Tools & Resources

Bridge Marina only offers a fleet of premium, fully-loaded, current triple pontoon boats for rent on Lake Hopatcong and at the Jersey Shore in Highlands. Our fleet offers top-of-the-line boats and has been specifically chosen to meet a variety of our renters’ needs and local conditions. Our boats comfortably seat a maximum of ten passengers (or 1,300 lbs of passengers and gear) and are well appointed to provide a safe, comfortable and enjoyable boating experience.

Each boat rental includes: safety equipment; anchor; fuel (up to ten gallons of fuel for our Highlands guests); dock lines; fenders; bimini top; depth finder and fish finder; bluetooth; emergency on-water service; pre-rental instruction and our helpful and friendly staff to assure you have a great time!

Our boat rental service is currently closed for the season. We can’t wait to welcome you back next season! Questions or want to get your name added to our list so you’re among the first to know when our schedule opens for 2025 reservations? Call us at (973) 663-1976. We can’t wait to welcome you to the water!

In season, Lake Hopatcong and Highlands rentals are available for the day, 10am to 5pm.  We also have a limited number of half-day rentals available on Lake Hopatcong, as well as “Build Your Own” rental options for even greater flexibility. Our calendar books quickly, especially on weekends. Advance reservations are highly recommended.

Long-term rentals are also available at both locations upon request; please call us at (973) 663-1976 for details.

Bridge Marina is the premier marina on Lake Hopatcong and offers the lake’s finest boat rental fleet, coupled with a professional, award-winning team. We are not your typical boat rental! We have a passion for welcoming our rental guests to the boating experience in safety and in style, and it shows in everything we do.

We also offer our boat rental and boating club services at the Jersey Shore at Baker’s Marina on the Bay in Highlands. At both locations, our rental guests experience top-notch service, exclusive perks and benefits and the finest fleet of boats available.

At Bridge Marina, we pride ourselves on customer satisfaction, environmental responsibility, community involvement, and delivering beyond expectations. Our work has been recognized on both the local and national levels, from national recognition twice as a “Marina of the Year,” to a National Safety Award from Sea Tow Foundation, to a “Certificate of Excellence” recognition from TripAdvisor to Daily Record Reader’s Choice award winner year after year. Bridge Marina is also New Jersey’s first and only freshwater Clean Marina.

Bridge Marina does not issue temporary boating certificates at either of our locations. If you do not have your NJ Boater Safety Certificate, we can help!  Please see below for more details. 

Boater Safety Certificate and Driver’s License

Renter must present a New Jersey Boater Safety Certificate and valid New Jersey auto driver’s license (you must have a boating safety certificate from state your auto license is issued); Bridge Marina does not issue temporary safety certificates. Please see our full renter qualifications below.

For Lake Hopatcong Rentals, Renter/Driver must

• be 30 years of age or greater
• present a NJ Boater Safety Certificate
• present “Boat” Endorsement on Driver’s License
• present a valid Auto Driver’s License
• provide a valid and acceptable credit card (Visa/MC) with appropriate credit to accommodate Terms.
• be sufficiently fluent in the English language to understand navigational signs, charts, communicate instructions and signals, respond to official inquiries, and to accept agreements, documents and instruction regarding rental and safety training.

For Highlands Boat Rentals: Renter/Driver must

• be 30 years of age or greater
• present a NJ Boater Safety Certificate
• present a valid Auto Driver’s License
• have experience boating in tidal waters
• provide a valid and acceptable credit card (Visa/MC) with appropriate credit to accommodate Terms.
• be sufficiently fluent in the English language to understand navigational signs, charts, communicate instructions and signals, respond to official inquiries, and to accept agreements, documents and instruction regarding rental and safety training.

Out-of-state guests

If your license is from another state, you must have a boating safety certificate from state your auto license is from, meet the Boating Safety requirements from your state, and/or present minimum of NJ Boater Safety Certificate, as well as hold a valid auto license and be 30 years of age or older.

All rental guests are encouraged to watch our Boating Safety and Education video.  The intent of our safety video is to provide guests with basic boating safety information and help ensure that materials have been reviewed; neither the video or assessment certifies or licenses any guest to operate a vessel in New Jersey or any other state.

All boaters must follow all federal and state boating laws, including laws specific to Lake Hopatcong and tidal waters.

If You Do Not Have Your NJ Boater Safety Certificate, We Can Help!

There are several ways for you to get your certificate:

1. Our Learn to Boat programs will help you get your certification and provide you with hands-on boat handling training! For an initial investment, you’ll gain the confidence and training to help you become a better, safer boater! The best part? After completing the program, we’ll give you back a discount toward a future boat rental with us. Learn more, email [email protected] or contact us at (973) 663-1976 for more information!
2. We hold the New Jersey Boating Safety Certificate Course and exam in Lake Hopatcong and in Highlands throughout the year!  You can find an in person exam and class with Bridge Marina here.
3. You can take an online class here.  Upon completion, you will need to take an in-person exam; exam dates can be found with Bridge Marina here.

Membership programs are based on:

• The number of times you want to go out boating each summer (Membership Level)
• When you want to go boating (Anytime or Weekdays Only)
• Where you want to go boating (Your Home Location – Lake Hopatcong or Highlands)

Our membership program commitment is only one year.

For your convenience, all plans are auto-renewed each year on your anniversary (joining) date, and most members join us for several consecutive years. You can opt out of renewing your plan by simply letting us know, in advance of your anniversary date, that you no longer wish to continue your membership.

No cancellation fees, no long-term commitments. And, when and if you’d like to join us again after a “break” from the Club, you can rejoin for great times on the water for another year. Flexibility is important to us.

You simply make a reservation in our online system. Your confirmed reservation guarantees your use of the Club.

We maintain a ratio of approximately 7:1 Full Members to available boats to ensure our members have unwavering access to the water. Summer weekends are of course our more popular days for reservations, and our weekend afternoons are most popular. We encourage our members to make plans in advance and reserve their time to guarantee their spot.

Our most experienced members have also found that weekdays are some of the best boating days, with less traffic on our waterways. We encourage our members to seek the solitude of weekdays and schedule weekday reservations whenever possible – an early day off work on a Thursday often makes for a fantastic afternoon on the water!

We’ve put together an entire blog post on the subject of whether boating club members can actually get a boat – you can check it out here.

Reservations are made in our online system and all members are given ample opportunity and access to our fleet.

The membership level you choose corresponds to the number of reservations you have to use for the season. One reservation equals a single AM or PM visit, typically 9 AM – 1 PM or 2 PM – 6 PM.

Reservations can be aligned in order to take a boat for an entire day, though we find that one AM or PM reservation offers plenty of time on the water. (Nine hours, 9 AM – 6 PM, is a long day of boating!)

‘Anytime’ Members may have up to two weekday and two weekend reservations on our schedule at any given time. ‘Weekday-Only’ Members may have up to four weekday reservations on our schedule at any given time.

If you’re an early morning boater, or would like to enjoy a late evening dinner on the water, accommodations can be made for our more experienced members. Enjoy early arrivals or later-in-the-day returns that extend beyond our normal business hours.

The Club features an impressive variety of Starcraft Marine luxury triple pontoons and sleek Four Winns fiberglass boats in addition to our Wellcraft Center Console offered at our Highlands location. Both locations feature first-class quality boats specifically chosen to meet a variety of our members’ needs and local conditions. See our incredible fleet of top-notch boats.

Bridge Marina’s full-service, flagship location is centrally situated on Lake Hopatcong by land or water in a tranquil, no-wake zone at 89 Brady Road, Lake Hopatcong, NJ.  In Highlands, we offer boat lessons, boating club and boat rental services at centrally-located Baker’s Marina on the Bay at 1 Atlantic Street, Highlands, NJ.

Bridge Marina offers a comprehensive range of services at our boutique marina on Lake Hopatcong and sister location in Highlands, including boating education courses, on-water boat lessons, boat rentals, a boating club, boat sales, boat service, and dock slip memberships, all supported by our award-winning team. We cater to every aspect of your boating experience, offering convenience, expertise, and exceptional customer service to our guests.

Yes – Bridge Marina rents premium, fully-loaded triple pontoon boats on Lake Hopatcong and the Jersey Shore in Highlands.  Please note our renter requirements. We look forward to welcoming you to the water!

No.  Bridge Marina does not rent jet skis, kayaks or paddleboards at either location; however, first-class, triple pontoon boats are offered for rent at both locations.

Yes! Established in 2006, Bridge Marina Boating Club has welcomed thousands of families to the boating lifestyle. Join our Boating Club and effortlessly enjoy your time on the water as a member at our location on Lake Hopatcong and at the Jersey Shore in Highlands – it’s the simple and smart way to enjoy all the luxuries and advantages of the boating lifestyle without any of the long-term commitments, costs or shortcomings of owning a boat. Membership opportunities are very limited at both locations; fill out a membership application here.

To obtain a NJ Boating Safety Certificate, you must complete a boating safety course approved by the New Jersey State Police.

Bridge Marina offers the approved New Jersey Boating Safety Certificate Course in Lake Hopatcong and Highlands, NJ throughout the season. You can see a course schedule and register online.

In addition to a NJ Boating Safety Certificate, non-tidal boat operators also need a boating endorsement on their New Jersey driver’s license. To obtain the endorsement, you must first complete a boating safety course approved by the New Jersey State Police. After completing the course, you will receive a boating safety certificate, which you must take to the NJ MVC, along with other required identification documents, to get your boating endorsement on your driver’s license.

This additional endorsement is required for non-tidal boaters, which includes Lake Hopatcong.

For more details on how to get your endorsement, please visit the NJMVC

All New Jersey boaters must adhere to speed limits, no-wake zones, and regulations regarding alcohol consumption. There are also specific rules regarding age restrictions, mandatory safety course completion, and other regulations that must be followed.

Boaters on Lake Hopatcong must comply with applicable federal and state boating laws, as well as those specific to Lake Hopatcong.

For more details regarding boating rules and regulations in New Jersey, visit the New Jersey State Police Marine Services Bureau

The Marine Services Bureau of the New Jersey State Police can provide a replacement if you have lost your NJ boat safety certificate. To request a replacement, please contact the Marine Services Bureau  by email at [email protected] and provide the following information:
•Full Legal Name
•Date of Birth
•Complete Current Address (and any prior addresses the certificate may be under)
•Copy of Driver’s License or State I.D. (any scanned copies or photos must be in .jpg format)
•Phone Number
•Email Address
•Reason for the Request

Please note that all requests for replacement must be e-mailed or sent through the United States Postal Service.

Bridge Marina offers both small group and private, one-on-one lessons on Lake Hopatcong and Sandy Hook Bay in Highlands, New Jersey.

Our group training participants gain hands-on boat handling experience with a trusted captain aboard one of our beautiful Bridge Marina fleet boats. Group training sessions are designed for 2-4 participants and cover everything from boating basics to docking skills, as well as more advanced open water and tight quarter maneuvering skills. Each learning module is three hours in length.

Our private lessons offer participants a one-on-one, customized learning option, covering the modules of the participant’s choice aboard one of our fleet boats or the participant’s boat. The length of the lesson depends on the customized learning plan developed with the participant.

Learn more about our lessons and sign up here.