A wooden paddle, carved from a single piece of wood - my preference is ash or cherry - is a joy to paddle with. It flexes during the stroke, not so much as to be inefficient, but enough to make the whole paddle stroke easier on the muscles and joints.

There are various factors which I consider when carving a paddle:

Length: depends on the height of the paddler.

Blade area: depends on the strength of paddler and the intended use.

Blade shape: depends on the type of paddling to be done - my preference for a touring paddle is to taper towards the tip, as this allows a gradation from 'low gear' paddling with less immersion to 'higher gear' paddling with full immersion.

Balance: depends on length, shaft width, blade area, and blade thickness. A blade-heavy paddle becomes tiring on the recovery stroke, whilst a shaft-heavy paddle feels unstable and includes unnecessary weight.

Shaft diameter: depends on the paddler's hand size.

Blade thickness: may be a compromise of factors such as: clean entry into the water, slicing, paddle balance, amount of flex during the stroke, damage on striking rocks.

Any paddle I carve for you will be tailored to your size, strength, style of paddling and any other personal wishes.
The paddle on the left is the first I carved for myself, from ash. It has seen much use (and abuse) but ten years (and a few re-finishes) later, I find that it is a part of my paddling - no other paddle feels quite the same. The paddle on the right is a child's paddle, carved from basswood. Whilst not a particularly strong wood, it is extremely light, and the lack of strength is not a big drawback for a small child.