Drafting when boats are different lengths

On my 640 cm v12 I have trouble drafting my buddy who is on a 550 cm Nelo. He also has trouble drafting me, but he can draft our friend who has a 580 cm Knysna pretty well.

I've heard the rule of thumb for drafting position on boats of equal length is that you want the nose of your boat about where the paddle blade of the guy in front of you is coming out of the water. But is that different when your boat is almost a meter longer or shorter than the guy you're drafting?

We're both new or newish paddlers going about 11 kph in flat water.

Thanks.

Maybe easier to visualize if you call it "surfing the bow wake" instead of "drafting". Bow wake of target vessel makes a "vee"- goal is to surf that wave. So doesn't matter what size your ski is, because it's your center of gravity that makes the difference, not how much ski is sticking up in front of your CG.

Don't worry about the length of the target boat, you need to just feel your position on the bow wave and adjust accordingly. If you're too far back, it's more work, not less, feels like you're paddling uphill. In the sweet spot it feels like you're nose is tipped down slightly and noticeably less effort required.

As a beginner, I wouldn't worry too much about race tactics like this. Drafting requires a ton of focus to stay in a spot that is helpful without running into the boat or paddle of the guy you're drafting so while you're doing that, your technique is going to crap and your efficiency is not going to improve overall. Sitting on someone's stern going upwind might be worth it but don't be that guy who is running into people...

All that being said, I'm probably talking out my ass because my local waters are on the rough side and we rarely have the opportunity to draft, even going upwind. Hence, I suck at it.

Generally speaking long/narrow boats will be harder to draft than shorter/wider boats because they create less of a wake. Weight of the paddler is also important, with heavier guys creating a better draft than light guys. Lastly, depth of the water makes a difference because all boats create more wake in shallow water. Exact positioning really depends. You need to look where the trough of the wake is and put your bow there.

Most of the races that I do are flat water with shallows, so being able to draft effectively is very important. I generally try to get on the stern of one of the big guys paddling an elite boat who is just a bit faster than I am. I find that my pulse will drop by at least 10 when I get saddled in. If there are multiple boat types, drafting a C2, C3 or OC2 can be a great draft. If drafting a C2/C3, you have to be really careful because the can paddle through water only and inch or two deep. They can also turn on a dime (bow rudder stroke) to avoid obstacles. Some races do not allow drafting unless you are in the exact same division (age, gender and boat type).

I've heard the rule of thumb for drafting position on boats of equal length is that you want the nose of your boat about where the paddle blade of the guy in front of you is coming out of the water. But is that different when your boat is almost a meter longer or shorter than the guy you're drafting?

As one of the other guys said, I think the more you practise it, the easier you'll get to feel when you're in the right spot. Your rule of thumb is a fine place to start.

Drafting (we call it "slipping" here) is key to racing on flat water and it's definitely worth practising. In marathon paddling there are all kinds of ethics about taking turns and where on the diamond you should be, etc, but on surfskis it's less formal. Definitely a good idea to avoid repeatedly hitting the guy in front! And you should take your turn (but that can be difficult if you're in a bunch that's generally faster than you and it's all you can do to stay with them, let alone accelerate to take the pull)

Drafting helps even in rough water upwind. The best thing to do is to find a double that's slightly faster than you - get onto their side or rear slip and hang on like grim death!

In rough water it's even more important to avoid hitting the boat in front. Hank McGregor was pulling someone during the upwind section of the Cape Town Downwind race a few years ago (the person will remain nameless but was the younger of the two Rice brothers ) The slipping paddlers nose came up under the tail of hank's boat and the handle on the nose smashed a rectangular hole in the bottom of Hank's ski... He rapidly filled with water and had to retire in quite challenging circumstances.