Box Kite Plans

For The MBK Box Kites

These Box kite plans are aimed at the more experienced kite maker. They summarize the far more in-depth instructions to be found in the How To ... pages for the Dowel and Skewer box kites.

These plans assume that you have the knowledge to do a neat job, use the right knots and keep the weight down!

Try my Making Box Kites PDF, if you prefer to work offline or from printouts. There's also a bonus design in there - the massive 2.4m (8ft) Multi-Dowel Box!

There's the Multi-Dowel Box in the photo...

MBK Multi-Dowel Box

Dowel Box Kite Plans

Tips And Hints

1. For the dimensions in the plan, use 5mm (3/16") diameter wooden dowel for the spars and cross-pieces. For added strength in flight, you can use 6mm dowel for the long cross pieces. Any light plastic sheet will do for the sail.
2. Use a single long strip of clear sticky tape along each long edge of both pieces of sail plastic. Besides to reinforcing the edge, this also attaches the spars to the plastic.
3. Close the box using clear sticky tape along the short edges of the plastic. Also fold a short length of tape around the leading edge and trailing edge of both joins, to reinforce.
4. Reinforce the sail at each tip of each main spar, with small squares of packing tape. These caps, folded onto both sides of the sail, will prevent the spars from slipping through the edging tape.
5. Cut off 2 short and 2 longer dowel cross-pieces, using wood glue and spare dowel to make the tips as shown above.
6. Tie a length of shoe-lace to the middle of both short cross-pieces. Each pair of cross pieces can then be secured together at the crossing-point, for extra strength and stiffness during flight.
7. Insert and secure the cross pieces as indicated on the plan. You can glue them in place if you want. Otherwise, glue small dowel lugs onto the main spars so the cross-pieces cannot slip along the dowel. Bend each cross-piece a little to remove it when packing away the kite.
8. Try a bridle line about 1.5DL (180cm, 72”) in length.
9. With the upper bridle leg attached and angled as shown, the kite should be trimmed nicely. Feel free to experiment with sliding the flying line attachment point fore and aft a little from this position. Secure both bridle attachment knots with a small dob of glue, so they don't slide along the dowel.
10. This design is lightly built for light to moderate winds only! It's a fantastic flier in those conditions, and will respond to thermals.
11. No tail should be necessary.

The Dowel Box kite in flight...

Not all box kites are made for strong wind

Take a look at this Dowel Box in flight...

Don't forget my Making Box Kites PDF, if you prefer to work offline or from printouts. The pictured kite is in there.

2-Skewer Box Kite Plans

Tips And Hints

1. Use a single strip of clear sticky tape over the long edges of both pieces of sail plastic. This will reinforce the edge and at the same time attach the skewers to the plastic. Each main spar is 2 skewers with points removed, butted end to end and reinforced with 2 short lengths of skewer glued on.
2. Close the box using clear sticky tape along the shorter sail plastic edges. Also fold a short length of tape around each end of both joins, to reinforce.
3. Reinforce the sail at each tip of each main spar, with small squares of insulation tape. These caps, folded onto both sides of the sail, will prevent the spars from slipping through the edging tape.
4. Insert and secure the 2 vertical cross-pieces, one near the upper cell and one near the lower cell, both butted onto the same 2 spars. Hold in place with insulation or packing tape squares folded over the main spar and onto the cross-pieces.
5. Cut the other 2 cross-pieces slightly over-size, then trim down to fit, before securing them onto the other 2 spars in the same way.
6. Try a bridle line about 3.0SL (87cm, 35") in length.
7. Poke a hole through the plastic for the upper bridle attachment, then add a short strip of clear sticky tape just forward of the hole, as reinforcement. Secure the lower bridle attachment knot with a small dob of glue.
8. This design just loves moderate to fresh wind, for which no tail should be necessary.
9. Due to its small size, it is convenient to attach the cross-pieces permanently to the spars with glue. You can use paper gussets or very short lengths of skewer along with the gluing to achieve more strength in the joins.

Here's the 2-Skewer Box kite in flight, on an almost overcast day...

This little box kite will take a lot of punishment

1-Skewer Box Kite Plans

Tips And Hints

1. Use a single strip of clear sticky tape along the longer edges of both pieces of sail plastic. This will reinforce the edge and at the same time attach the skewers to the plastic.
2. Close the box using clear sticky tape along the shorter sail plastic edges. Also fold a short length of tape around each end of both joins, to reinforce.
3. Reinforce the sail at each tip of each main spar, with small squares of insulation tape. These caps, folded onto both sides of the sail, will prevent the spars from slipping through the edging tape.
4. Insert and secure the vertical cross-piece.
5. Cut the horizontal cross-piece slightly over-size, then trim down to fit, before securing it to the 2 side spars. Apply a little glue where it crosses the vertical cross-piece.
6. Tie some flying line between the 2 side-spars, attached where indicated on the plan (side view). Use a couple of half-hitches to hold a little tension in the line, before securing the knot with glue. This is an unusual box kite design, but it saves weight!
7. Poke a hole for the bridle attachment, then add a short strip of clear sticky tape just forward of the hole to protect the plastic.
8. Try a tail about 6.0SL (175cm, 70") long, looped around and attached at both ends to the lower cell where indicated. Experiment with reducing the amount of tail later.
9. This little kite flies best in moderate winds.

Here's the 1-Skewer Box kite in flight...

Needs a bit of tail but fun to fly in moderate winds

Hope you've had fun using these Box kite plans. Did it fly well? Great!

Step-by-step DIY
Printable

Step-by-step DIY
Printable

Making Box Kites is one of my downloadable, printable e-books which has instructions for some well-tested Box kite designs. There's nothing like flying something you made yourself!

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