I think that string inlay would be hard to do on a kayak hull because it would be hard to control your scratch stock. It's difficult enough putting a bead or a line on something flat with a scratch stock.

Anyway- it is also quite normal in furniture to cover inlays with shellac before staining, so the inlaid wood is not darkened. I don't see why you couldn't cover your accent strips with epoxy before dyeing the rest of the hull. Maybe Nick can spill the beans on how he did the light-colored strip on his dyed Petryl.

m