# I need help designing a kite **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 31, 2012, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-help-designing-a-kite/611354 "2012-01-31T23:12:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Darryl\_Lict](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7cd45c/32.png) [@Darryl\_Lict](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darryl_Lict)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2012, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-help-designing-a-kite/611354/1 "2012-01-31T23:12:23Z")
I want to build a kite for a particular project. I’ve got an industrial strength sewing machine. The kite needs to look something like this: ```auto _______ {| |} }| |{ {| |} }|___|{ { } } { { } } { ``` where curly brackets are streamers and straight lines are rigid bars. Any kite experts out there? This kite doesn’t need to be anything fancy, but I’d like it to be strong enough to support a small point and shoot or video camera. Also, if anyone has any recommendations for vendors for the struts and connector doohickes, I’d appreciate it. Also, I’m thinking that it might be nice to get some of those spinning things for the streamers. ---
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2012, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-help-designing-a-kite/611354/2 "2012-02-02T12:53:18Z")
Wow. You haven’t even gotten a reply, yet you’ve already made Threadspotting. Bravo! ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2012, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-help-designing-a-kite/611354/3 "2012-02-02T13:04:42Z")
I’ll just suggest that your design may need much longer streamers to stablize it. I don’t know what you need the sewing machine for. How big did you plan on making this thing? Camera’s can be very tiny these days, so the kite doesn’t need to be large. I’d suggest a model using paper and thin wooden dowels for ease of construction. ---
**Author:** ![Lukeinva](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lukeinva/32/17872_2.png) [@Lukeinva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lukeinva)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2012, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-help-designing-a-kite/611354/4 "2012-02-02T13:21:19Z")
What about a [box kite](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Box_kite)? ---
**Author:** ![MacLir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9e8a1a/32.png) [@MacLir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacLir)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2012, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-help-designing-a-kite/611354/5 "2012-02-02T16:34:27Z")
A fairly stable kite with good lifting capabilities, and somewhat resembling your sketch, can be made in an irregular pentagon. Attach the five arms into a center disk at 72° angles, with the length being 1:2:3 for the “head, arms and legs” as I recall it. They should also angle back slightly for a dihedral angle - more = more stability. If I got the proportions right, the attachment can go to the disc without needing a bridle. The length of the streamers, if desired, could be fiddled to adjust this. I’ve flown this type to distances where the catenary curve in the string from wind pressure becomes the major limiting factor.😃 ---
**Author:** ![Yoyodyne\_Propulsion\_Systems](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/82dd89/32.png) [@Yoyodyne\_Propulsion\_Systems](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yoyodyne_Propulsion_Systems)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2012, 12:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-help-designing-a-kite/611354/6 "2012-02-03T12:26:39Z")
I think a Conyne box kite fits the bill, also known as the “French Military Kite”, they were used to loft observation cameras and can be built to most any size. Also a very stable design. [http://www.fang-den-wind.de/conyne\_engl.htm](http://www.fang-den-wind.de/conyne_engl.htm) ---
**Author:** ![ticker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d07c76/32.png) [@ticker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ticker)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2012, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-help-designing-a-kite/611354/7 "2012-02-03T13:40:41Z")
I have made several kites from this book: [http://www.amazon.com/Kiteworks-Explorations-Kite-Building-Flying/dp/0806967137/ref=sr\_1\_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1328276268&sr=1-1](http://www.amazon.com/Kiteworks-Explorations-Kite-Building-Flying/dp/0806967137/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1328276268&sr=1-1). I see there are several used copies going for next-to-nothing ---
**Author:** ![mattm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c89c15/32.png) [@mattm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mattm)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2012, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-help-designing-a-kite/611354/8 "2012-02-03T16:31:03Z")
See if you can find a local kite shop, try there first. You’d be surprised where they can be found and local shops are the best. Barring that, I hope this is allowed. [www.kitebuilder.com](http://www.kitebuilder.com) One of the best online sources of supplies, plans and excellent forums. I am a very satisfied customer of 8+ years. No other connection than that. I used fly my own kites at the [Long Beach Kite Festival](http://kitefestival.com/kite-festival/) in Long Beach Washington. When someone tells me to go fly a kite, I say Thanks. Have fun ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2012, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-help-designing-a-kite/611354/9 "2012-02-03T16:39:07Z")
> [@mattm](#): > > Barring that, I hope this is allowed. [www.kitebuilder.com](http://www.kitebuilder.com) One of the best online sources of supplies, plans and excellent forums. > I am a very satisfied customer of 8+ years. No other connection than that. at the moment it is going to a placeholder site. so it might not be currently good. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2012, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-help-designing-a-kite/611354/10 "2012-02-03T17:01:07Z")
> [@johnpost](#): > > at the moment it is going to a placeholder site. so it might not be currently good. Hopefully, I’ve fixed the link. **samclem** , Moderator ---
**Author:** ![Darryl\_Lict](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7cd45c/32.png) [@Darryl\_Lict](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darryl_Lict)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2012, 5:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-help-designing-a-kite/611354/11 "2012-02-04T05:08:39Z")
Thanks for the replies. > [@mbh](#): > > Wow. You haven’t even gotten a reply, yet you’ve already made Threadspotting. > > Bravo! Now I better make this damn kite. > [@TriPolar](#): > > I’ll just suggest that your design may need much longer streamers to stablize it. I don’t know what you need the sewing machine for. How big did you plan on making this thing? Camera’s can be very tiny these days, so the kite doesn’t need to be large. I’d suggest a model using paper and thin wooden dowels for ease of construction. I’ve got an existing small video camera that I’d like to use because I already have it. It probably weighs 8 to 12 ounces, but I don’t really want to shell out more money. I like the looks of sewn nylon and it would be hella sturdy. Plus I’ve got this new to me 1950’s Toyota industrial sewing machine that I want to practice using. The streamers are an integral part of the “form”, but can probably be arbitrarily long. > [@MacLir](#): > > A fairly stable kite with good lifting capabilities, and somewhat resembling your sketch, can be made in an irregular pentagon. > > Attach the five arms into a center disk at 72° angles, with the length being 1:2:3 for the “head, arms and legs” as I recall it. They should also angle back slightly for a dihedral angle - more = more stability. > > If I got the proportions right, the attachment can go to the disc without needing a bridle. The length of the streamers, if desired, could be fiddled to adjust this. > > I’ve flown this type to distances where the catenary curve in the string from wind pressure becomes the major limiting factor.😃 Is the triangle (flat point at the bottom)? I assume that because of the "head being one stick and the dimensions being longer at the legs would make it more “kite worthy”. > [@Yoyodyne\_Propulsion\_Systems](#): > > I think a Conyne box kite fits the bill, also known as the “French Military Kite”, they were used to loft observation cameras and can be built to most any size. Also a very stable design. > > [http://www.fang-den-wind.de/conyne\_engl.htm](http://www.fang-den-wind.de/conyne_engl.htm) I need to investigate this design a bit more. It’s unclear to me exactly how it’s constructed from that website. Does it have a triangular cross-section “body” with “wings”? > [@mattm](#): > > See if you can find a local kite shop, try there first. You’d be surprised where they can be found and local shops are the best. > Barring that, I hope this is allowed. [www.kitebuilder.com](http://www.kitebuilder.com) One of the best online sources of supplies, plans and excellent forums. > I am a very satisfied customer of 8+ years. No other connection than that. > > I used fly my own kites at the [Long Beach Kite Festival](http://kitefestival.com/kite-festival/) in Long Beach Washington. > When someone tells me to go fly a kite, I say Thanks. > > Have fun We don’t seem to have a dedicated kite store in town, but I’ll check the hobby shops. That kite web site looks pretty informative. ---
**Author:** ![Kevbo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e47774/32.png) [@Kevbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kevbo)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2012, 5:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-help-designing-a-kite/611354/12 "2012-02-04T05:23:54Z")
Dopero (Double pearson roller) is a well regarded kite design for photography. Google results: [https://www.google.com/search?sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8&q=dopero+kite](https://www.google.com/search?sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8&q=dopero+kite) ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2012, 5:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-help-designing-a-kite/611354/13 "2012-02-04T05:30:54Z")
> [@Darryl\_Lict](#): > > I’ve got an existing small video camera that I’d like to use because I already have it. It probably weighs 8 to 12 ounces, but I don’t really want to shell out more money. I like the looks of sewn nylon and it would be hella sturdy. Plus I’ve got this new to me 1950’s Toyota industrial sewing machine that I want to practice using. The streamers are an integral part of the “form”, but can probably be arbitrarily long. I’m suggesting using wood and paper to make a model to refine your design. No point in cutting your nylon and trying out your sewing machine for a kite that won’t fly. ---
**Author:** ![Darryl\_Lict](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7cd45c/32.png) [@Darryl\_Lict](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darryl_Lict)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2012, 7:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-help-designing-a-kite/611354/14 "2012-02-04T07:33:10Z")
Dopero, although the perfect name, looks pretty complex, but also ill-suited for my particular form. Here’s photos of the [Conyne kite](http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRax0gIQlSER_OshxL-d48NKd8P6_rO_n-oihbaM4CEfJRQpMwyOQ) and a [pentagonal kite](http://www.kitesrus.com/Merchant2/ladybugpentafull.jpg). Here’s a $50 20g [video camera](http://www.my-best-kite.com/images/kite-cam-13042011.jpg) that looks pretty good. Also, it won’t kill someone when it conks them in the head. ---
**Author:** ![Yoyodyne\_Propulsion\_Systems](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/82dd89/32.png) [@Yoyodyne\_Propulsion\_Systems](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yoyodyne_Propulsion_Systems)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2012, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-help-designing-a-kite/611354/15 "2012-02-06T03:46:00Z")
I need to investigate this design a bit more. It’s unclear to me exactly how it’s constructed from that website. Does it have a triangular cross-section “body” with “wings”? It is actually a multi-cell box with wings, the cells are four sided. With the size of your camera, I’d say most any of the box kite designs would be great, they all are superbly stable.