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Arkansas BOAT LAWS

To operate any motorboat powered by an engine of 10 horsepower or more (including a personal watercraft  referred to as a PWC):   

A person under 12 years of age:           

• must satisfy the boating education requirement, and                

• If operating a motorboat, must be under the direct visible and audible supervision of a parent, guardian or person over 17 years old.             

• If operating a PWC, must have a person at least 21 years of age on board and in a position to take immediate control of the PWC.

A person 12 or 13 years of age:            

• Must satisfy the boating education requirement, and                

• If operating a PWC, must have a person at least 18 years of age on board the PWC

A person 14 years of age or older must satisfy the boating education requirement if born on or after January 1, 1986.   

To legally operate any motorboat (including personal watercrafts) on Arkansas waters, a person who is of legal age to operate, whether an Arkansas resident or a non-resident, and who is born on or after January 1, 1986, must carry one of the following:           

• An approved Arkansas Game and Fish Commission (AGFC) safe boating course certificate            

• A valid boating education certificate issued by another state from a boating education course that is approved by the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators (NASBLA)        

It is illegal for the owner or person in control of a motorboat to allow someone who does not meet the age or boating education requirements to operate the vessel.   

A personal watercraft livery (rental agency) may not lease a personal watercraft to a person under 18 years of age