: First, I'd get ahold of CLC and find out why there isn't a building
: manual supplied with the kit. Even plans built boats come with a
: manual, you shouldn't need to figure out how to cover the boat.
: There is no reason for carbon fiber, it's just not needed and
: not all that easy to work with, hard to tell when it's wet out,
: it's black and shiny dry and black and shiny wet, very easy to
: add lots of extra resin and end up with a layup that will be
: weaker than if you'd done it in glass.

: Bill H.

According to CLC, the Schade book (along with his building notes) is the manual.

The reason for the carbon fiber (actually it is a BGF 5.7 oz. 3K carbon fiber Kevlar hybrid weave available on EBay) is that it is a red/black diagonal pattern that will complement the color of the kayak quite nicely. I would only use it for the inside of the hull underneath the cockpit and hatches with minimal resin for the wet out and no fill layers to provide a textured surface with the weave of the fabric. The layup would be across the width in 50" wide strips at the widest part of the kayak so there won't be any compound curves. I'm not really that concerned about either strength or weight.

Does this sound like too much for a beginner to tackle?