Reinforcement of Reza Ragheb Rokkaku

by Jason Wong
(Singapore)

Q:

Hi Tim. I had this 102" Rokkaku design by the late Reza Ragheb. I had only flown this Rok for not more than 24 hrs but it seems like the sail gets larger (about 6mm bigger overall) than when I first bought it. Is there any way I can prevent it from further stretching?

A:

Sorry about the delay in replying, but I just thought it would be an idea to check with Premier Kites, who currently sell a number of Reza designs. My thought was that 6mm is quite small when compared with the overall size of the kite, and that much further stretching is unlikely. Hence the flying characteristics should hardly be affected. Nothing to wory about :-)

Here is the reply from someone at Premier who has 'hands-on' experience with these kites...

"The kite to stretch 6mm is very little to stretch. It should not move too much more than that. Keep in mind that the fabric can shrink or expand as much as 1/4" over 102 inches from no more than the humidity level. We do anticipate this movement and that is why we put Velcro tabs on the pockets to adjust. I don't think the kite would ever stretch to the point that it would no longer be able to fly."

Sounds like you have a great Rokkaku kite, and that it will fly well for a long time to come!

(By the way, I've flown kites in Singapore on a couple of occasions, since my wife is Singaporean and we've been back to visit the relatives. Crowds of kite-fliers near the coasts, plenty of kite-vendors and very light winds, as I remember...)