The only part of building one of my skin on frame kayaks that’s actually hard is creating this steam bent keyhole cockpit coaming, and most of that is just because you need perfect quality in Bending Oak to make the tight bend at the apex. . It’s been getting harder to find Oregon White Oak lately so for these coamings I’m using some white oak from @jwswanandsons. Quercus Alba is definitely stiffer than our local species, but it will still make the required bends and the wood quality is excellen

In this video I demonstrate the whole process of making a kayak paddle from wood. Starting from cutting the wood through getting out on the water. Plans for building a similar paddle are available at: https://www.guillemot-kayaks.com/catalog/accessory-plans/kayak-paddle-plans | Guillemot Kayaks