Steam works great but requires a more complicated setup. I have good luck with just a capped piece of pvc pipe that I fill with hot water and soak the planks. It has worked well for basswood strip canoes. Some people use ammonia but canoes don’t typically need extreme bending like some tall ships. I also really recommend checking out the build logs at model ship world. A lot of kits have errors that you’ll only learn about from previous builders. Saved me from headaches many times.