ask Oscar Chalupsky…
He’s one big dude and he can move a boat pretty well. 
Do lighter paddler’s have an advantage?
Yes. Less fat to lug around.
Yes
Heavier is Better in Rough Stuff
Assuming similar fitness levels, technique, and the proper kayak for the paddler’s weight, a heavier paddler will be at an advantage in all conditions. A heavier paddler will have more power and be able to distribute it over a longer kayak that is also relatively narrower.
Put that large powerful paddler and his longer narrower boat into rougher water and his advantage increases more. Not only will the longer boat be more seaworthy, but the heavier overall displacement translates into more momentum. Momentum allows the heavier paddler to maintain his speed through the bumps better.
You don’t see many heavy weight paddlers in K1’s because the kayak’s length is restricted. A heavier paddler is not able to spread his weight over a longer waterline length. If they removed the length restriction from the K1 class you would soon see all the medals going to larger paddlers in longer boats. Weight classes then might make sense.
The Average “Heavy” Paddler
– Last Updated: Dec-07-07 5:58 PM EST –
I wonder what percentage of heavy paddlers have a similar ratio of strength to body mass as small paddlers (for example, how many big people do you know who can do 25 or 30 chin-ups like the average small person can (I'm talking males, here)). I'd say that the "average" heavy paddler is at a measurable disadvantage commpared to the "average" smaller paddler, because most larger people are hauling around a lot of non-contributing weight relative to whatever extra strength they might have, sort of like when you throw a bunch of camping gear in your boat and you notice the loss of speed. In any physical activity I have experience with that requires you to move your own body under your own power, the "average" larger person can't keep up with the "average" smaller person. I'm not disputing the argument you make, which makes sense, only suggesting that not many bigger folks actually fit the situation you describe. In short, what you say could well be true for trained athletes, but not for the rest of us. In any case, us average folks probably need not worry about this either way. It's not like we push ourselves to our limits on our excursions and worry about such things as why it took us ten minutes longer to do a particular day trip than it did the last time.
That’s way under the 6’ 5" and 205#
average one often sees in college rowing eights. In single sculling, champions have often been around 6’ and 185, but there have been very successful scullers at 6’ 5" and 215.
Lean
The question is:
Would you consider kayaking simular to mtnbiking where a leaner body would aid in over-all better effiency?
I read that as % body fat, not overall weight. If two 400 pound sumo wrestlers are going at it and one is 50% fat and one is 20% fat… my money is on the 20% guy.
Single a better comparison than 8s! NM
The real advantage
is that lighter paddlers can often get the heavier paddlers to move their boat around for them.
That’s my experience anyway 
Jim
I am ideal rowing size. Guess I better
get the BHC set up by spring.
That’s partially correct
the amusing part was the comparison with chin ups.
Paddling doesn’t require one to overcome their own body weight. On a 24 hour rec paddle the youngest and most physically fit fell out first.
We could argue this for days. It makes good points but has no definite or one answer.
Depends on how the weight is
distributed.
Oh, yeah?
If we smaller paddlers routinely carry our own kayaks or at least carry one end of the kayak, we get stronger than a bigger person does in the same situation.
Our boats weigh a higher percentage of our body size (and we have shorter “levers”), so we are, um, training harder.
I got ticked off by an over-6-ft guy deriding me for not being able to singlehandedly lift my 61-lb Squall onto the top of a 4WD truck. In addition to the obvious height disadvantage, all my kayaks have weighed more than half what I do. I bet this same guy can’t rooftop the same proportion himself, which would be a kayak weighing at least 100 lbs.
You should have asked him to spell
kayak backwards, and then laughed at his expression.
Leanness vs. weight
Lean people aren’t necessarily light, because muscle weighs more than fat (by volume).
But the only sports I know of where added fat (not too much) is not a disadvantage are swimming and other submersion sports. OTOH, the penalty for higher bodyfat % has to be less for kayaking than for bicycling, hiking, or running. All these sports require good power-to-weight ratios.
Small and light do have one advantage: darned near any sea kayak feels stable.
On a more serious note
There is way too much focus on speed in these forums and in the sport itself. If you are out to enjoy yourself, learn to paddle correctly and efficiently. You should experiment and see how fast you can move your boat, but you probably won’t be paddling pell-mell 95% of the time.
The owner is also trying to sell boats. When a fat guy walks in, I bet he tells him how great the exercise is he’ll get from paddling. When the short girl walks in he tells her that she will blaze through the water because she’s so light and has a lower center of gravity…
I’m 55 lbs heavier than you, and probably not as athletic, but I’m pretty sure the guy wouldn’t have told me that I’m too heavy and sent me on my way.
Having said that, you will probably be comfortable in a wide variety of boats. You might even find that you rattle around a bit in the boats made for the larger folks.
Jim
Diversity
Some folks like to go slow. Some folks like to go fast.
Yup
Some folks also like to get as far away from the put-in as they can in the time they have to participate in this activity. That would be me, for one. Boat selection is certainly part of that equation.
Mike
Thanks
Interesting points,
i have zero experience with kayaking as my focus has been mtnbiking and 24hr racing.
I’ve had a burning desire to yak for about 3yrs and finally bought a boat.
My purchase would indicate that speed is not my goal “pungo duralite 120”.It is the adventure that i seek.
I will continue to bike and pound the TotalGym but have already planned some week long camping trips on the Greenbriar river(WV)and Shenandaoh river(VA)for this spring and really look foward to some beautiful scenery while kayaking.
Paddling is not rock climbing
Lean, light people with strong arms and shoulders tend to be great rock climbers. If they try to use their same assets for paddling they will quickly be left behind.
People who are heavy for their height tend to have larger torsos. Since torso muscles are the primary souce of power if paddling correctly, an argument could be made that stockier people may have a physical advantage.
Stockier paddlers may also have an advantage because their centers of gravity are lower.