Download Paddle Ready, a free app just for paddlers

Here’s one time when water and smartphones do, in fact, mix.

Paddle Ready, a new app available now for iPhone and Android, helps Scouters improve their unit’s safety on the water.

The app comes from the American Canoe Association, but don’t be fooled by that name. The agency offers great resources for kayaking, rafting and stand-up paddleboarding, in addition to canoeing.

The Boy Scouts of America and the ACA are partner agencies and work closely together on paddlesports programs. ACA serves on the BSA’s Aquatics Task Force, and the BSA serves on ACA’s paddlesports committee. ACA help BSA establish standards, improve training and develop programs.

The Paddle Ready app is the latest in a long list of great moments in the partnership. Paddle Ready allows users to:

  • Complete a float plan and email it to friends.
  • Find an ACA instructor or course near you.
  • Get real-time environmental coverage plus weather conditions for various paddling environments, and save your favorite paddling routes for quick reference.
  • Search for boating organizations and offices by state.
  • Have paddle safety checklists for various paddling environments at your fingertips.
  • Use the safety and rescue how-to videos to keep your knowledge current.

Why should you care?

Canoes, kayaks, and stand-up paddleboards were involved in nearly 20 percent of all boating-related deaths last year. The Paddle Ready app is a tool for paddlers that will also present them with important safety information in a fun and engaging way.

It’s not hyperbole to say this app could save your life or the life of one of your Scouts.

Want this info in flier form?

Here you go.


Hat tip: Thanks to the BSA’s Keith Christopher for the tip.


About Bryan Wendell 3282 Articles
Bryan Wendell, an Eagle Scout, is the founder of Bryan on Scouting and a contributing writer.