McGyver Kite in 30mph Winds

by CeeDee
(San Francisco, USA)

My son and I started out to build the simple box kite with bamboo skewers, tape, a garbage bag and lots of enthusiasm.

3 Hours later... the Gorilla Glue still haven't set, nothing looked right and all parties involved were barely on speaking terms.

Rather than cave in we took turns reassuring each other that more than likely our kite wouldn't undo time & space nor would it accelerate global warming. Even puppies and baby panda's would be safe (we hoped)

Diving back in we had fortified all joints with stainless steel picture frame wire, the leading edges of the garbage bag had been strengthened with clear tap, dental floss made up the bridle and four 100 foot strands of simple red thread had been hand braided to make kite line. That last step took three attempts and a mechanical egg beater!

Exhausted, we expected it to tear to shreds in the stiff winds off Ocean Beach in San Francisco or the thread / dental floss to snap seconds into flight.

1 hour later the wind had chilled up to shivers and the kite was stubbornly still flying. We plan to shore up the minor damage and head out with a fully decorated box kite.

Thank you for the great tutorial and a wonderful new hobby that costs ZERO dollars!

P.S. The 5 hours spent with my 12 year old were priceless...