I found a spokeshave to be easier to control than a drawknife, but I'm new at this, too.
Do be aware of how the grain direction can change, and be ready to change your planing/cutting/shaving direction. Fighting the grain leads to tearouts and other frustrating mistakes.
Building paddles and boats I’ve done just about all of the things you’re asking about. I built a Pygmy Coho boat last fall and this year I built a greenland style paddle. The paddle obviously is a lot easier but building the boat was enjoyable and the result was very nice. The problem is that by the time I finished the boat and paddled half a season I had outgrown it or my needs had changed. I’d recommend paddling as many boats as possible and building some skills so you know what you need.
I built the paddle this year and you can produce a very nice paddle on the first try. There are many sources on line for paddle designs. I found one I liked and made the paddle in about 6 to 8 hours. I have wound up liking it a lot. I use it any time I’m paddling on flat water (lakes) and when I don’t need the power of a white-water style paddle. The Greenland style paddle is very light and puts less strain on the body but will not deliver big gulps of power when you need it. I use the white-water style paddle when I’m in a river or in surf where I need power fast. The Greenland paddle gives you a variety of stroking techniques to vary the strain and it sculls very cleanly and easily.
Making the paddle is easy enough if you have good woodworking skills and some tools. I went to a cabinet shop to have the profile of the paddle band-sawed from my blank. I had them taper the overall blade thickness on a jointer. From there, it’s a lot of careful layout and some skill with a spokeshave and blockplane. They will need to be sharp so be sure you know how to sharpen a blade as well. It’s not a trivial effort but if you have good skills and tools it can turn out very well.
Wholeheartedly agree I find I have much more control with a spokeshave than a drawknife, but I’m also a bit of a klutz.
Lee Valley’s line of planes and spokeshaves are outstanding. They offer high-end performance at a mid-range price. For paddles, their apron plane and flat sole spokeshave would be ideal. I have their block plane, low angle 'shave and sharpening jig, and they’re nice tools too.