No, I’m not that into curved designs … yet. But after having watched Anders’ video I might give it a shot!
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The 26th Nordic Kite Meeting
Blokhus Denmark
May 13th - 19th 2024
Blokhus Wind Festival
Blokhus Denmark
May 18th - 19th 2024

A big hand goes out to Anders (Matson) for teaching us all how to prepare for a curved design. Like said in the excerpt, I’m not that into curved designs myself. Straight lines are easier to deal with, both taping and sewing.

But now I might take a stab at some curves, after having watched Anders’ video on how to tape a curve! He has recently published a kind of time-lapse video on how to tape two curved icarex pieces together for sewing and judging from his video, it doesn’t look that difficult, and worth a try!

Now it’s over to the drawing table to work out some nice and curved designs!?

How to tape a curve – By Anders Matson

4 Responses

  1. I’m from Brazil I would like to make or buy a kite 4 lines, but here is not found anything, and buy from another country is very expensive.

    1. ## The DIY way (the result might vary)

      I haven’t done this myself, but there are Rev-like kites made out of mylar foil and tape:
      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S40rW8VIFhw

      I don’t know what spars (tubes) that are used in the above video– not even the material. The cheapest source of carbon fibre tubes that I know of are from the shafts used in archers arrows: https://fracturedaxel.co.uk/phpbb3/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=13330

      Try finding carbon fibre archery arrows or shafts when there is a discount (I found a bunch on sale in a non-archery shop when they discontinued the product). Perhaps one can make fittings to hold the sail to the spars by using short pieces of a hose? The inner diameter of the hose should be about 6mm. I don’t know about the properties/price of fishing lines but there should to my knowledge exist fishing lines of spectra/dyneema. You don’t want lines that are flexible/”soft” – avoid polyester lines. The bridle is tricky to make if you don’t know how to. One way is to skip the bridle and connect the lines directly to the upper and lower sides of the downspars.

      Here are the plans for the Freedom 2000 quad (includes bridle description):
      http://freedom2000.free.fr/freedom_index_eng.html

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See you at the 26th
Nordic Kite Meeting!

Blokhus, Denmark

May 13th - 19th, 2023

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