Paddle Craft gets you out on the water in a canoe, kayak, or paddleboard. You'll learn water safety, wear a life jacket the right way, and practice real paddle strokes. It's a great way to explore lakes and rivers with friends.
Why it's worth it
With a few real strokes, a canoe, kayak, or paddleboard goes where you want instead of where the wind pushes it. You'll learn Safety Afloat, how to wear a life jacket right, what to do if you tip, and the power and sweep strokes that let you go straight and turn. Troops paddle on lakes and rivers, and summer camp waterfronts are waiting.
Start this week
- Ask your adult when you can take the swimmer test at a pool, council camp, or patrol swim.
- Choose your craft: canoe, kayak, or stand-up paddleboard.
- Practice the power stroke motion on dry land with a broom handle, keeping your top hand high.
Plan ahead: Pass the swimmer test (requirement 1) before requirements 5 through 9. Get it on the calendar first, then plan your paddling day.
Stay safe
- Follow Safety Afloat: a fitted life jacket the whole time, a buddy, and a qualified adult and lifeguard watching.
Requirements · 9
Every official requirement and part, numbered to match Scouting America, in plain language. Sign off against the official wording (opens in a new tab).
- Requirement 1
Pass the Scouting America swimmer test before trying requirements 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9
Tip: Practice swimming first. You need to pass the test before requirements 5 through 9.
- Requirement 2
Pick one paddle craft (canoe, kayak, or stand-up paddleboard) and use it for every requirement
Tip: Pick the craft that sounds most fun and use it for all the requirements.
- Requirement 3
Review Safety Afloat
Tip: Go over Safety Afloat with a trained leader and talk about why each rule matters.
- Requirement 4
Show how to pick a life jacket in the right size and wear it properly
Tip: Find a life jacket that fits your size and buckle it snugly. Have an adult check it.
For example: Read the life jacket label to check it's Coast Guard approved and fits your weight. Buckle every strap and have an adult lift it at the shoulders. If it rides up past your chin, tighten it or go smaller.
- Requirement 5
Wearing a life jacket, jump feet first into water over your head, then swim 25 feet in the life jacket
Tip: With a lifeguard watching, jump in feet first in your life jacket and swim 25 feet.
- Requirement 6
Show how to safely get into and out of a canoe, kayak, or stand-up paddleboard
Tip: Keep your weight low and centered when getting in and out. Practice at the shore with an adult holding the craft steady.
For example: Enter from shore or a dock with the craft held steady. Step into the center, stay low, and keep a hand on each side. To get out, reverse it: stay low, step to the dock, then stand up.
- Requirement 7
Talk about what you'd do if your canoe or kayak flips or you fall off your paddleboard
Tip: Talk about staying calm, holding onto your craft, and waiting for help.
For example: If you capsize, stay calm and hold onto your craft, since it floats and is easy for rescuers to see. In moving water, keep your feet up and pointing downstream. Wait for help instead of swimming off alone.
- Requirement 8
Learn two paddle strokes: the power stroke and the sweep
Tip: Practice the power stroke to go forward and the sweep stroke to turn.
For example: The power stroke moves you forward: reach ahead, put the blade in, and pull it back to your hip. The sweep stroke turns you: make a wide arc from front to back, and the boat turns away from that side.
- Requirement 9
Paddle your canoe, kayak, or stand-up paddleboard for 30 minutes or more
Tip: Paddle with a buddy near shore, using your new strokes to steer.
Places to visit
Ask an adult to set it up, and go with your family, den, patrol, or crew.
A council camp waterfront or community boating center
Trained staff, boats, and life jackets are ready, and staff can coach your strokes in safe water.
How: Have your den leader contact your local council or a parks and recreation boating program and ask about a patrol paddling session.
Talk about it together
- Which stroke felt natural, and which needed more practice?
- How did wearing a life jacket change how you felt on the water?
- What would you do first if you tipped over?
- How did you and your buddy work together on the water?
- Where would you like to paddle with a troop someday?
Helpful reads
- Cub Scouts: a guide for families, How Cub Scout ranks and adventures work from kindergarten through fifth grade, what an adult partner does, and how to keep it fun at meetings and at home., Families · Leaders · 4 min read
- From Arrow of Light to a troop, What changes when you join a Scouts BSA troop, how to visit and choose one, good questions to ask, and how to make your first year a great one., Youth · Families · 4 min read
For leaders & parents
- Run paddling at a site with trained supervision and follow Safety Afloat.
- Check if your council offers paddling days with boats, gear, and staff.
People & places that can help
- Local council camp or aquatics program — Trained staff, boats, and life jackets.
- American Canoe Association (opens in a new tab) — Paddling safety and beginner info.
- Safety Afloat (opens in a new tab) — Scouting's rules for safe boating and paddling.
- U.S. Coast Guard Boating Safety (opens in a new tab) — Life jacket tips and boating safety for families.
- National Safe Boating Council (opens in a new tab) — Boating and life jacket safety campaigns.
Pairs well with
Counts toward
More Arrow of Light adventures
- Bobcat, Required, Adventure · 8 requirements
- Citizenship, Required, Adventure · 2 requirements
- Duty to God, Required, Adventure · 3 requirements
- First Aid, Required, Adventure · 7 requirements
- Outdoor Adventurer, Required, Adventure · 8 requirements
- Personal Fitness, Required, Adventure · 4 requirements
- Champions for Nature, Elective, Adventure · 6 requirements
- Cycling, Elective, Adventure · 7 requirements
- Engineer, Elective, Adventure · 5 requirements
- Estimations, Elective, Adventure · 4 requirements
- High Tech Outdoors, Elective, Adventure · 4 requirements
- Into the Wild, Elective, Adventure · 5 requirements
- Into the Woods, Elective, Adventure · 5 requirements
- Knife Safety, Elective, Adventure · 5 requirements
- Race Time, Elective, Adventure · 5 requirements
Tips, examples, and questions are ideas from experienced leaders, not extra requirements. Your unit leader or counselor decides when a requirement is complete.