A team of experts assembled with U.S. Coast Guard grant funding wants to know what it takes to row a boat, and it’s asking for help from the boating public.

Here’s how the National On-Water Standards Team says it: “National content validation of a set of entry level, skill-based Human (manually propelled) boat operation standards. This is your opportunity to influence the development of recreational paddling and rowing (canoes, kayaks, rowboats, paddleboards, etc.) standards across the country by completing this online survey.”

Following the survey, the standards will be updated to reflect input from paddlers and rowers nationwide and eventually validated and updated though a national field-testing program

To take the survey visit: https://www.research.net/s/humanv1nationalcontentsurvey

The survey will be conducted July 31 – August 30, 2013.

Recreational paddling and rowing enthusiasts and especially those with experience in On-Water teaching or training are urged to participate in an on-line survey designed to collect feedback on the content of these entry-level, skill-based standards for manually propelled boating.

By completing this survey you will have a voice in the design of a national set of human boating standards for recreational paddlers and rowers in the US. This effort is part of the U.S. Coast Guard’s (USCG) vision of a National System of Standards for Recreational Boat Operation – that will organize both classroom and on-water standards within a comprehensive system of recreational boating education. The system will address standards for three domains of recreational boating: SAIL, POWER and HUMAN propulsion.

US Sailing has been awarded grant funding from the U.S. Coast Guard to facilitate a consensus-based process by which a team of diverse SMEs from across the recreational boating community develop entry level, skill-based performance standards for recreational boat operation. An objective grant facilitator is designing and managing the collaborative development of SAIL, POWER and HUMAN propelled standards that will eventually be recognized by the US Coast Guard for incorporation in recreational boating training programs nationwide.