, boater education and jet skis
What New Hampshire law requires on the water, pulled from official sources and linked line by line: life jackets, boater education, jet skis, paddle craft and registration.
- Kids must wear a life jacket
- Under 13
- Boater education card
- Required (see who)
- Jet ski / PWC minimum age
- 16 to operate …
- Emergency
- 911 · VHF Channel 16
Emergency on the water in New Hampshire
Emergency and non-emergency contacts in New Hampshire
911 for emergencies; on coastal waters, call the U.S. Coast Guard on VHF Channel 16. Marine Patrol headquarters (non-emergency): 603-293-2037 or toll-free 1-877-642-9700.
Coast Guard sectors covering New Hampshire
Each sector runs a 24-hour command center. Its line is useful for reporting an overdue boat or reaching the Coast Guard by phone, but in a distress use VHF Channel 16 or call 911 first.
| Sector Northern New England | (833) 449-2407 24-hour Coast Guard sector line · checked Oct 2026 · atlanticarea.uscg.mil |
|---|
Toll-free 8xx numbers may not connect from a foreign SIM or a satellite phone.
How to call the Coast Guard: VHF 16 or 911 · Coast Guard phone numbers by region
New Hampshire life jacket laws (and kids)
Children
Children under 13 must wear a USCG-approved life jacket at all times while underway, unless the vessel is fully enclosed by railings at least 3 ft high that a small child cannot fall through.
Source: boat-ed.com
Everyone else, towing and seasonal rules
Paddleboarders must carry a wearable life jacket (children under 13 must wear one). Anyone towed must wear a USCG-approved life jacket. No seasonal cold-water wear rule.
The federal baseline
Federal default: children under 13 must wear a USCG-approved life jacket on a recreational vessel that is underway, unless they’re below decks or in an enclosed cabin. Where a state has its own child-wear rule, the state rule applies on its waters (33 CFR 175.15(c), 175.25). Coast Guard required safety equipment →
Boater education card (the “New Hampshire boating license”)
Most states don’t issue a boating license. What they require is a boater education card: proof you passed an approved boating safety course.
Who needs it
Anyone 16 or older operating a vessel with more than 25 hp, regardless of birth year; any ski craft/PWC operator (must be 16+). Under 16 may operate over 25 hp (not ski craft) only when accompanied by a certified person 18 or older. 25 hp or less needs no certificate.
The card
New Hampshire Safe Boater Education Certificate (must be carried on board)
Source: boat-ed.com
New Hampshire jet ski (PWC) laws
Minimum age
16 to operate (PWC/"ski craft"), plus a Safe Boater Education Certificate
Rules on the water
Operator must wear a USCG-approved life jacket; daylight only (sunrise to sunset); headway speed within 150 ft of swimmers, other vessels, rafts, docks, swimming areas or mooring fields; no operation in coves under 1,000 ft wide or within 300 ft of shore except at headway speed heading to open water; banned on lakes and ponds under 75 acres and other waters closed by law; no weaving through traffic or last-second swerving. Lanyard use is recommended, not required.
Source: boat-ed.com
Kayak, canoe, paddle board and kite rules
Paddleboarders must carry a wearable life jacket; children under 13 must wear one. A Marine Patrol permit is required to tow a kite glider or parasail. No kiteboarding-specific rule found.
Boat registration in New Hampshire
Motorboats of any size (including electric motors) and sailboats or sailboards 12 ft or longer must be registered. Exempt: sailboats/sailboards under 12 ft, canoes, kayaks and other small non-motorized craft, and out-of-state boats for 30 or fewer consecutive days. Out-of-state motorized boats also need a NH Invasive Species decal.
Popular boating waters in New Hampshire
- Lake Winnipesaukee
- Squam Lake
- Lake Sunapee
- Lake Winnisquam
- Newfound Lake
- Great Bay and Portsmouth Harbor
- Connecticut River
- Hampton/Seabrook Harbor
Some of the waters New Hampshire boaters know best. This is our list, not an official one, and it isn’t complete.
VesselSOS on New Hampshire waters
- Life in danger? One tap dials 911. The screen shows your GPS position and a word-for-word script: say “Boat emergency, I’m on the water” and the name of the lake, river or bay you’re on.
- On the coast and the Great Lakes it also shows which Coast Guard sector covers your position, with that sector’s 24-hour line as a second Call button, and a VHF Channel 16 MAYDAY script filled with your boat’s details for you to read on your own radio.
- A live link for family ashore (Plus, free during the beta): your position, speed, course and phone battery in any browser, no app needed on their end. You send it by text yourself.
- Not an emergency? The tow screen has Call buttons for the TowBoatUS and Sea Tow 24-hour dispatch lines, or your own member number.
What it doesn’t do: it doesn’t call the Coast Guard for you and isn’t connected to 911 or any rescue system. Nobody is alerted automatically if you’re late. The return-time check only asks “Are you OK?” on your own phone. It doesn’t replace a VHF radio, a PLB or EPIRB, or the life jackets the law requires.
iPhone only, in invite-only TestFlight beta. Not in the App Store yet, no Android. US support (911 routing, American English) is in beta version 1.4 and later.
Quick answers
What is the New Hampshire life jacket law for kids?
Children under 13 must wear a USCG-approved life jacket at all times while underway, unless the vessel is fully enclosed by railings at least 3 ft high that a small child cannot fall through.
Do you need a boating license in New Hampshire?
Anyone 16 or older operating a vessel with more than 25 hp, regardless of birth year; any ski craft/PWC operator (must be 16+). Under 16 may operate over 25 hp (not ski craft) only when accompanied by a certified person 18 or older. 25 hp or less needs no certificate.
How old do you have to be to drive a jet ski in New Hampshire?
16 to operate (PWC/"ski craft"), plus a Safe Boater Education Certificate.
Do you have to register a boat in New Hampshire?
Motorboats of any size (including electric motors) and sailboats or sailboards 12 ft or longer must be registered. Exempt: sailboats/sailboards under 12 ft, canoes, kayaks and other small non-motorized craft, and out-of-state boats for 30 or fewer consecutive days. Out-of-state motorized boats also need a NH Invasive Species decal.
Sources
State boating agency: New Hampshire Department of Safety, Division of State Police, Marine Patrol Bureau
- https://www.boat-ed.com/newhampshire/handbook/
- https://assets.kalkomey.com/boater/pdfs/handbook/newhampshire-handbook-entire.pdf
- https://www.nhsp.dos.nh.gov/our-services/field-operations-bureau/marine-patrol/marine-patrol-laws-rules
- https://www.atlanticarea.uscg.mil/Our-Organization/Northeast-District/Units/Sector-Northern-New-England/
Checked October 2026. Laws change; confirm with New Hampshire Department of Safety before you go.
This page summarizes the law for planning; it isn’t legal advice. Where this page and the official text differ, the official text wins. Spotted an error? Email support@vesselsos.com.