Learn how to build a Sled kite with these easy-to-follow instructions. Fully illustrated with photographs, every step of the way. And there's a video of the kite in flight, near the end...
The steps are easy, hence this simple Sled kite comes together very quickly!
You can attach 2 tails if you want to, just for looks. The kite does just fine without them, as can be seen over there in the photo.
We take out our Simple Sled once in a while, even here inland where the air is a bit rough at times. Talk about convenient - just attach the flying line and up it goes! This design copes well and flies at a good angle on Dacron line.
The best place for flying single-surface Sleds like this one would be down at the beach. When the air comes from over the ocean it's quite smooth.
In any case, put plenty of space between the kite and the nearest up-wind obstacles.
On this site, there's more kite-making info than you can poke a stick at :-)
Want to know the most convenient way of using it all?
The Big MBK E-book Bundle is a collection of downloads - printable PDF files which provide step-by-step instructions for many kites large and small...
Every kite in every MBK series.
A quick look at the materials and tools for making this kite might be a good idea, first. Then just click the Back button on your browser to get back here.
( If you purchase the kite line recommended below I may receive a small commission - at no extra cost to you )
Do you need some kite line? This 3-pack of simple winders with 300ft lines from Amazon should be ideal. They are all ready to go with 50 pound line. This strength is good for bridles and flying lines for all the MBK kites up to the 1.2m (4ft) sizes.
My instructions for connecting a flying line don't mention swivel clips, but the swivels included in this product are good and strong. So go ahead and use them if you want to :-) Otherwise they can just be snipped off.
However, remember that the dowel spars need to be on the down-wind side of the kite when flying. On the side facing away from you in other words. You can see them through the plastic in that photo up there. Click/tap the image to see a bigger higher-res version.
Avoid flying in very windy weather.
It only takes a light breeze to keep this Sled design aloft. In some ways, it's actually more fun to fly single-line kites in light wind. By watching, you can learn a lot about what's happening up there...
Hope you enjoyed learning how to make a Sled kite!
You've probably read a kite-flying story or 2 of mine, after they appear under the "what's new?" link on this site. I sometimes wonder if anyone else has made and flown this particular design...
If you feel your efforts really paid off when the the kite finally got airborne - please type a few paragraphs in here telling us all about it!
P.S. I can only accept stories of at least 300 words. Just mention a few details like the weather, onlookers, the kite's behavior and so on - 300 words is easy!
Click below to read about various kite-flying adventures, contributed by other visitors to this page...
Fun sled kite!
This was a really fun kite to try out! I bought the dowels and trash bags, but without being a careful shopper, the bags were shorter and thinner than …
Moonlight Memories
My son and I built this sled kite this afternoon. We made it a little smaller, at 2/3 scale.
We flew it after sunset on a chilly spring evening. We …
As mentioned earlier, there's more kite-making on this site than you can poke a stick at :-)
Want to know the most convenient way of using it all?
The Big MBK E-book Bundle is a collection of downloads - printable PDF files which provide step-by-step instructions for many kites large and small...
Every kite in every MBK series.
It's a printable PDF file. Make a well-tested diamond, delta or sled step-by-step.
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