I don’t have a beer belly
It’s more of a cross between an just harvested agave cactus and a wine barrel these days.
technique
In a vacuum, much more important than size (the two are not necessarily inclusive).
Get Oscar to drop the beer and fat and add some muscle and he would be even faster.
Good boat…Great motor
Oscar is one helluva motor.
look @ PGA golfers before tiger woods
– Last Updated: Dec-13-07 4:30 PM EST –
...one could come to the conclusion that cigar smoking and man-boobs improved your golf game.
bigger has an advantage
Ignoring all talk of gear, boat size, etc… The larger paddler has an advantage. It’s because of the water displacement and the advantage it gives to larger paddlers.
It’s not just about watt output per pound, you have to factor in the water and it’s benefit. Paddling isn’t really a weight bearing sport 
Now if those paddlers were running…
I’ll argue that any day.
I have been in situations where I am practically staining my breechers, and will look over at my 120 pound wife wondering if she is going to be able to make out ok, and I’ll get a “yee-haw - this surfing is awesome”
cheers,
JackL
Conditions matter
Displacing more water doesn’t necessarily improve your speed or efficiency, otherwise we’d all be paddling submarines. Displacing more water also means you have to move more out of the way which might mean less efficiency.
The other extreme is where you are too light for the boat which can affect the waterline length. Wind can also push you around more.
So, for a given boat and motor, there is an optimal displacement, Most boats are designed to carry some cargo, so on average heavier folks may be closer to the optimal weight.
Jim
correction
I’m not saying that displacing more water helps. I’m saying that being in a boat (kayak, rowing shell, etc…) gives bigger folks an advantage. The extra weight is less of an impact when it’s being carried by a boat and not your legs.
Think about how much lighter anything feels in the water. I bet that 30 lbs doesn’t have much of an effect on drag or resistance, but that 30 lbs might give you a bit more power.
Bigger can be better in a rowing shell,
but if you review who’s been winning in flatwater sprint kayaking, and in whitewater slalom, over the past 30 years, you aren’t going to see a bunch of giants. Check and see.
Not necessarily
Extra weight in cargo is likely to be lower in the boat than extra body weight on a big person. Cargo lowers the boats center of gravity giving it more stability. Adding a larger person, unless all of the extra weight is in the butt, raises the center of gravity making it less stable.