Hello all,
As a project for school I am making a realistic model of a nacra a2 and plan on using materials similar to those that Morelli&Melvin use to make the A2's. I found nacra's site the Infusion process powerpoint and tried to follow along, but my lack of knowledge of any form of boat building really didnt help me out that much. basically, i have not the slightest idea what is going on. I know this is just for a project, but I really wanted to have a realistic mold made and use carbon and everything to make the hulls...Since the rest of the boat shouldn't be that hard, (mast, boom, sail, rudder, d-boards...etc.) I'm really focusing on getting the hull shape and design made correctly and accurately......but, I am absolutely stumped as to how to make a mold and how to create the hulls. Here are some questions I have...

-I know that a female pruduct is needed to make a mold, but what is that normally constucted of, fiberglass?, plaster?, foam?

-Also, Once the female cast is made, what is normally used to make the actual mold, I researched and found multiple products which all look the same to me, so which one do i use?

-After the mold is complete (if i can get that far), is there a special process that is used to create the hulls?, I know gelcoat is applied first, then I guess Morelli&Melvin use carbon cloth and resin(?) and after that a "core" is laid in, which is again layered in carbon fiber, which becomes "infused"....

I doubt that i will be able to find out the actual "infusion" process becuase thats probably the secret to the design, but i'll try to get as close as i can to the actual making of the boat....
that is really as much as i know...so if anyone could help out, or throw some tips in, (maybe some of you home builders) or if you have any ideas or input as to what materials to use, or could direct me to some books or something, that would be greatly appreciated.

thanks in advance for your help. <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />