Chapter 4: The Legal Requirements of Boating
Who May Operate a Vessel

Age Restrictions

To operate a motorboat powered by an engine of 10 horsepower or more (including a personal watercraft), the following requirements apply.

A person under 12 years of age:

• Must satisfy the boater education requirement (see below) and …
• If operating a motorboat powered by an engine of 10 horsepower or more, must be under the direct visible and audible supervision of a parent, guardian, or person over 17 years old or…
• 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 boater education requirement (see below) 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 boater education requirement (see below) if born on or after January 1, 1986.

Boater Education Requirement

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

• A boater education certificate showing successful completion of an approved Arkansas Game & Fish Commission (AGFC) safe boating course or …
• A valid boater education certificate issued by another state from a boating education course that is approved by the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators (NASBLA)

Proof of certification must be carried.

It is illegal for the owner or person in control of a motorboat to allow someone who does not meet the age or boater 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.