Gliding across a quiet lake in a canoe is one of the best parts of being outdoors. This badge teaches you to paddle with skill, stay safe on the water, and help others if something goes wrong. Most scouts earn it at summer camp or with an experienced aquatics instructor.
Why it's worth it
A canoe can take you places no road reaches: a quiet cove at sunrise, a river island for lunch, or a chain of lakes on a week-long trip. Canoeing teaches you to steer with control from both ends of the boat, to get back in after a tip-over, and to help others who end up in the water. Those skills open up high adventure canoe trips, summer camp staff jobs, and a lifetime of paddling with friends and family.
Start this week
- Read through the points of Safety Afloat this week and explain two of them to a family member.
- Ask your Scoutmaster for the name of a Canoeing counselor, and send them a short message with a parent copied to set up a first meeting.
- Find out when and where you can take the Scouting America swimmer test, such as at summer camp check-in or a council pool session.
- If swimming feels shaky, spend a few sessions at a public pool with a parent or swim instructor practicing treading water and a relaxed front crawl.
Stay safe
- Follow Safety Afloat every time: qualified supervision, a buddy, and a properly fitted life jacket worn and buckled whenever you're on the water.
- Practice capsizes and rescues only with trained aquatics staff present, and stay off the water if lightning, strong wind, or high water is around.
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) (updated 2025).
Note: Pass the Scouting America swimmer test before starting requirements 3 through 9.
- Requirement 1
Safety, first aid, and Safety Afloat
Tips for this section: Learn Safety Afloat and go over common water hazards and first aid with your instructor before you get in the canoe.
- Requirement 1a
Go over with your counselor the hazards you're most likely to meet while canoeing and how to anticipate, prevent, reduce, and respond to them
- Requirement 1b
Review how to prevent, recognize, and give first aid for canoeing injuries and illnesses: sunburn, blisters, sprains, strains, dehydration, heat-related illness, and cold-water shock and hypothermia
- Requirement 1c
Discuss Scouting America's Safety Afloat policy and how it applies to canoeing
- Requirement 2
Pass the Scouting America swimmer test (described in the Swimming merit badge pamphlet) before doing the rest of the requirements
Tip: Practice your swimming before the test. Ask your camp's aquatics staff when and where tests are given.
- Requirement 3
Canoe parts and design
Tips for this section: Look at different canoes side by side and notice how length, width, and shape change how they handle.
Example for this section: Compare two canoes side by side: a long, narrow one tracks straight and moves fast across a lake, while a shorter one with more rocker (curve from bow to stern) turns quickly in a twisting river. Point to the keel line, gunwales, thwarts, and seats.
- Requirement 3a
Name and point out the main parts of a canoe
- Requirement 3b
Describe how a canoe's length and shape change how it performs
- Requirement 4
Paddles
Tips for this section: Have an instructor help you check your paddle size, once sitting in the canoe and once kneeling.
Example for this section: Check paddle size the way you'll paddle: sit on the canoe seat with the blade just under the water, and the grip should reach about your nose. Kneeling puts you lower in the boat, so ask your instructor to check the fit that way too. Then name the grip, shaft, throat, blade, and tip.
- Requirement 4a
Identify a paddle's parts and show where each one is
- Requirement 4b
Show how to pick the right paddle size for someone sitting and for someone kneeling
- Requirement 5
Life jackets and safety gear
Tips for this section: Always wear a properly fitted life jacket. Check it fits snugly and doesn't ride up when pulled at the shoulders.
- Requirement 5a
Go over with your counselor which life jacket features suit canoeing best, and tell why you must always wear one while paddling
- Requirement 5b
Show how to choose a life jacket in the right size and fit it correctly
- Requirement 5c
Review why safety and rescue gear matters, such as ropes, a throw bag, a rescue sling, a bailer, a sponge, a bilge pump, a spare paddle, and a sound signal
- Requirement 6
Go over with your counselor how to care for and maintain canoes, paddles, and other canoeing gear
Tip: Help clean and store canoes and paddles after each outing. Look for damage before putting them away.
- Requirement 7
Launching, landing, and moving with a partner
Tips for this section: Practice in calm, shallow water first. Keep your weight low and centered when you move around.
Example for this section: Practice launching parallel to a dock: hold both gunwales, step into the center line, and stay low. To switch positions on the water, the stern paddler holds the canoe steady while the bow paddler moves low and slow toward the middle.
- Requirement 7a
In a properly equipped canoe with a partner, carry and launch the canoe safely from a dock or shore (both if you can)
- Requirement 7b
Land the canoe safely at a dock or shore (both if you can) and put it back where it's stored
- Requirement 7c
Show kneeling and sitting positions in the canoe and explain when to use each
- Requirement 7d
Trade places with your partner while afloat
- Requirement 8
Capsizes and rescues with a partner
Tips for this section: Practice capsizes and rescues only with qualified aquatics staff and a buddy. It's easier and more fun than it sounds.
Example for this section: With aquatics staff watching in chest-deep water, tip the canoe on purpose, stay with it, and hand-paddle the swamped canoe to shore. Then practice a canoe-over-canoe rescue with another crew so you know how to empty a swamped boat on open water.
- Requirement 8a
In a properly equipped canoe with a partner, get out in deep water while keeping hold of the canoe, then climb back in with your partner's help without tipping it
- Requirement 8b
Tip the canoe over on purpose in a controlled way and show how holding onto the capsized canoe keeps both paddlers afloat
- Requirement 8c
Swim, tow, or push a swamped canoe for 50 feet until you reach shallow water, then empty it there and climb back in
- Requirement 8d
In deep water, help a swamped canoe and its crew: make sure the paddlers don't need urgent help, empty their canoe, and help them back in without tipping it
- Requirement 8e
Use a canoe to rescue a conscious swimmer
- Requirement 8f
From shore, toss a rescue (throw) bag to a conscious swimmer 30 feet out so the line lands within 3 feet of them, then show how to repack it
- Requirement 9
With a partner in a properly equipped canoe, paddle together on opposite sides without switching sides to show the maneuvers below; each of you must do them in the bow and the stern and on both sides, keeping the canoe trimmed and balanced
Tip: Practice each maneuver from both bow and stern. Switch positions with your partner so you both improve.
For example: As stern paddler, use a J-stroke to keep the canoe straight while the bow paddler does forward strokes. Then practice pivots and sideslips using draws and pushaways, and switch seats so you can do every maneuver from both bow and stern.
- Requirement 9a
From a stop, pivot the canoe 180° to the right, stop, then pivot back left to where you began, using draws and pushaways or forward and reverse sweeps and keeping within 2 boat lengths of the start
- Requirement 9b
Using draw and pushaway strokes, move the canoe sideways 10 feet in one direction and then back to where you started
- Requirement 9c
While moving forward, stop the canoe within 2 boat lengths with the backstroke
- Requirement 9d
Paddling stern with no help from the bow, go straight for 15-20 boat lengths with a steering stroke like the J-stroke or thumb-down rudder, with or without a stern pry
- Requirement 9e
Paddle straight for 15-20 boat lengths together: bow uses forward, draw, or forward sweep strokes as needed; stern uses a steering stroke like the J-stroke or thumb-down rudder, with or without a stern pry
- Requirement 9f
While moving forward, turn 90° right in an arc within 5-10 boat lengths (bow uses draw or forward sweep as needed, stern uses only forward strokes), then repeat turning 90° left
- Requirement 9g
Paddle backward in a straight line for 3-4 boat lengths, using back strokes, reverse sweeps, or draws from bow or stern as needed
- Requirement 9h
Paddle a figure-8 around markers set 3-4 boat lengths apart using suitable strokes, including draws and forward and reverse sweeps
Places to visit
Ask an adult to set it up, and go with your family, den, patrol, or crew.
Your council's summer camp waterfront
Camp aquatics staff are trained to teach canoeing and run Safety Afloat, and the boats and life jackets are already there.
How: Look at the camp's merit badge schedule with your Scoutmaster and sign up early. Take the swimmer test on the first day.
A paddling club or park boat rental with lessons
Instructors there can help you practice strokes on calm water outside of camp season.
How: Have a parent check for beginner classes or family paddle days, and paddle together under the instructor's supervision.
Where it can lead
- Camp aquatics directorRuns waterfront programs and trains lifeguards; many start as summer camp staff at 16 or 17.
- Outdoor trip guideLeads canoe trips in wilderness areas for camps and outfitters.
- Park rangerPatrols lakes and rivers and helps paddlers stay safe in parks and preserves.
- Boat builderBuilds canoes from wood or modern composites; often learned through apprenticeship or boatbuilding school.
Ask yourself
- How do you feel about being on the water right now, and what would make you more confident?
- What was the hardest stroke to learn, and what finally made it click?
- How did you and your partner communicate when the canoe wasn't going where you wanted?
- How did practicing a capsize change how you feel about tipping over?
- Where would you like to paddle someday, and who would you want in the other seat?
Good questions to ask your counselor or a camp aquatics director
- What's the most common mistake you see new paddlers make?
- How do you read the wind and water before deciding to launch?
- What's your favorite trip you've ever taken by canoe?
- How do you choose between a solo and tandem canoe for a trip?
- What do I need to learn next if I want to go on a multi-day canoe trek?
Helpful reads
- Earning a merit badge, step by step, From picking a badge to getting the final signature: how to find a counselor, set up meetings safely, work the requirements, and keep your progress., Youth · Families · 6 min read
- Contacting counselors, experts, and organizations, Email and phone scripts, who to ask for, how to follow up, and how to say thanks, with a parent copied every time., Youth · Families · 7 min read
- Choosing your next merit badge, How to pick a badge you'll actually finish: start with what you care about, balance Eagle-required and just-for-fun badges, and make the most of camp., Youth · Families · 6 min read
For leaders & parents
- Make sure all on-water work happens with qualified supervision following Safety Afloat.
- Summer camp aquatics programs are a great place for scouts to earn this badge.
People & places that can help
- Merit badge counselor — Talk with them early; they can explain what's expected.
- Council summer camp aquatics staff — Trained instructors, canoes, and safe waterfronts.
- American Canoe Association (opens in a new tab) — Paddling skills and safety information.
- Scouting America (opens in a new tab) — Safety Afloat and aquatics safety guidance.
- Northern Tier High Adventure (opens in a new tab) — Scouting America's canoe base for wilderness trips in the Boundary Waters and Canada.
- U.S. Coast Guard Boating Safety (opens in a new tab) — Life jacket rules and safety tips for paddlers and boaters.
- National Safe Boating Council (opens in a new tab) — Paddling safety, life jacket fitting, and cold water tips.
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Tips, examples, and questions are ideas from experienced leaders, not extra requirements. Your unit leader or counselor decides when a requirement is complete.