Motorboating MB, Req. 6

[VenturingL]

Requirement reads:

6. Point out and explain the mechanical and safety features of a boat trailer.

1. Launch a boat from a trailer.
   
2. Remove a boat from the water using a trailer.

At troop meeting last night, the SM stated that scouts are required to launch a boat from a trailer and to put it back on the trailer. Since, in his opinion, this is when a boat is most likely to be damaged, he was changing (yes, I hear your gasps) the requirement to discussing the safety concerns, execution, etc.

Does the requirement, in fact, require the boat to actually be launched & removed from the water? OR is it asking to have the mechanical and safety features of a boat trailer pointed out that would be involved in launching or removing a boat from water? (In which case, the SM is not changing the requirement). It would be clearer if it said "Do the following: 1) point out & explain... 2) launch... 3) remove a boat..."

[kwildman]

what does the requirement say? No more..no less.

Why would it damage the boat? An adult puts the trailer in the water. The scouts launch the boat and then use the winch to put it back on the trailer? They can repeat the process as many times as there are scouts. This shouldn't be a big deal. If he is worried about his boat find someone that has a boat that they are not worried about. I think this is an important thing to learn.

[RWSmith]

Does the requirement, in fact, require the boat to actually be launched & removed from the water?

Yes.

It would be clearer if it said "Do the following: 1) point out & explain... 2) launch... 3) remove a boat..."

I agree with you there. IMO, it really should state:

6. Point out and explain the mechanical and safety features of a boat trailer. Then, do the following:

1. Launch a boat from a trailer.
   
2. Remove a boat from the water using a trailer.

[Fred Johnson]

Yes, it is poorly written. A&B are within 6 which is a point and explain. So I can see someone saying launch and remove is bounded by the point and explain.

Dealt with that myself as a motor boating MBC. But we didn't really think about it as it's pretty easy to launch and recover a boat. We just did it. Didn't really worry about damaging the boat. BUT ... are you working with a $100k fancy boat or a $10k ski boat or a $1k duck boat. I'd be tempted not to put scouts around something that's too big or too expensive. We just use a moderate size fishing / ski boat. Works fine.

[FrankJ]

Interesting. A lot of our scouts earn this one at summer camp. I will have to ask how they handled this requirement. They use john boats that stay in the water.

Since actually pulling the trailer out of the water implies a motor vehicle & scouts are only allowed to use ATVs in a limited way, I assuming typically a car or truck. To be honest I would be concerned about allowing the typical 12 year old drive a trailer out of the water. (Really concerned about allowing them to back into the water). The requirement does say out of the water so just putting the boat on the trailer would not count.

How to MBCs handle this? Is it assist launching & removing the boat good enough? Can it be done with multiple scout & all get credit? It really is job best done with more than one person anyway.

[PaulSWolf]

I just sent a note to merit.badge@Scouting.org, asking for a clarification, and recommending they change the wording as Bob Smith suggested by adding Then, do the following: before items a & b.

[Fred Johnson]

This might be my own reaction, but I don't even think of driving applying here. Nothing in scouts requires a scout to drive a car. I think it's fully within the requirement to just launch from the trailer and recover onto the trailer. Nothing requires pulling the trailer out of the water. And generally the trailer runners need to be slightly out of the water to stabalize the boat. Otherwise, the boat is still floating in the water.

[Quailman]

Agreed. It's really a PITN to get a boat onto the trailer and out of the water alone. It's better to have at least one person in addition to the driver to pull the boat onto the trailer and make sure it's secure. It's best to have a vehicle driver, a boat driver and a person on the trailer (not while it's being moved, of course) to secure it and keep it from hitting anything (or release it during launch). I would have the two scouts who are working on the badge together perform both of these tasks.

[smtroop168]

I recall when my son did this MB, they launched the boat monday AM and put it back on the trailer friday PM.

[lambeausam]

I recall when my son did this MB, they launched the boat monday AM and put it back on the trailer friday PM.

That's what our camp did last year. Works great.