Kayaking lets you glide across lakes and rivers under your own power. You'll learn to stay safe on the water, handle your boat with confidence, and help others if someone tips over. It's a skill you can enjoy for the rest of your life.
Why it's worth it
A kayak sits so low on the water that you can paddle right up to a heron, slip into a narrow creek, or follow a shoreline no road reaches. This badge teaches you to control the boat with your strokes instead of muscling it around, and what to do when it flips, which it will. Once you can wet exit, get back in, and help a buddy, you'll be ready for paddling trips at camp, with your troop, and with family for years to come.
Start this week
- Find out when your troop or council is offering the next swimmer test, and get some pool time in before then.
- Ask your Scoutmaster for the name of a Kayaking counselor, and send them a short message with a parent copied to set up a first meeting.
- Read the nine points of Safety Afloat and pick out which ones apply to a kayak trip.
- Ask your troop or summer camp when kayaks and a trained instructor will be available, so you can plan your on-water practice.
Plan ahead: Pass the swimmer test (2) first. It has to be done before you start requirements 3 through 8, and the on-water work in 6 through 8 usually needs a camp waterfront or a scheduled session with a qualified instructor.
Stay safe
- Follow Safety Afloat on every outing, with qualified adult supervision, a buddy, and a properly fitted life jacket worn at all times.
- Cold water can be dangerous even on a warm day. Dress for the water temperature, not the air.
- Practice capsizes and rescues only in calm water with a trained instructor right there.
Requirements · 8
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: Scouts must pass the Scouting America swimmer test (requirement 2) before starting requirements 3–8
- Requirement 1
Safety and first aid
Tips for this section: Learn the Safety Afloat points before you ever get in a boat, and practice what you'd do for cold water, sunburn, or a sprain.
Example for this section: Walk through a scenario: on a cool spring day, a buddy capsizes and comes up shivering. Explain cold water shock, how to get them out and into dry layers, and which Safety Afloat points would have prevented it, like the right gear and skill level.
- Requirement 1a
Explain to your counselor the hazards you're most likely to meet while kayaking, including weather and water hazards, and how to anticipate, prevent, reduce, and respond to them
- Requirement 1b
Review how to prevent, recognize, and give first aid for kayaking injuries and illnesses: sunburn, blisters, dehydration, heat-related illness, cold-water shock, hypothermia, strains, and sprains
- Requirement 1c
Review Scouting America's Safety Afloat policy and explain to your counselor how it applies to kayaking
- Requirement 2
Pass the Scouting America swimmer test before starting requirements 3–8 (see the Swimming merit badge pamphlet for test details)
Tip: Practice your swimming ahead of time so the swimmer test feels easy. Ask your troop when the next test is offered.
- Requirement 3
Life jackets and safety gear
Tips for this section: Try on several life jackets and learn how to check that one fits snugly. Wear it every time you're on the water.
Example for this section: Try on three life jackets. Show how to tighten all the straps, then have a buddy lift the shoulders; if it rides up past your ears, it's too loose. Add other gear you'd bring, like a whistle, bilge pump, and paddle float.
- Requirement 3a
Review which life jacket features suit kayaking best and why you must always wear one when paddling. Then show how to choose and fit a kayaking life jacket
- Requirement 3b
Review why safety gear matters, such as a throw bag, flotation bags, bilge pump, sponge, spare paddle, and signal device
- Requirement 4
Kayak parts, design, and care
Tips for this section: Look at different kayaks side by side at a rental shop or camp waterfront and name the parts out loud.
Example for this section: Compare a short, wide recreational kayak that's stable but slow with a long, narrow touring kayak that tracks straight and goes far. Name the bow, stern, cockpit, hull, and deck, and explain how to rinse and store a boat.
- Requirement 4a
Name and point to the main parts of a kayak
- Requirement 4b
Review how recreational, whitewater, and sea or touring kayaks are designed differently, including how length, width, stability, and rocker figure into each
- Requirement 4c
Explain how to care for, maintain, and store a kayak
- Requirement 5
Paddles
Tips for this section: Hold different paddles and notice the blade shape and length. Learn how to rinse and store one so it lasts.
Example for this section: Hold a paddle with your hands a little wider than your shoulders, knuckles of your control hand lined up with the blade's edge. Explain the shaft, blade, and power face, and why a paddle that's too long or short makes paddling harder.
- Requirement 5a
Discuss how to use a kayak paddle correctly
- Requirement 5b
Discuss the parts of a paddle
- Requirement 5c
Discuss how to care for and maintain a paddle
- Requirement 6
Rescues in an open-cockpit, sit-on-top, or inflatable kayak
Tips for this section: Practice capsizing and wet exits in calm, warm, shallow water with a trained instructor right there. Stay calm and go slowly the first few times.
Example for this section: In calm, shallow water with an instructor, tip over, tuck forward, and push out of the boat. Then practice getting back in with a buddy steadying your boat from theirs, and swimming your kayak and paddle to shore.
- Requirement 6a
Capsize safely and do a wet exit
- Requirement 6b
Get back into the kayak with help from a buddy boat
- Requirement 6c
Show a kayak-over-kayak rescue
- Requirement 6d
Show the HELP position
- Requirement 6e
Capsize, swim the kayak and paddle to shore, and empty the water out (with help if needed)
- Requirement 7
Solo strokes in a properly equipped kayak
Tips for this section: Start with the forward stroke and add one new stroke each session. Short practices beat long, tiring ones.
- Requirement 7a
Paddling solo, show the forward stroke
- Requirement 7b
Paddling solo, show the backstroke
- Requirement 7c
Paddling solo, show the forward sweep
- Requirement 7d
Paddling solo, show the reverse sweep
- Requirement 7e
Paddling solo, show the draw stroke
- Requirement 7f
Paddling solo, show the stern draw
- Requirement 8
Solo maneuvers in a properly equipped kayak
Tips for this section: Set up a few floating markers and practice pivots and stops around them until your moves feel smooth.
Example for this section: Set up two buoys or floating noodles. Paddle to the first, stop with backstrokes, pivot in place with sweep strokes, and come back. Do it until you can stop and turn without drifting past the mark.
- Requirement 8a
Paddle solo in a straight line for 15–20 boat lengths with the right strokes, keeping the kayak trimmed and balanced
- Requirement 8b
From a standstill, spin 180 degrees to the right and to the left, staying within 2 boat lengths
- Requirement 8c
Move sideways (abeam) 10 feet to the right and 10 feet to the left
- Requirement 8d
Stop the kayak within 1 boat length
- Requirement 8e
Keep moving forward while turning 90 degrees to the right and to the left
- Requirement 8f
Paddle backward 3–4 boat lengths using effective reverse strokes
- Requirement 8g
Paddle a figure 8 around buoys or markers set 3–4 boat lengths apart
Places to visit
Ask an adult to set it up, and go with your family, den, patrol, or crew.
A summer camp or council aquatics base
Trained staff, boats, and life jackets are all in one place, and the waterfront is set up for safe practice.
How: Ask your Scoutmaster which camps offer Kayaking and sign up for the session with your troop.
A community boathouse or paddling club
Many run beginner classes and youth programs and can show you different kinds of kayaks.
How: Have a parent check for introductory lessons or open paddling days and register together.
Where it can lead
- Paddling instructorTeaches strokes, rescues, and safety; certifications are available for older teens and adults.
- River or sea kayak guideLeads paddling trips for visitors; often a seasonal job that builds strong outdoor skills.
- Camp aquatics directorRuns the waterfront at a summer camp; many start as lifeguards on camp staff.
- Coast Guard memberPatrols waterways and rescues boaters; joining is a path that includes training and service.
Ask yourself
- How do you feel about tipping over in a kayak, and what would make you feel more ready for it?
- Which stroke felt awkward at first, and what clicked to make it work?
- How did practicing rescues change how you think about paddling with others?
- What did you notice on the water that you'd never see from shore?
- Where would you like to paddle someday, and what skills would you need to get there?
Good questions to ask your counselor or a paddling instructor
- What's the most important thing to check before you push off from shore?
- How do you decide when conditions are too rough to paddle?
- What mistakes do new kayakers make with their strokes?
- What's the scariest thing that's happened to you on the water, and what did you learn?
- How can I keep paddling after I earn the badge if my family doesn't own a kayak?
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
- Run all on-water sessions with qualified aquatics supervision and Safety Afloat in place.
- Summer camp aquatics areas are an ideal place for scouts to complete the hands-on parts.
People & places that can help
- Merit badge counselor — Talk with them early; they can explain what's expected.
- American Canoe Association (opens in a new tab) — Paddling safety info and certified instructors.
- Summer camp waterfront — Trained staff, boats, and gear in one place.
- Scouting America (opens in a new tab) — Official requirements and program updates.
- Safety Afloat (opens in a new tab) — Scouting America's nine points for safe boating, used on every paddling trip.
- U.S. Coast Guard Boating Safety (opens in a new tab) — Life jacket rules, boating tips, and safety checklists for paddlers.
- NWS Cold Water Safety (opens in a new tab) — Why cold water is dangerous and how to stay safe paddling in spring and fall.
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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.