Mike,
Typically the flat spokeshave is used on the outside of a boat and a round on the inside. I tend to like the old ones made of German steel found in antique shops. However the new ones are good too, if you polish the pulling surface and then sharpen the blade right. The nice thing about the old ones is they have already been worked often having shaped blades etc. Make sure if you buy an old one that you get a true faring shave. Most antique tools sold as spoke shaves and are really a specific kind of spoke shave designed for a specific task like making chair spokes etc. Other's get mislabeled as draw knives

Mike, This board has a number of adherents who using one tool for fairing, and their results speak for them selves. Gorgeous! Some of us love planes some of us love scrapers. Some of us love fairing board etc. Mentioning a specific tool and the word "faring" in the same sentence is the easiest way, on this board, to get stones flying. So first the caveats: First I'd say go with what every Jay Babina suggests on the OI. After all, the designer has usually built that particular design more then anyone. That is less of a caveat then a recommendation. Designs are drawn with tools in mind.

Faring is less of a generic skill then a specific task you do on a specific design. Second, any tool for faring really depends on the feel in your hand. If your going to make your own way Try out a couple of the tools. Planes and scrapers and spoke shaves. See what ya like best. Half the reason for building rather then buying a boat is learning something along the way. In the end some of it comes down to what you enjoy doing. What feels pleasing and produces the desired results.

I'm a confirmed eclectic. I tend to look at the many different ways to fare a boat as as a case of different not wrong. I tend to use a whole cast of characters. Planes, scrapers, spoke shaves, fairing boards. I sort of think they complement each other and correct each others divots. A scraper corrects a tear out form a plane and a plane corrects a scrapers scallop. A fairing tool is a touch tool. Everything is in the touch.

As a first and primary faring tool. I'm not sure I'd recommends starting to fair a whole boat with a spoke shave. I know there are people who do and get great results. I tend to use a spoke shave to knock the sharp corners off the out side and stick with the grain. Maybe 10 pulls run stem to stern On the outside of a boat along strip seams A spoke shave used heavy handed can tear out bigger then most other faring tools. Pulling some grain out from underneath others. It doesn't have too. Its all in setting sharpness and touch. Still a light slow touch and you can get beautiful results. However, I'd suggest that you look at other faring tools for the inside of the boat. A scraper really will do what your looking for easier and quicker inside. My round spoke shaves really get less use. The one exception is I will use them occasionally to rough fair near the withers. They are harder to work near stem and stern. A round spoke shave can also do some interesting faring on the hollows of complex bow shapes. The use is that usual they have to be worked at diagonals to grains and strips while an scraper of various shapes can be worked with grains. Thus I usually use a round shave only when I want to deepen a hollow.

A shaped spoke shave is a great tool for paddle shafts. Oh yeah! Rehd's right practice first, before you put the steel to your boat.

Good luck and enjoy
!RUSS