With some boats opting to have light strong women versus heavy strong women what would prefer on yor dragon boat?
I notice on Mayfair that the women are small not big but strong, some boats have women who are in 170 to 200lb range and think taht this is better becuase they are strong. But is it worth having all this extra weight in the boat?

For example who would you want on your boat?

105 lbs - OC1 time 1:33
170 lbs - OC1 time 1:29
200 lbs - OC1 time 1:28

I would want the woman who can pull the most water in a heavier dragonboat (than an oc1). If this woman can pull more water than a man, she takes his spot.

Take the 1:28, she has the fastest time pulling "her own weight". This is a simple question.

A 200lb woman? Jeez. Unless she was over 6 feet tall.

Only if she's a Mesomorph

It's not so simple.

On paper it would seem that you would always take the person that posts the best individual times, but if they all ended up being the biggest folks and you put them all in a boat you would need to take into account the extra drag involved in paddling a submerged dragon boat.

There is some number there somewhere which I don't know that would be the deciding factor.

In the example you gave I would almost certainly take a boat full of 170 lbs - OC1 time 1:29's than 20 x 200 and I would maybe even take the 105's over the others. Only testing it out under various conditions and boats would really tell.

No fat chicks!

Most women that you see dragonboating will land somewhere in the middle of the extremes of 105lbs and 200lbs, but I'd go with the fastest time trials.

I'd take a boat full of hot chicks thank you very much... i doubt any broad over 120 will be hot.

I'm a guy and I would like to humbly apologize to all Women for the previous poster(s) ignorant cro-magnon statement(s).

broads... apologize to all broads...

that's such a phil statement.

I would take a 200lb woman who could pull more water than a 200lb guy anyday.

If it's a 1 second difference only then it should come down to their performance on the dragon boat as well--timing, technique, attendance, etc. In addition to your own body weight, in an OC-1 (let's say around 30 pounds) you are roughly pulling the same amount of "boat weight" as in a DB if you divide evenly amongst everyone (at least in a BuK). Since the testing boat is a constant weight (as well as the DB) it is true that it is more advantageous to the heavier paddler because the boat is a smaller percentage of his/her body weight. But there are also a lot of factors like how high volume of an OC-1 you have. Smaller volume boats tend to be more advantageous for lighter paddlers because the boat will sit a LOT lower for a heavier person and vice versa. Weight does matter a lot in this sport but if you have more than enough power to make up for it then that's okay.

Assuming the same body type a 105 lb (5'5" chick) vs a 200 (6'1" with a long reach)

I'd take the long reach. Taller, bigger, longer, stronger. but 20x170 = 3400 lbs. 20x200 = 4000 lbs. 600lbs / 20 paddlers = 30 extra lbs/person. how much is that worth?

I love the complex math above.

Next time try this instead:
200 lbs - 170 lbs = 30 lbs

I don't get the question. How does a 105lb paddler go to 170?

It seems ridiculous to focus on the weight of female team members.
What would you do if there were 2 men on the team, one heavier then the other, but the heaver one is faster in an OC trial? No brainer, right? You would take the faster paddler aka the one that moves more water. Shouldn't it be the same for women??

No it's still not a no brainer. There is more to be taken into account.

If the heaver person is like 10 seconds faster over a roughly 1 minute distance then maybe, but if it's only a couple seconds over a 2 minute distance then I probably take the lighter one.

The cumulative wt differences will have all kinds of impact on the boats overall drag etc.

I would just go with the faster time trial unless the team is getting so heavy that the boat is taking in water or people can't fit in seats. The time trial is already adjusted for weight.

5'5 and 105 lbs? Think about that. There's some serious potential for hotness there. 6'1 and 200 lbs? Holy smokes, that's way beyond an Amazon, that's a seriously thick woman. I've got guys on my team who are 6'1 who aren't even 200 lbs... and they're fit guys too! I'll have to bring the hotness factor back in...

What about 5'5 and 200 lbs?

So by those standards, we should all be paddling in boats with 105lb MEN as well as women.... Somehow I don't think that boat will move..

Isn't fitness level the issue? not weight.

Size doesn't matter too much if you are one of the 10 or 12 fastest paddlers because they are acelerating the boat.
The slower paddlers should be small because they are slowing the boat down, small has less drag than heavy. Generally, in a mixed boat there is an advantage to small women because even the fastest woman should be slower than the slowest man.
A large woman may be the best paddler on a woman's team but not be the best choice for a mixed team.

In before someone brings FCRCC into the discussion.

Re: July 10, 2009 @ 8:56am

"...even the fastest woman should be slower than the slowest man"

WTF? You must be single!

if you paddle properly, you'll know how to plant your weight on the blade of the paddle and lighten the boat. and if you do that all at the same time and together you'll get the boat to surge and glide. from there, having bigger paddlers to move a 600lb boat sounds like a good idea rather than smaller and lighter paddlers. at equal technique, the bigger paddlers will have an easier time launching the boat forward (think less dead weight)

Worlds Rome 2002

Russian men's team (whole boat big big guys) sank the boat in the 2000 m. Even slight inappropriate movements in big people boat equals a bumpier ride and more potential for sinking / tipping.

Bad example. That team sunk because the course was small and the wavepool effect had water coming in on all sides. Nothing to do with inappropriate movemements. They did sit lower in the water though.

Ok, so boat full of big strong people all planting thier weight on the paddle about once a second.

Boat literally bounces down the course along with all the drag and stability issues that go with that. Yeah, that sounds real fast.

"I'm a guy and I would like to humbly apologize to all Women for the previous poster(s) ignorant cro-magnon statement(s)."

Also:
I enjoy quiche for brunch.
I love shopping for curtains, and pillow slips.
I drink apple martinis.
You definitely WON'T find me at any showing of "Bruno".
But you definitely WILL find me at "Lilith Fair".

And I like to "tuck it in" when passing in front of a mirror.

I'm curious, what is the average male and female weights for top teams?

And would it be safe to assume that if someone was that dedicated to paddling at a high level, that they'd also show some restraint at the buffet line as well?

I never really understood people's focus on weight.

Hypothetically:
Dragon Boat = At least 500 pounds
Drummer + Cox = 275 pounds
20 Paddlers = 3000 pounds (@ at an average of 150 pounds each)

Total boat weight = 3775 pounds.

Adding or subtracting 20 pounds to this makes no difference at all. A person's strength is much more important then say, them being 20 pounds heavier.

Way too simple question.

It comes down to other issues such as speed, 2 minute muscle endurance, etc. I test is not enough to know.

It's simple. fastest OC time.