Sea Scout Ship 7394 FAQ

You may not have heard about Sea Scouts until recently, but it has been part of the Boy Scouts of America since 1912. Started in Massachusetts with the schooner Pioneer, Sea Scouts was the most popular before World War II, seeing its highest participation in the 1940s. After the war, Sea Scouting was folded into other BSA programs over the years. Fast forward to 2016, when Sea Scouts became a full-fledged program again.

The Sea Scout program is small compared to Scouts BSA or Venturing. There were just over 4,100 Sea Scouts in the United States at the start of 2023. But, this niche program is gaining momentum as it expands beyond sailing on the sea to aquatic activities on all bodies of water.

A full history of Sea Scouts is available online.

The biggest misconception about Sea Scouts is that you must live near the sea to sail around on your ship’s 100-foot vessel. While it’s true that there are ships on the coasts that own giant vessels that they sail every weekend, many Sea Scout ships don’t even own a boat.

Like most land-locked Sea Scout ships, we will look to local lakes and rivers for most water activities. In addition, we can go to local dive shops for SCUBA certification and dive sessions. Sailboats are available to rent on Lake Jacomo. There’s still plenty of Sea Scouting to do, even if the ocean is hundreds of miles away.

The youth members of the ship can plan any event they want. It doesn’t always have to be water-related. In addition to water activities, Sea Scout ships plan community service projects and purely social events throughout the year.

You don't have to be a Scout to join Sea Scouts. We welcome anyone between the ages of 14-20 interested in the water and willing to learn. Our program is open to both boys and girls, and we have experienced leaders who will guide you every step of the way. So whether you're a seasoned sailor or a complete novice, you'll fit right in and have a great time with us.

That depends on what you didn’t like:

• Camping and Hiking - With a focus on boating and aquatics, there’s not a lot of camping and hiking in Sea Scouts. But that’s not to say those activities won’t be part of an occasional weekend getaway.
• Requirements and Badges - People sometimes emphasize advancement and awards in Cub Scouts or Scouts BSA. While being rewarded for achievement is great, the fun and learning opportunities in Scouting are the most important things! Advancement opportunities are available in Sea Scouts, but we’re most concerned about whether you’re having fun.
• Wearing a Uniform - While we have a formal uniform to wear during meetings and bridges of honor, the ship will usually wear activity uniforms consisting of a t-shirt or other shirt that the members might want to design.
• Boring meetings - The youth plan all meetings and activities, so if you think things are boring... work with your friends to change it!

If your beef isn't in that list, the best advice we can give is to come to a meeting and see if Sea Scouts is for you.

The membership cost in Sea Scout Ship 7394 depends on a few factors, the largest of which is whether a Scout is registered with another BSA unit. As of April 1, 2023, the breakdown of costs is as follows:

Primary Registration - If you are joining Ship 7394 as your primary BSA affiliation, the full list of fees applies. Registration fees are for a full year and will be prorated depending on when you register.

Multi-Registration - If you are already a member of a Scouts BSA troop or Venturing Crew, you are not expected to pay additional registration fees. You will only be obligated to pay ship dues each year.

We realize that time is a resource that 14–20 year-olds often have little of. That’s one of the reasons why the youth run the ship… it’s the best way for them to fit Sea Scouts into their schedules! In addition to a weekly meeting, the ship will plan one large activity yearly and a medium-sized activity once a quarter. Then, as schedules allow, smaller activities are planned throughout the rest of the year.

As with Scouts BSA, there might be seasons when we don’t see some kids because of school or other activities. With an older membership range, we have some Scouts in college that we only see a few times yearly. The point is, Sea Scouts requires as much time as you want to or can give. We’re flexible!

For most older youth in Scouts BSA, programs like Venturing and Sea Scouts are a great way to supplement adventures with activities that troops might not often do. And some busy Scouts join a Venturing Crew or Sea Scout Ship only to do occasional high adventure activities.

While we would love to see you every week at our meetings, as we said in the previous answer… We’re flexible! We welcome Scouts who wish to multi-register to get on our communications list for our larger activities. Then, when planning for those activities comes around, those Scouts can dip in, get active, and have fun before their busy schedules pull them away for another stretch.

You can join online any time. If you want to see what a meeting is like before joining, come see us! Sea Scout Ship 7394 meets on the third Wednesday of every month, 7:00-8:45 pm, at Shoal Creek Community Church. Contact Skipper Jeremy Fuksa with questions.

The official uniform of Sea Scouts is a navy shirt and matching cargo pants. Due to the small size of the Sea Scout program, uniforms are not available at the Scout Shop and must be sourced from various stores online. We suggest SG Trading Post for shirts. Any navy pants will do.

Patches for Sea Scout uniforms can be found on several websites, including Eagle Peak, The Ship's Store, and The Hiker's Trading Post. The ship tries to keep an inventory of common uniform patches, so check with Skipper Jeremy before purchasing patches online.

Additionally, the members will design a t-shirt to wear during most activities.

Printed copies of the Sea Scout Manual are unavailable to purchase. However, a downloadable PDF of the manual is available from seascout.org.

Of course! If you are working toward Eagle Scout in a Scouts BSA troop, you can continue to do so as a member of that troop, or you can complete Eagle as a primary member of Ship 7394, provided you are at least First Class rank at the time of joining.

Sea Scout positions of responsibility count toward leadership requirements for Eagle, and earning the Swimming and Lifesaving merit badges count toward rank requirements in Sea Scouts.

There are four ranks in the Sea Scout program:

1. Apprentice
2. Ordinary
3. Able
4. Quartermaster

Quartermaster is the Sea Scout equivalent of Scouts BSA’s Eagle Scout rank. Like Eagle, a Scout must plan and execute a service project.

Also like Scouts BSA, Sea Scout ranks are designed to challenge a Scout and push the boundaries of their current capabilities. But, an industrious Scout could feasibly achieve the rank of Quartermaster within two years.

If you’re used to Scouts BSA, you’re used to setting your sights on summer camp at Bartle, Naish, or other summer camps in the area. Since those camps are catered toward Scouts BSA advancement, there’s little value in attending summer camp as a Sea Scout. Instead, the ship members plan one high adventure event each year. The only limits are the time and money they want to spend. Some ideas for this event could include:

• Whitewater rafting the Colorado River
• Snorkeling in the Florida Keys
• Kayaking at RiverSport in Oklahoma City

Of course, if you are also a member of a Scouts BSA troop, you are welcome to continue attending summer camp with that troop.

Ship 7394 is active in Tamegonit Lodge, Order of the Arrow. It holds elections for eligible Scouts based on the eligibility requirements set forth for Sea Scouts by the Order of the Arrow, BSA.

Ship 7394 does not actively participate in the Tribe of Mic-O-Say since its induction requirements are specific to Scouts BSA members that attend summer camp at H. Roe Bartle Scout Reservation or Camp Geiger. However, we support existing Tribesmen and will advocate for paint elevation as is appropriate.