Hi!
I'm from Sweden and found this really interesting forum just now.
I'm doing a lot of adventure racing and paddling is one of the main parts in competitions.
So, i would really like to make my own kayak, but this one will be like a surfski, something like this;



I have a few questions I hope someone can help me with:
First, I would like to build a boat as light as possible, in carbon fiber / kevlar. How thick should have the hull and deck.
Then I do not know if it is possible to make use of rasin infusion technology or whether to try to vacuum bag. I am puzzled, however, if you have time to wet-laying the entire hull and then on the vacuum bag before the rasin time to solidify.
If one would use rasin infusion, how often you need to outsource distribution tubing to cover the entire hull?
Then I also wonder how best to put together the hull and deck. I saw the movie on kayak repair and which used some form of kevlar tape. Is it the best thing to use or is there something else?
Hm, these issues are perhaps slightly messy but I am so grateful for all the help I can get.
Thanks in advance,
Staffan, Sweden                                                    

It is a pain to join deck to hull.  Most common method I've seen is to gaffer tape the two halves together and make the inside join then remove the tape and make the outside join.  Its common for 6 or more layers of kevlar tape to be used on the seams.  You will have to poke the tape down with a stick and use a brush taped to a pole to apply the resin.  Not easy!

WRT weight I believe the lightest core material would be PVC foam but this may be awkward to use with infusion.  You can either infuse one skin, bond in the foam then infuse the next skin OR drill lots of holes all over the foam and infuse in one go. 

It might be worth looking out for a local slalom event and going along to look at boats.  Get a good idea of what you want to make yours from before you spend out.

FLD, so good to hear your tips and tricks!

Yes, it is joining the hull to deck as I am concerned, especially when my design, surfski, are a closed design so I will not have access to the inside!
But, I've looked a lot on different  core materials after what you wrote earlier and found "Soric" which is a core material apparently withstand vacuum infusion without compressing and it has channels that distribute the resin in a good way. You do not even use the infusion mesh if you use Soric, sounds really good for my project!