Canoeing and Kayaking

Canoeing and Kayaking are on-the-water activities participated in by Sea Scouts, Scouts BSA, and Venturers, who are members of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA). For most Scouts BSA, their first experience with watercraft is with canoes or rowboats at their local Council camp. A typical Scout camp's "waterfront" will include one or more of the following: swimming, lifesaving, snorkeling, canoeing, rowing, kayaking, sailing, and much less frequently, water skiing. In working toward the Eagle Scout rank, Boy Scouts are required to qualify for 21 merit badges. Two of the "required" merit badges may include Swimming and Lifesaving merit badges. As such, they are very popular with Scouts, and the vast majority qualify for them at summer camp. Although Canoeing merit badge is not a "required" merit badge, it remains very popular, and summer camp is by far the most common place to earn it.

BSA also operates a number high adventure bases, some of which focus on canoe trekking. The Northern Tier National High Adventure Bases are a string of bases in the northern United States and southern Canada whose focus is on canoeing and kayaking. These week-long experiences are generally intended for older Boy Scout and Venturer participants. A high adventure trip to, for example, Charles L. Sommers Canoe Base will require months' of preparation and training.

Sea Scouts

Although canoeing and kayaking are not as widely thought of as Sea Scouting activities, many Sea Scout Ships (units) are located inland and as such may lack immediate access to deep or navigable water. For these Sea Scouts, canoeing is their place to go boating.

There are several canoeing- and kayaking-related advancement requirements, most being electives for Ordinary, Able, and Quartermaster.

Coast Guard Auxiliary Resources

• Paddlesports
• Paddlesports America

Scout Resources

High Adventure Bases & Scout Camps

• Northern Tier National High Adventure Bases
• Boy Scouts of America
  • Find your local Scout group

Advancement Requirements

• Sea Scout advancement requirements
• Canoeing Merit Badge
• Kayaking BSA
• Whitewater Merit Badge

BSA Safety Guidelines

• Safe Swim Defense
• Safety Afloat
• Guide to Safe Scouting

American Canoe Association Resources

• American Canoe Association resources
  • Know Your Limits
  • Beginner's Guide
  • Paddling 101
  • ACA Statistics and data
• ACA webTV channel
• ACA YouTube channel
  • "Life jackets float, do you?" video
• BSA and ACA produced a video on introductory river paddling

External Resources

• Paddling.com's introductory video series
• Rescue for River Runners has a series of videos covering everything from basic preparation and group management to advanced swiftwater rescue techniques. The presenter, Jim Coffey, is one of the best paddling instructors in the world
• Canoe Kayak and Paddle Company has a nicely done series of instructional videos on their homepage
• Performance Video has a number of live stream and downloadable instructional videos and a PDF of a kayak drill guide, the Kayaker's Playbook
• Animated knots