You think YOUR boat is heavy, take a look at this one.

http://www.okinawa.usmc.mil/Public%20Affairs%20Info/Archive%20News%20Pages/2006/060512-hari.html

Click on the "high res" link for a better look.

I count 32 paddlers, 2 steersmen, a drummer, and a "cheerleader". And if there is a slower looking hull design out there I have yet to see it.

Their time for 400m? Almost 4min. Nasty.

From the looks of it, they're also using pool paddles, which isn't helping any.

Having a little trouble burying the blade when the water is a meter away?

That is just WRONG!!!

It's not wrong. It's just an example of the variation inherent in the traditional styles of dragon boat racing. Festival boats, especially in Asia, come in all sorts and shapes (see the IDBF site for information on development of db racing and definition of dragon boats). It has only been with the advent of the IDBF that an international racing boat standard has been developed - for use in IDBF-sanctioned events. It's kind of cool to paddle in one of the traditional boats at a festival. Tough to do, but what an opportunity!

Kind of funny, but we had an information day this weekend for the public and a couple of Chinese came by. They thought WE had a strange boat for a dragon boat because it was so sleek and made of synthetic materials and our paddlers were using carbon-kevlar paddles.

I guess it just depends on your perspective.