Rowing

Rowing merit badge requirements

1. Do the following:

   a. Explain to your counselor the most likely hazards you may encounter while participating in rowing activities, including weather- and water-related hazards, and what you should do to anticipate, help prevent, mitigate, and respond to these hazards.

   b. Review prevention, symptoms, and first-aid treatment for the following injuries or illnesses that can occur while rowing: blisters, hypothermia, heat related illnesses, dehydration, sunburn, sprains, and strains.

   c. Review the BSA Safety Afloat policy. Explain to your counselor how this applies to rowing activities.

2. Before doing the following requirements, successfully complete the BSA swimmer test. Jump feet first into water over your head in depth. Level off and swim 75 yards in a strong manner using one or more of the following strokes: sidestroke, breaststroke, trudgen, or crawl; then swim 25 yards using an easy, resting backstroke. The 100 yards must be completed in one swim without stops and must include at least one sharp turn. After completing the swim, rest by floating.
3. Review the characteristics of life jackets most appropriate for rowing and why one must always be worn while rowing. Then demonstrate how to select and fit a life jacket.
4. Do ONE of the following:

   a. Alone or with a passenger, do the following in either a fixed-seat or sliding-seat rowboat:

   1. Launch.

   2. Row in a straight line for 100 yards. Stop, pivot, and return to the starting point.

   3. Backwater in a straight line for 25 yards. Make a turn under way and return to the starting point.

   4. Land and moor or rack your craft.

   5. Tie the following mooring knots—clove hitch, roundturn with two half-hitches, bowline, Wellman’s knot, and mooring hitch.

   b. Participate as a rowing team member in a competitive rowing meet. The team may be sponsored by a school, club, or Scout unit. The meet must include competition between two or more teams with different sponsors. Complete at least 10 hours of team practice prior to the meet.

5. Do ONE of the following:

   a. In a fixed-seat rowboat, come alongside a pier and help a passenger into the boat. Pull away from the pier, change positions with your passenger, and demonstrate sculling over the stern or side. Resume your rowing position, return alongside the pier, and help your passenger out of the boat.

   b. In a sliding-seat rowboat, come alongside a pier and, with your buddy assisting you, get out onto the pier. Help your buddy into the boat. Reverse roles with your buddy and repeat the procedure.

6. Participate in a swamped boat drill including righting and stabilizing the craft, reboarding in deep water, and making headway. Tell why you should stay with a swamped boat.
7. Alone in a rowboat, push off from the shore or a pier. Row 20 yards to a swimmer. While giving instructions to the swimmer, pivot the boat so that the swimmer can hold on to the stern. Tow him to shore.
8. Describe the following:

   a. Types of craft used in commercial, competitive, and recreational rowing.

   b. Four common boatbuilding materials. Give some positive and negative points of each.

   c. Types of oarlocks used in competitive and recreational rowing.

9. Discuss the following:

   a. The advantage of feathering oars while rowing

   b. Precautions regarding strong winds and heavy waves, and boat-handling procedures in rough water and windstorms

   c. How to properly fit out and maintain a boat in season, and how to prepare and store a boat for winter

   d. How to determine the proper length of oars

   e. The differences between fixed-seat and sliding-seat rowing

   f. The different meanings of the term sculling in fixed- and sliding-seat rowing

   g. The health benefits from rowing for exercise

The official source for the information shown in this article or section is: 2018 Boy Scout Requirements, 2018 Edition (BSA Supply SKU #641568)

A FREE workbook for Rowing is available here! with the maps, charts, links, diagrams, and checklists you need! Or click here to print just the Rowing requirements.

meritbadge.org has PDF and DOC versions of Boy Scout merit badge workbooks, Webelos workbooks, Cub Scout workbooks, and Nova Award workbooks.

• Per the BSA: "You should read the merit badge pamphlet on the subject." Pamphlets (books) are at local Scout Shops and online at ScoutStuff.org.
• "Get a signed Merit Badge application from your Scoutmaster." An online, printable Word doc file version is available.

• Cub Scouts
  • Tiger Elective Adventure: Floats and Boats
  • Bear Elective Adventure: Salmon Run
  • Wolf Elective Adventure: Spirit of the Water
  • Webelos/Arrow of Light Elective Adventure: Aquanaut
• Boy Scouts/Venturers/Sea Scouts:
  • Awards for everyone older than Cub Scouts (Boy Scouts/Venturers/Sea Scouts): Boardsailing BSA - BSA Lifeguard - BSA Stand Up Paddleboarding - BSA Swim Test - Kayaking BSA - Mile Swim BSA - Scuba BSA - Snorkeling BSA - Whitewater Rafting BSA - National Outdoor Award for Aquatics
  • Boy Scout Merit Badges: Canoeing - Kayaking - Lifesaving - Motorboating - Rowing - Scuba Diving - Small-Boat Sailing - Swimming - Water Sports - Whitewater
  • Boy Scout Awards: BSA Complete Angler
  • Boy Scout ranks: Second Class - First Class
  • Venturer: Ranger Award electives: Lifesaving - Scuba - Watercraft
  • Sea Scout Ranks: Apprentice - Ordinary - Able - Quartermaster
  • Sea Scout Awards: Small Boat Handler - Qualified Seaman - Long Cruise Award

• An Introduction to Merit Badges – how to get started, who chooses the counselor, etc.
• Merit Badge revision dates – latest revision dates of each merit badge pamphlet.
• Merit Badge Worksheets & Requirements – with the revision dates, diagrams, charts, checklists, logs, and links you need.
• Merit Badge Application – offers online resources to let you print "Blue Cards," etc.
• Merit Badge FAQ – answers dozens of questions like: Who can be a counselor? Can requirements be added or removed?
• Merit Badges Requiring Prior Approval – Certain requirements need prior approval. Most do not. Here is the list.
• Also see: List of how many boys have earned each Merit Badge – Merit Badge policies – Merit badges required for the Eagle Scout rank – Merit Badge Days
• Additionally: List of Merit Badges by Field of Study – Merit Badge Pamphlets & Libraries
• Merit Badge Counselors must complete Youth Protection Training, file an Adult Application (and Merit Badge Counselor Information Form); and be approved by the local council. (See the Guide for Merit Badge Counselors for additional details.)