KAP - 8Ft Rokkaku

A Big Kite

On a number of occasions I found that my 9.5ft Delta was not able to lift the rig because there was not enough wind. Naturally these were times when the light was good and I was at a particularly photogenic location! It was a no-brainer that I needed a bigger kite for low wind conditions.

I have built several large Nasawing kites for buggying, so I decided to build a big American Foil. I first made a 3/10ths scale version, and I must admit that it flies well. This is my usual routine before investing a lot of time and money in a new style of kite. If I foul up it does not cost an arm and a leg. My grandson has inherited this little kite and is delighted, however, one day in gusty conditions, it folded and arrived back on terra firma. I thought of what might happen to my KAP rig in similar circumstances and it put me off the idea of a foil for light wind KAPping.

I discovered Gary Engvall's Kite Site and decided that my next project would be my first framed kite. There is nothing complicated about the sewing, so I abandoned my usual cautious approach and went for the big one!

Gary has two plans on the web, a 6ft and an 8ft. If you want to make one of these and this is your first rokkaku, I advise you to download both and read them both, because each of them contributes different building tips and information.