I’m not an archeologist, and you raise an interesting question, but from what I can find, the Neolithic paddles that we know about have much more efficient shap

I’m not an archeologist, and you raise an interesting question, but from what I can find, the Neolithic paddles that we know about have much more efficient shapes. As a recreational kayaker and paddler for 35 years, I can certainly attest that you would optimize the weight of a paddle as much as possible. Kayak paddles used by indigenous peoples in the Arctic are traditionally made using a Stone Age toolkit (these societies had no significant access to metal until relatively recently) and have highly optimized forms