Requirement
9. Tandem manoeuvres: eight of them, from both seats and both sides
Required Often forgotten
Eight lettered manoeuvres, and a preamble that multiplies all of them: in unison on opposite sides without changing sides, each paddler in both bow and stern and on both sides, keeping the canoe trimmed and balanced. This is the largest block of work on the badge.
Notes and warnings
Warning. Requirement 9 is not eight manoeuvres. Its preamble says each paddler demonstrates them in BOTH the bow and the stern and on BOTH sides, in unison on opposite sides and without changing sides, holding trim and balance throughout. Plan the water time against that sentence, not against the count of letters.
What this is made of
- 9(a). Pivot 180° right, stop, pivot back, inside two boat lengths
- 9(b). Move sideways 10 feet and come back
- 9(c). Stop inside two boat lengths from forward motion
- 9(d). Stern alone: a straight line for 15 to 20 boat lengths
- 9(e). Together: a straight line for 15 to 20 boat lengths
- 9(f). Carve 90° right in 5 to 10 boat lengths, then the same to the left
- 9(g). Back up in a straight line, 3 to 4 boat lengths
- 9(h). A figure of eight around markers 3 to 4 boat lengths apart
Where this step comes from
- Canoeing Merit Badge Requirements (Merit Badge Hub, last modified 2025-12-31), Requirement 9 · The preamble to requirement 9, not any of its lettered parts, is what requires each paddler to demonstrate in both the bow and the stern and on both sides, paddling in unison on opposite sides without changing sides while keeping the canoe trimmed and balanced.