How to Make a Dopero Kite

Step by Step—Page 4 of 4

The MBK 1-Skewer Dopero

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How to Make a Dopero Kite
Flying! 

Before the first flight, you need to adjust the bridle:

First, make sure the sliding knots on the upper and lower bridle loops are dead center. An easy way to check this is to see if the kite hangs level when you dangle it from the loop knot at the end of the bridle. Adjust both knots until everything looks square and level.

Second, make sure that the sliding knot on the central bridle line ends up between the upper horizontal spar and the top edge of the sail. Check this when the kite is laying on its back on the floor or table, with equal tension in all the bridle lines. Shift the knot if necessary, and hold up the bridle lines again to check. Repeat until it looks right.

If it's very windy outside, stay home! This is a light-to-moderate-wind kite and won't like being launched in a gale.

Assuming there is some breeze outside, just dangle the kite at arm's length until the wind catches it. As long as you feel the kite pulling, let out line slowly by taking loop after loop off the winder.

Another approach is to get a helper to hold the kite up and let it go, on the end of maybe 15 or 20 meters (50 feet) of line. This way, the kite soon gets high enough to make it easy to let more line out.

The picture up there shows the very first version of the 1-Skewer Dopero climbing away in a light breeze. The black plastic sail, yellow keels, and clear-plastic tail made a nice combination!

Have fun flying, and I hope you've enjoyed learning how to make a dopero kite.

Now, just in case you have actually made and flown this kite at least once already:

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