Rokkaku Kite Plans

For All The MBK Rokkakus

These Rokkaku kite plans and hints are aimed at summarizing the more in-depth instructions to be found in the How To Make A Kite section of this website.

For the Rokkaku plans below, there are also a pair of plan view photos. The one on the left is of the front surface. That is, the side of the kite which faces the flier. The other photo is of the back surface, which exposes the spars.

For all 3 designs, attach flying line to the bridle with a shiftable knot, for later trimming. Also, all 3 designs work well with light single-ply plastic for sail material. Many large plastic bags are suitable.





Dowel Rokkaku Kite Plans

Plan View Photos

Rokkaku Kite Plans - dowel front
Rokkaku Kite Plans - dowel back
Rokkaku kite plans - dowel spars.


Tips And Hints

  1. Reinforce the sail edges by adding clear sticking tape over the outlines, then trimming back to the outlines as you cut out the sail.
  2. Secure the sail to the spar ends using short lengths of electrical insulation tape, wrapped over the tips.
  3. Lash the spars together where they cross, with whatever light cord you can find - use a drop of glue to secure if necessary.
  4. Make the upper and lower bridle loops about 3/4 as long as the kite is wide.
  5. At the bridle attachment points, a Single-wrap Slip Knot should be sufficient, secured with a spot of glue.
  6. Connect the 2 bridle loops with another line of similar length, using shiftable knots such as the Prusik - the kite can be trimmed left or right with the upper knot, if necessary.
  7. No tail is required for this kite.

Don't forget - these plans plus step-by-step instructions and a flight report, are also available in an e-book. See up at the top of this page, on the right.

This is handy for getting nicely formatted printouts. Also, you can work off-line with the e-book on your laptop or other device.

 

The Dowel Rokkaku kite in flight.




2-Skewer Rokkaku Kite Plans

Plan View Photos

Rokkaku Kite Plans - 2 skewer front
Rokkaku Kite Plans - 2 skewer back
Plans for the 2-skewer Rokkaku kite.


Tips And Hints

  1. Reinforce all the skewer joins with 2 lengths of skewer, 0.1SL (2.9cm, 1 1/8") long, glued to both sides of the join as in the plan. While gluing the upper and lower spars with the tips 0.1SL (2.9cm, 1 1/8") off the table, the short reinforcers stay flat on the table.
  2. The bow string is used to pull some bow into the dihedral of the lower spar, so the tips are 0.2SL (5.8cm, 2 1/4") off the table.
  3. Reinforce the sail edges by adding clear sticking tape over the outlines, then trimming back to the outlines as you cut out the sail.
  4. Secure the sail to the spar ends using short lengths of electrical insulation tape, wrapped over the tips.
  5. Try an upper bridle loop about as long as the kite is wide, and the lower bridle line about twice as long as the kite is high.
  6. No tail is required for this version.
The 2-Skewer Rokkaku in flight




1-Skewer Rokkaku Kite Plans

Plan View Photos

Rokkaku Kite Plans - 1 skewer front
Rokkaku Kite Plans - 1 skewer back
Plans for the 1-skewer Rokkaku kite.


Tips And Hints

  1. Reinforce the vertical skewer join with 2 lengths of skewer, glued to both sides of the join as in the plan.
  2. Secure the sail to the spar ends using short lengths of clear sticking tape.
  3. A 2-leg bridle works well, 2 skewer-lengths long and attached where indicated on the plan.
  4. For a start, try using a simple streamer tail about 8 times as long as the kite is high. Add more to let the kite fly in stronger winds.
The 1-Skewer Rokkaku in flight.




I hope one of these Rokkaku kite plans is just right for you!

Click here for an e-book with plans, step-by-step instructions and a flight report on the 1.2m (4 feet) span Dowel Rokkaku kite.




New! Comments

Plenty of fun kite info, photos and videos - there's definitely too much here for only one visit! Feel free to leave your impressions of this site or just this page, below...



Return to Kite Plans from Rokkaku Kite Plans

All the way back to Home Page

 

[?]Subscribe To This Site
  • XML RSS
  • Add to Google
  • Add to My Yahoo!
  • Add to My MSN

Never made a kite?
Kite unsuccessful?
Child wants one?
Check out the...
MBK Beginner E-course




E-books

dowel-rokkaku-cover-160

Download
"Making The
MBK Dowel Rokkaku Kite"

Watch it fly!

A closer view

Download
printable e-book


Make
all the Dowel kites, including the one above...

Kite Book - Making Dowel Kites

Download
"Making Dowel Kites
"



The ultimate kite-making resource, and naturally
much better value...

Kite Book - The Big MBK Book Bundle

Download the
"MBK Book Bundle"





Free Stuff

Are the e-books good?
Find out by trying...
'Simplest Dowel Kites'
(wait for cover page to appear)

Check out..





Get Paid To Do
Flight Reports!

More info...