Boat Rentals on Lake Wallenpaupack: Where to Rent, 2026 Prices & License Rules

Lake Wallenpaupack is about 13 miles long and 5,700 acres, with no horsepower limit, so a rented pontoon or ski boat is the easiest way to see it. Nearly every rental operation sits along Route 507 on the lake's south and west shore, between Greentown, Tafton and Hawley. Prices, boat types and rules differ a lot from one marina to the next, and so do season dates. This guide covers who rents what, the prices each business has published for 2026, and the Pennsylvania license rule that trips up more renters than anything else.

One timing note before you plan: the 2026 rental season is over. Most fleets run from mid-May to mid-September, a few stretch to mid-October, and the lake's fall drawdown ends the season for everyone. Pocono Action Sports opens 2027 bookings in November, and holiday weekends go first everywhere.

New Wave Marina (formerly Pine Crest Marina), Greentown

At 839 Route 507, New Wave rents pontoons, slide pontoons (a pontoon with an upper deck and a fixed slide), Hurricane deck boats, kayaks and paddleboards, with boats sized from one person up to a party of 14. Most rentals run 3 or 7 hours, some boats offer 4- or 5-hour blocks, and in 2026 it added evening slots alongside full-day and multi-day rentals. Its season runs May 15 to October 15, weather permitting. Renters and drivers must be at least 21, anyone born on or after January 1, 1982 must show a boating safety certificate, and pets are not allowed on the boats. Rates are shown in its online booking system. [newwavemarina.com, 2026-10-05]

Pocono Action Sports at Lighthouse Harbor Marina, Greentown

Pocono Action Sports runs out of Lighthouse Harbor Marina at 969 Route 507, with a second rental location at Tanglwood Resort. It publishes its prices: pontoons for up to 10 people run $400 for a half day (4 hours) and $610 for a full day (7 hours) for the standard model, $450 and $685 for the premium, and $345 and $485 for an 8-person economy pontoon. Runabouts for up to 6 run $400 and $615 (standard) or $250 and $375 (economy). Tubes, kneeboards and water mats cost extra. Fuel is never included: boats go out full and you pay to replace what you used. [poconoactionsports.com, 2026-10-05]

Renters must be 21 or older, pets are not allowed, and it does not rent jet skis. If a driver born after January 1, 1982 shows up without a boating certificate, it offers a temporary licensing course of about 45 minutes for $125 per person, with limited slots each day, and it tells renters to treat that as a last resort and take the full online course before the trip. Both locations are closed for the season, and bookings for 2027 open in November. It also runs captained charters. [poconoactionsports.com, 2026-10-05]

Rubber Duckie Boat Rentals, Hawley

Rubber Duckie has moved to 106 Bungalow Lane in Hawley, about two-tenths of a mile south of its old spot on Route 507. Its published rates are the simplest on the lake: 19- to 21-foot ski boats and pontoons both cost $200 for 1 hour, $350 for a half day (4.5 hours) and $585 for a full day (8 hours), and a 15-foot Boston Whaler for small groups or fishing costs $100, $160 and $300. Water skis, tubes and kneeboards are $10 an hour. There is a 2-hour minimum on boats, renters pay for fuel plus 6% PA sales tax, a security deposit is required, and paying cash saves 3%. [rubberduckieboatrentals.com, 2026-10-05]

It is open daily from May through September, 8:30am to 6pm, weather permitting. Rentals go ahead rain or shine with no weather refunds, there are no jet skis and no pets, and staff give every renter an on-water orientation. It requires proof of a boating certificate from anyone born January 1, 1982 or later. [rubberduckieboatrentals.com, 2026-10-05]

The Boat Shop, Tafton: the place to look for WaveRunners

The Boat Shop, a full-service marina at 125 Boat Shop Road in Tafton since 1975, runs one of the largest rental fleets on the lake: pontoons, runabouts, WaveRunners, guided tours and captained rentals, all booked online. Its rental season is shorter than most, June 1 through Labor Day weekend. Of the rental businesses covered here, it is the only one that lists personal watercraft. Rubber Duckie and Pocono Action Sports both say they don't rent jet skis. [paboatshop.com, 2026-10-05]

Pennsylvania puts tighter rules on PWC rentals than on boats. A rental business cannot rent a personal watercraft to anyone 15 or younger, and it has to supervise rented PWCs, either with a map of a set riding area on board or with staff observers watching no more than seven machines each. That is why group jet ski rides here are usually guided. [58 Pa. Code §117.4]

1st Klas Marina, Tafton

At 387 Route 507, 1st Klas rents premium pontoons from May 15 to September 15. Reservations are by phone or in person. Walk-ins are welcome, but a boat isn't guaranteed without a booking. Every rental includes life jackets, a horn or whistle, a fire extinguisher and a throwable cushion, and goes out with a full tank that dock staff top off on return at your cost. [1stklas.com, 2026-10-05]

Paddling: kayaks and paddleboards

Ledgedale Recreation Area, Brookfield's campground at the lake's western end in Greentown, rents kayaks in season and runs a daily boat launch from 8am to 9pm for $10. New Wave Marina also rents kayaks and paddleboards. For calmer water, paddlers favor the western end, where waterskiing is banned on weekends and holidays and the stretch from the Ledgedale Bridge about 1,000 feet downstream is slow, no-wake. [ledgedalerecreationarea.com, discovernepa.com + 58 Pa. Code §111.52]

The license rule: get the certificate before the trip

Under Pennsylvania law, anyone born on or after January 1, 1982 needs a Boating Safety Education Certificate to run a boat with a motor over 25 horsepower, and every personal watercraft operator needs one regardless of age. Children 11 and younger may not operate a PWC or a boat over 25 horsepower. [PA Fish & Boat Commission 2026 boating handbook] Marinas here accept out-of-state cards from NASBLA-approved courses.

Since January 1, 2025, state rules allow a rental business to exempt a renter from the certificate if it verifies the renter completed the business's required safety orientation. That doesn't mean every marina will do it: New Wave and Rubber Duckie require proof of a certificate, and Pocono Action Sports charges $125 for its temporary course. The simplest move is to take a PFBC-approved online course a week or two before you arrive. [58 Pa. Code §117.4 + marina policies, 2026-10-05]

What a rental really costs

The posted rate isn't the total. Every marina above charges for fuel separately, Rubber Duckie adds 6% sales tax, most take a security deposit or card hold, and tubes or water mats are extra. Rental days are fixed blocks, and late returns cost more: Rubber Duckie charges double the hourly rate. If your group is bigger than about 8, price a premium pontoon or a party-size boat rather than two small boats, since every boat needs its own licensed driver.

Before you head out

The lake has speed limits, slow no-wake zones and a few closures worth knowing, including Kipp Island, which is closed January 1 through July 31 for nesting bald eagles. Our first-timer's boating guide covers launches and the rules. In fall, Brookfield draws the lake down after Labor Day. In 2026, Brookfield's published schedule targeted about 1,174 feet by the week of October 4, roughly 13 feet below the normal high water mark of 1,187 feet, which is why docks and rental fleets come out early. If you're staying in a lakefront rental with a dock, ask about multi-day rentals: Pocono Action Sports and New Wave both offer them, and Pocono Action Sports lets multi-day renters keep the boat overnight at a lakefront home's dock.