Phill,

great tip about how to make invisible overlaps, thanks! (I think you have mentioned it before, but now I'll remember it).

My source for the carbon comment is Bjørn Thomasson in Sweden (http://www.thomassondesign.com), the kayak/canoe designer/builder. According to him the density of the carbon fibres in the weave is larger than glass fibres. To get a good matrix around the fibres you would need more epoxy, especially if laid up by hand. With vacuum you come closer to the same amount of epoxy as you would use for the same weight of glass. With a lighter carbon cloth I suppose there are some gains, but it looks like there is a crossing point for carbon vs. glass for this application. It would be good to know if he (I) am wrong or even completely wrong. <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

I know the hull will be stiffer (as in less deflection) with a +-45 layup outside the core. But I was intrigued to hear that the panel integrity also will be better. Thinking about it, it becomes quite attractive to put the cloth on with overlaps due to the points you made.