Homemade Kites

Here's 3 Different Types You Can Make Today!

We have made a variety of homemade kites, and offer free kite plans for most of them.

To give you a glimpse into the fun you can have with some of these homemade kites, I have pulled together an in-flight photo and a few paragraphs from some actual flying experiences with our Skewer designs. We have done a lot of blogging of our kite flying!

(Including the Dowel kites here would make this page very long, so I've left that for another day, another page... However, the eBook up there has all the details)

Here's a run-down on the 3 most popular kinds of homemade kites, with photos. Each of these has been done in 2 sizes...

• 1-Skewer: These use a single BBQ skewer for each spar. The result is a small, quick to make kite with good flying characteristics. Fun for anyone, but particularly suitable for small kids to fly.
• 2-Skewer: The spars for these kites are 2 skewers joined end-to-end with a couple of short skewer lengths reinforcing the join. This results in a very ideal strength-to-weight ratio for the kite. Although still relatively small, these kites perform! Great light-wind flying fun for adults or kids, although making one is definitely a job for an adult.

Homemade Kites - The MBK Skewer Sleds

This kind would have to be the simplest of all homemade kites! Very quick to make.

The 1-Skewer Sled.

" ... Anyway, back to the new sled kite. The weather was looking ok outside this afternoon, so Aren and I headed out to the Old Reynella Reserve. Leaves in the tree tops were moving around quite vigorously from time to time. Looks good! However, the spars on this kite were from the heavy batch so the little sled struggled to stay up in the very light and variable air.

Finally, a good long tow across the reserve got the sled kite above tree top height. From there, it had no trouble climbing higher, and I was able to let out all 50 meters of the test line. The little sled flew great, nice and stable with no real tendency to hang left or right. There is something to be said for carefully hand-selecting spars!

Line angles varied from about 30 to 45 degrees. Ok for a tiny sled on 50 meters of 20 pound line. It would do better on 3kg (8 pound) fishing line. Aren and I had to shift our position from time to time as wind shifts came through. Why? To keep the kite away from un-landable areas like tall trees or the kids' play equipment! It's only a small reserve.

There were a few rough patches in the airflow which collapsed the kite a few times. The kite would then loop round and round, losing height rapidly before inflating again. Interesting, since the kite was flying well above tree top height.

Nearing sun-down, it was clear that the sled kite was enjoying itself up there and had no intention of coming down! So we brought it down slowly, winding line onto the winder. The rays of the setting sun accented the curve of the sail and illuminated the dance of the twin tails. All in all, a great test flight! ... "

The 2-Skewer Sled.

" ... After a few attempts marred by rough air flowing behind the bushes and trees, the big orange rectangle took to the sky in spectacular fashion. It really looked 'like a bought one' with its neat black spar caps, bright orange sail and twin black garbage-bag tails. This sled pulls like a horse compared to any of the single-skewer homemade kites!

I was just amazed at the sheer performance of this bog-standard sled design! The wind strength increased quite a bit while we were flying, but before it got too strong, it was clear this kite could sustain around a 60 degree flying line angle! I haven't seen a lot of sleds fly, but I believe this is rather good for a simple single-surface sled. During the entire time we were flying, it spent most of its time between about 45 and 65 degrees from the horizontal. With a little thermal help, it might have even made around 70-75 degrees at one point.

It's much easier to be accurate when making a kite of this size too. This was evident since the kite stayed stable with just 6 skewer-lengths or so of tail on each side, despite the fresh breeze. Finally, however, a really strong gust caused the flying line to go straight as a plumb-line, and let out an ominous high-pitched buzz. The poor sled went round in a large loop to the right, a 360. How something didn't break or pull out I don't know.

Am I pleased with this kite? You bet! If you want to make it, be careful in windy conditions. The pull will be too much for a very young child to manage. Also, you will need to carefully avoid letting the line slip through your fingers, unless you are wearing a protective glove. It's hard to believe that just 4 slim bamboo skewers and some plastic fastened with electrical tape can have so much grunt! ... "

Homemade Kites - The MBK Skewer Diamonds

No homemade kites are more universally recognized than the flat Diamond. They are popular for a reason. Easy to make and very predictable and reliable!

The 1-Skewer Diamond.

" ... Well, we brought the MBK Diamond just in case... Such a reliable little kite, it just took to the air with no problems. Within minute or so it was sitting up there with 50 meters of line let out. It really ermm Rocked. We left it up for 40 minutes or so, attached to the pram handle, while we entertained our toddler, Aren, on the play equipment. This was down at the Old Reynella reserve at which we often fly. The kite sat between 40 to 50 degrees in the air most of the time, which is very respectable for a small diamond. Once or twice some rising air boosted it to a good 60 degrees or so, pulling the 20 pound flying line almost straight.

MBK Diamond kite This diamond kite has its own distinctive flight pattern. It rocks quickly but gently around the axis of its vertical spar. Sorry to get mathematical on you, but saying 'wiggles its wing tips' could mean several things... As well as that, it swishes its tail every few seconds like an angry pet cat. Not so mathematical that time huh? With even more wind speed, it might dive a long way to the left or right, before correcting and finding its way back to center.

With just an hour or 2 to sundown, the tail started to glow. It seemed to just glow rather than shimmer and shake, maybe because it's had quite a bit of flying and has more twist and stretch in it now. Hence it just lays out straight in the air, except when the kite moves suddenly. ... "

The 2-Skewer Diamond.

" ... Stronger winds and generally more wintry weather was forecast for tomorrow, so we slipped out just as soon as the wind started to pick up. That was just in case it got too strong later on! Down at the reserve near the school, the sun was shining and the wind was still fairly light, but with fresher gusts that moved whole tree tops. A nice change from the almost dead calm conditions of the last 2 days.

The diamond flitted around down low for a couple of launch attempts, before a stronger gust sent it soaring. It was on our longer line. The diamond kite continued to climb as I let line come off the reel. At one point, by holding the reel side-on to the kite, and feeding the line through my hand, the line actually fed itself off the reel. A short loop did 360s around the rim of the reel as the line payed out. You can't do that with a winder!

With about 100 meters of line out, there was a lot of sag so I gave the kite a chance to climb some more. Even so, it settled out at between 40 and 50 degrees from the horizontal. Thermals were coming through which caused the kite to rise and sink from time to time. With a bit more wind to pull the line tight and generate more lift over the kite, it should still make a 60 degree angle on 100 meters of line. That length of 20 pound line might be the practical limit for this kite design.

We had to get back home, so we began pulling down the kite. My wife May had a turn, while I wound onto the reel. Even Aren, just 2 years old, had a go, sitting in his pram! He managed to successfully pull down several meters of line, hand over hand, before letting go. As toddler kite fliers do! Never mind, I had the reel, winding on the loose line. ... "

Homemade Kites - The MBK Skewer Deltas

Why don't you see so many homemade kites in the shape of a Delta? Well, they are a little more involved to make properly and there are just so many cheap ones available in the shops! However, making and flying your own Delta is a great experience.

The 1-Skewer Delta.

" ... With an extra length of blue tail in my pocket, Aren and I headed out to the Old Reynella Reserve. The breeze was occasionally fresh and blowing from the East. After a few short flights it seemed the Delta would be happier with more tail in the gusty breeze. The next time it force landed (!) I went out and tied on the extra meter or so of tail.

Soon the clear plastic and bamboo delta was sailing high above the reserve, moving between about 45 and 60 degree line angles. Occasionally, with the help of warm rising air, it went almost directly overhead, before cruising around like a glider, down to lower altitudes. The air was quite rough at times, jerking the kite suddenly in various directions and sending pulses down the flying line.

The kite did get forced down a number of times since the gusts became increasingly strong. Each time however, it was easy to re-launch just by carefully dragging the kite along the grass and into the air.

I just have to mention a couple of bird-kite encounters! A fast little bird came through and took an interest in the kite. It circled numerous times, within a few meters of the kite. Its stumpy, elliptical wings beat quickly as it darted around, sometimes above the delta and sometimes below. It was about the size of a sparrow. Finally the bird flew off. At another time, a small flock of pink-crested galahs came through, below tree height. A couple of them almost collided with the flying line!

Aren had a turn flying the delta while I had my foot on the winder, on the ground beside the pram. At the age of 2, he can't be trusted to hang on for too long! After a while I decided to try and get some photos, so I brought the kite down to about twice tree top height and took a couple of shots. Since the little delta was floating around quite comfortably, I also took a half minute or so of video. With nearly full zoom, the kite plus its tail filled about half the field of view as I panned around following every move. ... "

The 2-Skewer Delta.

" ... On arriving, we made our way to near the center of the Wilfred Taylor Reserve, since I wasn't clear on the wind direction. It seemed to be mainly from the West. The hand launch was super-easy, with the delta going up steadily like a lift. Line flew off the 150 meter winder, as I regulated it between finger and thumb. No need for a glove since this kite doesn't have a lot of sail area.

Once the kite was well above tree height, we started slowly moving backwards upwind, letting more line out. Soon there came this freakishly strong series of gusts, and the poor delta just couldn't cope. It ended up on the ground after narrowly missing some trees. In fact it disappeared altogether, since it was on the other side of a hump near the edge of the reserve. Just before it landed, I noticed the entire line of trees just behind it were being battered with very fresh wind. Where we were standing, less than 100 meters away, there really wasn't much happening at all! The kite must have copped the edge of the biggest thermal of the hour.

Pulling the line taut, I dragged the kite into view and stood it on its nose, waiting for a break in the wind. When the break came, it was fairly easy to flop the kite forward on its face, swivel it into wind with another pull on the line, and then pop it off the grass and into a long, fast climb back up to 50 meters or so.

After this, we continued moving upwind until finally we were right at one edge of the reserve. It became clear that the wind direction up high was more from the south, which was a bit inconvenient since it gave the kite less room. I was flying basically across the width of the reserve rather than down its considerable length. For this reason I wasn't able to safely let out all 150 meters of line. I guess about 120 meters were out.

The kite was still encountering wind that was a bit strong for it from time to time, so it covered a lot of sky. Several times it went into a vertical dive until slower moving air gave it a breather and let it recover. Most of the time however, the delta flew smoothly, between 50 and 60 degrees of line angle. Remember, this is probably the smallest 2-skewer kite, flying on more than 100 meters of line which had a fair amount of sag in it.

A bit of thermal assistance did pump the kite up to around 75 degrees at one point. Cool! It meandered around lazily, gliding like a paper plane for a while, before drifting back downwind. Eventually it was time to leave so I brought the kite down in stages, winding onto the winder in periods where the line tension was low.

An enjoyable flight! Makes me keen to start on a bigger delta sometime ... "

Hope you enjoyed reading those adventures we had with our homemade kites! One day I'll do something similar for the much bigger Dowel kites.

MBK Flying Skewers And Plastic is a fun publication for kite lovers. Particularly single-line fliers! This FREE monthly newsletter will help keep you in touch... There's always something new being built or flown at MBK!

Your FREE COPY of a great 87-page eBook on popular kites is waiting to be downloaded. It's my way of saying 'Thank You' for subscribing.

Last updated: 1 Sep 2009