Anyone Here Make Kites?

I just recently got into sewing my own Chutes, and realized that I could probably Sew up a Kite.
Does anyone here have any Advice for me? I know about basic Kite shapes and whatnot, but I've never made one.
Are there any good Sites to go to for Plans? I'm gonna' go Google it...

Just went to Amazon and found a Book called "The Magnificent World of Kites" that says it tells you how. It was only like $3+$3.99S&H.

I used to make kites and have used some of my rip stop to make chutes. However, the rip stop used for kites is a lot more stiff and coated so they don't pack up as nice. I haven't purhcased anything there or visited the forum in years. However,when I was making kites, I spent a bit of time on kitebuilder.com

It looks fun, I see from a quick Search that there is lots of stuff available.

If memory serves, The Penguin Book of Kites by David Pelham is great.

WillMarchant said:

If memory serves, The Penguin Book of Kites by David Pelham is great.

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+1 The best book of kites I've ever seen.

My cousin was the co-founder of Catch The Wind Kites on the Oregon coast. However he wasn't as good a business person as his ex, and he ran the stores into the ground after they divorced. I worked at the Florence location back in the summer of '87, after graduating from high school.

I've been known to fly an 8 pack of 6' stacker Flexifoils, and was nearly killed by it when I was forced to jump to prevent myself from plowing into a 2 year-old girl who froze in front of me while I was "sand skiing" at Brill Hill in Bucks (Concussion #1 of 3). Brill Hill is a wonderful place for flying small kites, but not at all suitable for 296 square feet of kite (on 500lb test spectra line). If I hadn't been strapped in, I might have made it...

In an issue of Kitelines magazine, I coined a phrase that you can find on some T-shirts... "If your kite can't kill you... It's too SMALL!!!". How's that for the Gen X mentality? If I had only copyrighted that slogan, I may have made some $$$ there.

That is why I keep the best of my ideas close to my chest.

I got into stunt kit flying along time ago and it was fun. I met some people who showed me how to make and sew my own kits and I still have them. We stacked three together and pulled our self's on a home made sled on this big grass field lots of fun.

After reading up on Kitebuilding, and gathering some Knowledge, I've decided it will be best to buy a few Kites and fly them first to get a feel for what I want in a Kite. This will also expose me to the Construction Techniques.
Even with the help of Books and the wealth of Knowledge on Kitebuilder.com and the Internet in general, I don't feel confident that I could build a Kite. I difinitely need to get my Hands on some first, then, I can start by simply replicating what I see and can feel. The subtle nuances of the Construction, like the Tension in the Components and such will provide me with a basis of what I should strive for in a Build.

I'm not in any great hurry to build one anymore. That will come when the Time is right.
I am going to fly my 808 Keychain Camera on the Kites I'm going to order. That will be fun.

We had a guy who would bring his kites to a rocket launch. If the wind was too much to fly rockets then he'd fly kites and not waste a 50 mile trip

Finally got a Kite! Prism Stowaway Delta.

I am going to make a way to mount my 808 Camera to it somehow after doing a little Research. If anyone has any Guidance in that Area Tips would be appreciated. I'm thinking something that clips to the Keel looking down might be what I need, and with some form of Positive Retention, so that it does'nt fall off.
Can't wait to make a Kite Video. I watched some on Youtube and it looks like fun.:grin:

Google picavet suspension. Here's one site https://scotthaefner.com/kap/equipment/picavet/


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WillMarchant said:

Google picavet suspension. Here's one site https://scotthaefner.com/kap/equipment/picavet/


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Wow! Cool Site! Thanks for the Link. Pretty sure I'de need a bigger Kite for that Rig, but eventually...

Holy Cow Kites Are Awesome!!!!
Just flew my Stowaway Delta for the first time today and I love it!!! Got all 200ft. of line out and she flew beautifully.
Now I can think about flying my Camera next time. I think for now I'll just Duct Tape it to the Keel.

TopRamen said:

Holy Cow Kites Are Awesome!!!!
Just flew my Stowaway Delta for the first time today and I love it!!! Got all 200ft. of line out and she flew beautifully.
Now I can think about flying my Camera next time. I think for now I'll just Duct Tape it to the Keel.

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Make a line climber... That way it's more fun

K'Tesh said:

Make a line climber... That way it's more fun

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I just want a steady Video, so attaching it to the Keel will be just fine.

There are a couple of kite forums out there, patterns and parts are readily available.

I keep wanting to make something similar to a Revolution Kite, they are impressive.

I have a whole quiver of stunt kites, I've done lots of repairs including replacing ribs in my ram-air stunt kites, but I have yet to build one from the ground up.


I'm also a kite boarder, so I have some really big cool kites.

The power of the wind is awesome, nothing like holding on to a kite a running close to 30mph across the water and then making a big jump.


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