John F's DIY: Fishing kite

[John F]

I imported an all-weather AFTCO fishing kite sometime ago and recently decided to give it a try (http://www.ultimateangling.co.za/index.php?topic=23299.0).

I got hooked on it so decided to make another kite and see if I could make it half decent enough to fly.

I used the second pair of spars (strong wind spars) that came with the AFTCO kite and basically copied the design.

Bought a cheapy red/orange shoprite umblella, did all the cutting and had it stitched by a local "bush" tailor.

I did not punch any holes so I could have a light/medium wind kite (8-15 knots), whilst the AFTCO one can actually handle 8-20 knots.

Tried the DIY kite under different wind conditions with the two sets of spars: light (8-10 knots) and medium (13-16 knots) and it handled both conditions very well.

Stable and the way it was supposed to be! Very happy!

Total cost: 700 MZN (about R157 or U$11.30). The AFCTCO one is about U$120 plus shipping and tax!

I suppose the spars would be the most expensive component if I had to buy them...
 
Additionally, I made a few kite markers out of champagne corks in different colors!!!

Yesterday, I made several slips shot leads to bank the kites to the left/right if needed. This way I can fly 2 kites simultaneously (4 baits) and still have flat lines in the water!!!

Now all I need to do is make a couple of balloon thongs to secure the helium balloons and even if the wind is not blowing (remember those flat winter months?!), we'll be fishing! 

[CRANKMAN]

It looks great.
What are the dimensions?
Just thinking all those old busted bass rods I have lying around could be used as spars.

[John F]

The kite is about 84 x 84 cm... so the spars are about 118 cm long

The spars need to be very light and strong.... I think they are made of graphite or carbon fiber.... I suppose with strong wind one can get away with S/S spars. If you have a 40ft plus boat

[Chigger]

Good luck  ..I cant wait to see the results.

[REEFMAN]

Nice Marcos!
So you fly this off the boat?

[John F]

Yes. Here's how it works. The guys in Florida fish up to 3 baits per kite....  I'll stick to two baits off each kite.

[Capt. Hook]

I like this.

The poles in the tents one buys would also work very well for this. Think the tent material will also do well.

[peterblace]

kites are made out of spinaker ripstop nylon...there are different types/weights which will make the kite heavier/lighter
spars usualy are graphite/carbon fiber...I reckon tent poles and tent fabric will be too heavy

if you are willing to fabricate a kite I would suggest you to search for arrows...thin...resistant...light

[John F]

I suppose it all depends on the wind conditions... if blowing at +13 knots, and with few holes, I assure you no matter what fabric or material used as spars it will fly! Remember when we were kids and made kites with bamboo?!

Obviously we want the best in terms of design, resistance and ultimately performance... so I agree... arrows would be the choice... but the nylon(?) fabric used for umbrellas is quite light... not sure how strong it is... will see

[peterblace]

umbrella fabric soak and and it's not wind breaker...

[John F]

That's why we use a balloon... and if it is windy it will dry out in no time 

[peterblace]

I wonder why kitesurfers and sailers never had that idea
 

[John F]

They have plenty of $$$ or no imagination at all

[Half-Pint]

Windsong kites in Ramsgate make a kite specifically for fishing. Its designed to allow for some leeway in terms of tacking the kite into the wind, obviously not that important off a boat I presume but perhaps allows you a bit more room to put out a spread?

They also have various sizes dependent on wind conditions and are very stable provided you match the drag of your bait to the kite size and wind conditions. Most important however is a long tail. They were also not too expensive.

BUT the domain windsongkites.co.za no longer seems to relate to the right company?