How To Make A Rokkaku Kite

Complete Instructions For The MBK Dowel Rokkaku

This set of instructions on how to make a Rokkaku 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 Rokkaku kite might look quite detailed. However, your reward is a large, very cheap kite that is quick to set up and break down. This Rokkaku is designed to roll up into a slim cylindrical package like a Sled, thanks to the removable vertical spar and the toggle-linked bow lines. Setting up on the flying field takes less than 2 minutes once you get the hang of it. Of course, if you have room, you can always leave this kite ready-to-fly.

The MBK Dowel Rokkaku is a large tail-less design based on the traditional Japanese kite. Like the other Japanese design in this series, the Sode, this kite is a light to moderate wind flier. The video up there shows it floating in a light breeze just before sun-set.

Now's the time to read up on the kite making tools and materials required for making a Dowel Rokkaku, 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. This will result in a kite with similar characteristics to my original.

How To Make A Rokkaku 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: In order to fit the length of an 80 liter garden bag, I made this design shorter than a traditional 4:5:6 Rok of the same wing-span. You see, I'm trying to standardize on a 1.2 meter wingspan for all the Dowel kites!

• Firstly, take a large bag that you want to use for the sail, and lay it flat on the floor.
• Mark dots on the plastic which correspond to the corners of the Template. There is no need to use a T-square, or an extra-long ruler since any small errors in position will be duplicated on the other side of the sail.
• Using the marking pen, rule lines between the dots, as in the photo. For lines longer than the ruler, just add a few extra dots using one of the dowel spars as a ruler! Then it's easy to connect the dots with a ruler. It's probably best not to rule the whole line with the dowel, since it bends easily.

• Flip the plastic bag over, and trace over all the black lines using your marker pen and ruler.
• Cut out a rectangular section of the bag containing the kite sail, open it out and lay it flat on the floor - you can now see the complete sail outline, as in the photo.

When doing the following, most of the width of the tape should be inside the kite's outline. Use a single length 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 all the lines, letting it overlap at the corners.
• With scissors, cut along all the black lines. This will leave most of the width of the sticking tape inside the sail outline. See the top photo
• Add a corner strap to the topcorner of the sail. This strap, with a length of 0.25DL (300mm, 12"), is much longer than in the examples. See the middle photo.
• The bottom corner of the sail requires a pocket. The dimensions don't have to be exact, so just copy what you see in the bottom photo. First you cut out a triangular pocket from some spare sail plastic, and lay it down on the sail corner.
• Next, cut off enough insulation tape to cover the bottom edges of the pocket and fold around and under the sail plastic.
• Then cut a square piece of insulation tape and fold it right over the point of the corner. This will prevent the spar from poking through there.
• Lay another piece of tape across the top edge of the pocket, and fold under the sail where necessary. The corner should now look like the photo.

How To Make A Rokkaku Kite - Spars

For this Rokkaku, you need long lengths of 5mm (3/16") wooden dowel. Enough for the 3 spars of 1.0DL (1200mm, 48") each. They are easily cut to the lengths required with a small cheap hack-saw.

• Lay down a dowel over the center crease 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.
• Cut off 2 very short 0.01DL (12mm, 1/2") lengths of dowel. Round off the tips with a wood file. These will be used as the bow-line toggles. You can use thinner dowel for these if you have some lying around. I use 4mm dowel for toggles.
• Lay down some more dowel across the width of the sail, mark it at the exact width, and cut off at the mark. Also make an easily-seen mark around the dowel where it touches the center crease of the sail.
• Round off the tips with a wood file, then add a bow-line so the depth of the bow is 0.06DL (12mm, 3"). With the kite flat on the ground, that's how far the tips should be from the grass. This is the upper horizontal spar.
• While the glue is drying on the knots, do those previous 2 steps again to create a 3rd spar. However, the depth of the bow this time should be 0.1DL (120mm, 4 3/4"). Now you have made the lower horizontal spar. The photo shows both spars with bow-lines attached. See how the upper horizontal spar has less bow.

Note: You might find it handy to make a mark both horizontal spars to quickly tell them apart, when they are lying straight. For example, a 'U' on the upper spar and an 'L' on the lower spar.

How To Make A Rokkaku Kite - Attachment Ties

The vertical spar will have 2 shoe-lace ties attached to it, which will be used to lash it to the horizontal spars before flying.

• Firstly lay down the vertical spar, then the 2 horizontal spars over the sail. Carefully line up the tips of the horizontal spars with the sail corners.
• Make marks on the vertical spar, showing where the horizontal spars cross. Then remove all the horizontal spars.
• Measure and cut off two 0.16DL (192mm, 7 3/4") lengths of shoe-lace. To prevent the cut ends from fraying, just tie a Simple Knot near the end.
• Measure and cut off a length of insulation tape that is long enough to go all the way around the dowel, plus a little more. Cut it in half, in the length-wise direction, so its width is halved. Now you have 2 pieces, one for each tie.
• Attach the ties at the spar-crossing points which you marked on the vertical spar. Each red tape wraps around the dowel, attaching the middle of the shoe-lace to the dowel, as in the photo.

• Prepare 8 lengths of electrical insulation tape, each one about 4 times longer than it is wide. Stick them by a corner onto something handy like a table edge. You can remove them one at a time as needed.
• Spread out the sail, with the edge tape facing upwards.
• Lay down the upper horizontal spar over the sail, so it would bow away from the sail if you attached the toggle. With the toggle un-attached, line up the tips of the spar with the upper corners of the sail.
• Cap one 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. The part of the first tape that was sticking out is now folded back under the leading edge by the second piece of tape. See the completed cap in the photo.
• Now do the other tip of the spar similarly, using 2 more pieces of tape.
• Finally, attach the lower horizontal spar to the sail in the same way, using the last 4 pieces of tape.

How To Make A Rokkaku Kite - Bridle

• Cut off some 50 pound flying line to a length of 1.0DL (1200mm, 48"), and tie a very small Loop Knot into each end.
• Poke holes in the plastic, on either side of the upper horizontal spar. Four holes altogether, 0.2DL (240mm, 9 1/2") from the vertical spar, as indicated by the 4 black dots in the photo. Actually, try 0.25DL (300mm, 12") instead, for less spar-bending in stronger winds!
• Tie each end of the line to the spar, through the holes. Use a Slip Knot, and pull tight against the knot of the small loop. This is the upper bridle loop.
• Now move down to the lower horizontal spar. In exactly the same way, add the lower bridle loop.
• Cut off some flying line to a length of 1.5DL (1800mm, 72"), attach one end to the upper bridle loop and the other end to the lower bridle loop. Use a shiftable knot such as the Prusik Knot, and adjust them both to center. Let's just call this the bridle line.

Finally, take a length of flying line about 0.2DL (240mm, 9 1/2") long, and tie one end to the bridle line with a Prusik Knot. Tie a small Double Loop Knot into the other end, just to get a large knot. There's a photo of this further down, in the section titled Before The First Flight.

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

How To Make A Rokkaku Kite - Setting Up

1. Spread out the plastic sail on the ground, with the horizontal spars on top.
2. Slip the bottom tip of the vertical spar under the upper spar, then under the lower spar then into its pocket at the bottom corner of the sail.
3. Fasten the vertical spar to the horizontal spars with the shoe-lace ties, as if you were doing up your own shoe.
4. Locate the top tip of the vertical spar in the top corner strap, pull just a little tension into the sail, feed the strap around the middle of the upper horizontal spar a couple of times then tie off with a half-hitch or bow. See the photo, where I have offset the corner strap a little, just to make it clear to see.
5. Finally, attach the bow lines of the horizontal spars.

That was fairly simple wasn't it!

How To Make A Rokkaku 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-attach the bow lines of the horizontal spars.
3. Un-pick and loosen the top corner strap. Or you can experiment with leaving it in place and just slipping the dowel out sideways. That's quicker!
4. Un-do both shoe-lace ties, then remove the vertical spar.
5. Place the vertical spar between the horizontal spars, parallel to them, and roll up the kite from bottom to top.
6. Finally, wrap the remaining bridle line around the kite a few times to prevent it un-rolling. There it is in the photo, taking up no more space than a Sled kite. The Rokkaku doesn't look so big now does it!

How To Make A Rokkaku Kite - Before The First Flight

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

Suspend the kite from the knot at the end of the bridle. Shift the Prusik Knot along the bridle line until the kite hangs at around a 30 degree angle from the horizontal. To lock the Prusik in place, take the 2 bridle lines in one hand, the flying line in the other, and pull tight. To unlock it, you just pull the bridle line straight, with the knot in the middle.

Check the bridle slip knots on the horizontal spars. Re-tighten if necessary, and put a small drop of wood glue on each so they can never come loose. You won't have to wait the full drying time for this glue to dry, since the amounts are small.

How To Make A Rokkaku 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 too strong, it will deform badly and refuse to fly properly.

The Prusik Knot on the bridle line can loosen off a little over time. If necessary, pull on all the lines to tighten the knot up before a flying session.

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 Rokkaku kite!

The Dowel Rokkaku 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