Glossary
Paddle craft
Canoes, kayaks and stand-up paddleboards. Paddle craft made up 26% of U.S. boating deaths in 2024.
Paddle craft are boats moved by paddles: canoes, kayaks and stand-up paddleboards (SUPs). They are easy to buy and launch, which makes them popular, and they are also involved in many boating deaths. In 2024, paddle craft accounted for 26% of U.S. boating deaths, second only to open motorboats, according to the U.S. Coast Guard (opens in a new tab); kayaks alone were about 16%.
Paddlers are boaters too, as New York State Parks (opens in a new tab) reminds them. Key rules and habits:
- carry, and wear, a properly sized, Coast Guard-approved life jacket; New York paddlers must also carry a sound signaling device such as a whistle;
- a paddleboard used beyond a swimming, surfing or bathing area counts as a vessel under federal law (USCG (opens in a new tab));
- in New York, everyone on a boat under 21 feet, including canoes and kayaks, must wear a life jacket from November 1 to May 1;
- tell someone your route, check the weather and paddle with others (MN DNR (opens in a new tab)).
See kayak and canoe safety, paddleboard safety and cold-water paddling.
What you can do today: clip a whistle to your life jacket and plan to wear the jacket on every paddle.