How To Make A Delta Kite

Complete Instructions For The MBK Dowel Delta

This set of instructions on how to make a Delta kite assumes you know absolutely nothing about kite making. You might already have some of the simple tools and materials required. Anything you don't have is easily bought. If not exactly what I used, then at least something pretty similar!

These instructions on how to make a Delta kite might look quite detailed. However, your reward is an impressive but quite cheap kite that is quick to set up and break down. This Delta is designed to roll up into a slim cylindrical package like a Sled, thanks to the removable spreader and the toggle-linked bow lines. Setting up on the flying field takes just a couple of minutes.

Of course, if you have enough room in your car, you can always leave this kite ready-to-fly.

The MBK Dowel Delta is a tail-less design that is 0.8DL (960mm, 38 1/2") tall and has a wingspan of 2.0DL (2400mm, 8 ft). Like traditional Deltas, this kite has a floating spreader which keeps the leading edge spars apart. This Delta is a light to moderate wind flier. The video shows this kite in a fairly light breeze - before we let out more line and contacted a somewhat faster and gustier airflow higher up.

Now's the time to read up on the kite making tools and materials required for making a Dowel Delta, if you haven't already. For this kite, you will also need some cheap thin shoe-laces.

I have chosen to make '1 Dowel Length' equal to 1.2 meters for every kite in the Dowel series. If you are in North America, 4 feet of 3/16" dowel is close enough to 1.2 meters of 5mm dowel.

How To Make A Delta Kite - Sail

The template shown above represents one side of the kite sail. You will now transfer these measurements to the sail plastic as follows...

Note: Although it's based on 1.2 meter dowels, the Delta design means the total wingspan is a lot more than that. Hence, two garden bags are required, one for the left side of the sail and one for the right.

Hint: To mark long lines with a short ruler, try the following...

1. Run a piece of flying line along the entire length, and keep in place with a weighty object at each end.
2. Pull a little line through, to ensure it is under tension hence perfectly straight.
3. Mark dots under the line, at intervals slightly shorter than your ruler.
4. Remove the line and weights.
5. With ruler and pen, join the dots!

• Firstly, take one large bag that you want to use for the sail, cut it down one side and along the bottom and lay it flat on the floor.
• Mark dots on the plastic which correspond to the top, bottom and 'wing tip' corners of the Template. Leave a margin of several cm (or inches) between the center-line and the edge of the plastic.
• Using the marking pen, rule those 3 long lines.
• Starting from the 'wing tip', measure along the leading edge line, and draw in the tabs. The short lines can be done by eye, but just make sure the tabs are at least 5 dowel widths (diameters) wide.
• The left side of the plastic might be a bit ragged. So, draw another black line next to the center line, all the way from top to bottom, a few centimeters (an inch or so) away from the center-line. Now draw short lines connecting to the top and bottom of the template, as in the photo.

• Only half the sail has been outlined. Take another bag, cutting it and laying it flat over the top of the first bag. No measuring to do now, just trace over all the black lines, making sure nothing shifts as you do each line.
• Using scissors, and doing one line at a time, cut along the long lines near the center-lines. All the way from top to bottom of the plastic sheets.
• Flip the second plastic bag over and align the center-lines of both Template shapes. Tape down both joins with clear sticky tape, all the way from top to bottom. One join will be facing you, the other facing the floor. The center section is darker since it is where both sheets of plastic overlap. The photo doesn't show the full width of the kite.

When doing the following, most of the width of the tape should be inside the kite's outline. Use just 1 or 2 lengths of tape for each line. Hold it out straight, touch it down to the plastic at one end, then at the other end, dab it down in the middle, then press down all along its length.

• Lay clear sticking tape along some of the edges, where indicated by the yellow rectangles. In a nut-shell, tape every edge except the leading edge tabs.
• With scissors, cut along all the black outline. This will leave most of the width of the sticking tape inside the sail outline. See the photo.
• Finally, wrap clear sticky tape around the double-thickness edges at the nose and tail ends of the sail.

How To Make A Delta Kite - Spars

For this Delta, you need long lengths of 5mm (3/16") wooden dowel. Enough for the 2 leading edge spars of 1.0DL (1200mm, 48") and the vertical spar of 0.8DL (960mm, 38 1/2"). Plus the spreader which is less than 1.5DL (1800mm, 72"). They are easily cut to the lengths required with a small cheap hack-saw. But don't do any cutting just yet...

• Lay down a dowel over the center line of the sail plastic, mark it at the exact height of the sail, and cut off at the mark. Round off the tips with a wood file. This is the vertical spar.
• Lay down some more dowel along the leading edges of the sail, mark them, and cut to length. Also make a mark on each dowel at the center-point between the tabs.
• With the tips rounded off with a wood file, both spars should fit the leading edge of the sail as in the photo.

Now for the spreader and its dowel brackets. These are just very short lengths of dowel glued to the spreader to lock it in place during flight.

• Lay some dowel across the sail, and cut to length so that the tips end up between the 2 leading edge tabs. This is the spreader.
• Making sure the sail is fully stretched out, make marks on the spreader, where it crosses the leading edge spars. See the top photo over there.
• Make a mark on the spreader where it crosses the vertical spar.
• Round off the tips of the spreader with a wood file.
• From another dowel, cut off a 0.75DL (900mm, 36") length, and make a mark at its center. Line up the center marks and bind the dowels together with electrical tape at each end, as in the middle photo. To save weight, just glue at 5 spots along the join. When dry, you can remove the electrical tape.
• Cut off 2 very short 0.01DL (12mm, 1/2") pieces of dowel, and glue them so they line up with the marks near the tips of the spreader. See the bottom photo, a close-up.

How To Make A Delta Kite - Attachment Ties

Each leading edge spar will have a shoe-lace tie which attaches it to one end of the spreader.

• Measure and cut off two 0.2DL (240mm, 9 1/2") lengths of shoe-lace. To prevent the cut ends from fraying, just tie a Simple Knot near the end.
• Attach the ties at the spar-crossing points which you marked on the leading edge spars. A tight Granny Knot will do, leaving equal lengths of shoe-lace on either side of the knot. See the photo.
• Put some glue around the knot and onto the wood, as in the photo. Otherwise, the tie will slip rearwards when the kite flies.

For the following, you will need to use pieces of electrical insulation tape. Unless otherwise noted, make each one about 4 times longer than it is wide...

• Spread out the sail, with the edge tape facing upwards.
• Lay down the vertical spar over the sail. Cap the top tip of the spar with tape, by sticking tape down over the dowel and plastic then folding it around and under the plastic to stick on the other side - a bit tricky, take your time!
• For added strength, put another piece of tape around the leading edge. See the completed cap in the top photo.
• Now do the bottom tip of the spar similarly, but just use 1 piece of tape.
• Put the leading edge spars in place and then tape down the sail tabs with clear sticky tape, forming those sleeves. After the first 1 or 2 test flights, you might need to remove one leading edge spar to reduce its diameter a little with a wood file! More on this later...
• Fold a piece of tape around the lower tip of each leading edge spar, capping the spar so it can't slide out. Try to ensure there is very little of the dowel actually touching the tape, in case you need to remove the spar later. Then fold another piece of tape around the leading edge for added strength. See the middle photo.
• Place a square piece of tape over the upper tip of each leading edge spar. See the bottom photo. After the kite is flying perfectly, you can make these a little more secure by using more tape, if you want to.

How To Make A Delta Kite - Keel

• Mark out the keel shape on some spare plastic, as per the dimensions on the template.
• Cut out the keel and tape down 3 lengths of flying line onto one side. Each line goes from the towing point to one of the 3 attachment points. Use sticky tape, not electrical tape.
• Now flip the plastic over and tape down another 3 lengths of flying line, directly over the first 3.
• Reinforce the keel corners by sticking down and wrapping extra bits of tape where the pieces of line come out, making sure the plastic remains flat.
• Where 2 pieces of line come together, tie them both into a Multi-Strand Simple Knot close to the plastic. These 3 knots will sit against the vertical spar. See the top photo, which shows the upper and middle knots.
• The 6 pieces of line come together at the Towing Point. Tie the 6 strands into a Multi-Strand Simple Knot close to the plastic, then tie a Multi-Strand Double Knot further out, as in the bottom photo.

• Using a pen or pencil, poke a hole in the plastic sail exactly 0.34DL (408mm, 16 1/2") from the nose of the kite. Right over the vertical spar.
• Thread the middle keel lines through the hole and tie off tightly. A Granny Knot will do.
• Poke holes in the plastic for the upper and lower keel lines too, using the keel itself to find the exact spot along the vertical spar. Thread the lines through and tie off tightly, as you did for the middle hole.
• With the keel flat against the plastic sail, add sticky tape between the knots, attaching the keel to the sail plastic. Then flip the keel over and do the other side.

See the photo, where the keel can be seen through the sail plastic, and the 3 knots are tied off against the vertical spar.

At this point, you've pretty much finished making the Dowel Delta! However, there is a short Setup procedure to go through before it will fly...

How To Make A Delta Kite - Setting Up

1. Unroll and spread out the plastic sail on the ground.
2. Locate one tip of the spreader against its leading edge spar, and tie the shoe-lace firmly with a simple bow.
3. Similarly, locate the other tip in the other leading edge spar and tie off.

That was fairly simple wasn't it!

Note: You might find the spreader doesn't want to stay with its brackets locked against the leading edge spars. Don't worry about it! The kite will fly fine as long as the brackets can't push through the shoe-lace ties.

How To Make A Delta Kite - Breaking Down

I don't mean breaking down in grief because your flying session has come to an end - I mean getting the kite packed up ready for transport or storage!

1. Lay the kite on the ground with the spars on top, and flying line removed.
2. Un-do the bows of the 2 ties, remove the spreader and place it next to the vertical spar.
3. Roll up the kite with the spreader in the middle.
4. There it is in the photo, taking up no more space than a Sled kite. Actually, it's a bit longer than the other Dowel kites when rolled up. But not by much!

How To Make A Delta Kite - Before The First Flight

Make up a flying line and attach it to the keel's towing point with a Lark's Head Knot. See the photo over there, where the Lark's Head has been left loose.

Check the keel knots on the vertical spar. Re-tighten if necessary. Also put a generous drop of wood glue on each so they can never come loose, nor slide along the vertical spar.

You won't have to wait the full drying time for this glue to dry, since the amounts are small.

How To Make A Delta Kite - Flying!

Firstly, if it's very windy outside, stay home! This is a light-wind kite and won't like being launched in a gale or even a fairly fresh breeze. If the wind is way too strong, this Delta will become unstable, and you could even snap the spreader!

Assuming there is some breeze outside, just dangle the kite at arm's length until the wind catches it. As long as you feel the kite pulling, let out line slowly by taking loop after loop off the winder. Be cautious about letting line slip through your fingers. If a big gust hits the kite, the line could burn you! For any kite this big or bigger, it's a good idea to wear a glove of some sort.

Another approach is to get a helper to hold the kite up and let it go, on the end of maybe 10 or 20 meters of line. This way, the kite soon gets high enough to make it easy to let more line out.

Have fun flying, and I hope you've enjoyed learning how to make a Delta kite!

The Dowel Delta Kite eBook is a neat compilation of all this site's info on this specific kite. Plus there is general info to help you towards kite-flying success.

Last updated: 12 Aug 2010