How to Make a Paper Sled Kite

Step-by-Step—Page 1 of 2

The MBK Paper Sled

Learn how to make a Paper Sled kite with these easy-to-follow instructions. Fully illustrated with closeup photographs, every step of the way.

The MBK Paper Sled kite in flight.MBK Paper Sled

These instructions take you step-by-step through making a small but high flying sled kite. All from several pieces of A4 or Letter size copier paper and some sticky tape!

This kite performs well in gentle-to-moderate wind speeds. That's from 12 to 28 kph or from 8 to 18 mph. Even quite a small child should be able to hang on to the winder once the kite is up.

Even though it's just copier paper, this kite flies at a very respectable angle. The flailing paper tails help keep the sled steady and you can hear the paper ribbons rustling from a surprisingly high height!


 

The BIG MBK E-book Bundle!


On this site, there's more kite-making info than you can poke a stick at. :-)

Want to know the most convenient way of using it all?

The Big MBK E-book Bundle is a collection of downloads—printable PDF files which provide step-by-step instructions for many kites large and small.

That's every kite in every MBK series.

 

How to Make a Paper Sled Kite
The Sail

Tack Paper Sheets Together

The Paper Sled kite - 4 sheets of paper tacked together.Four sheets of paper tacked together
  • Bring four sheets of paper together and tack in place with short strips of sticky tape. Yellow lines show where the tape goes.
  • Orient each sheet so the long sides are at top and bottom, as can be seen in the photo. The paper colors are up to you!


Measure on One Side

The Paper Sled kite - Sail corners measured and marked.Sail corners measured and marked
  • Using a pencil, make dark dots on the paper, according to the measurements shown above. I have added yellow dots to make the positions clear.
  • Note how dots are placed either on the centerline from top to bottom, or to the right of the centerline.

Fold Along the Centerline

The Paper Sled kite - paper sheets folded.Paper sheets folded
  • Fold the four sheets along the centerline, leaving the dots on the outside. A small dot on the yellow paper is visible in the photo.
  • Place the paper up against a window while there is some light outside.
  • Trace the three dots that are not on the centerline onto the unmarked side.

Note: What if the paper is too dark to see through? Just poke a hole through a dot with a needle so you can see where to put a dot on the unmarked side!


Draw Lines

The Paper Sled kite - lines drawn between dots.Lines drawn between dots
  • Unfold the paper and lay it down.
  • Using a pencil and ruler, connect the dots as shown in the photo.

Note: The lines in the photo are enhanced so you can see them easier.


Apply Tape

The Paper Sled kite - tape laid down.Tape laid down
  • Apply sticky tape as indicated by the yellow rectangles in the photo.

Note: Along the top four lines, overlap the line so most of the tape is inside the sail shape.


Cut the Sail Outline

The Paper Sled kite - sail cut out.Sail cut out
  • With scissors, cut all around the sail shape. There it is in the photo.
  • Now flip the paper over and lay it down so all the tape is hidden.

The Bridle

Attach Line

The Paper Sled kite - bridle line centered and stuck down.Bridle line centered and stuck down
  • Measure and snip off a 2 meter (7 foot) length of polyester thread.
  • Find the middle of the thread and place it over the centerline of the sail.
  • Position the thread across the corners of the sail as in the photo. Stick down three 5 cm (2 in.) strips of sticky tape as indicated in yellow.

Note:

  • Make sure the thread is as straight as possible while the paper remains flat.
  • Where the corners of tape overhang, fold around to the other side of the paper.

Adjust and Tie Line

The Paper Sled kite - bridle line adjusted.Bridle line adjusted
  • Flip the sail so the taped thread is against the floor.
  • With the sail flat on the floor, bring both ends of the thread up above the center of the sail, and pinch them between finger and thumb.
  • Adjust until both side tips of the sail move at the same time, when you pull the slack out of the thread.

 

The Paper Sled kite - bridle lines tied.Bridle lines tied
  • We'll treat the thread as two separate lines now, since that's what it looks like from the front.
  • Tie the free ends of the lines together, with a Multi-Strand Double knot.


The Spars

Tape Sheets

The Paper Sled kite - 2 sheets taped.2 sheets taped
  • Bring two sheets of paper together, at the shorter ends.
  • Tape straight across on one side, as indicated by the yellow rectangle in the photo.

Measure

The Paper Sled kite - measured and dots marked.Neasured and dots marked.
  •  Measure, and mark dots where indicated by the yellow dots in the photo.

Note: If you have a longer ruler than the standard 30 cm (12 in.), you might be able to skip those four dots in the middle!


Draw Lines

The Paper Sled kite - lines drawn between dots.Lines drawn between dots
  • Using your ruler, connect the dots as shown. The lines have been edited to make them easier to see in the photo.

Note: The two rectangles are away from the paper's edge in preparation for the next step.


Tape Over

The Paper Sled kite - rectangles taped.Rectangles taped
  • Lay strips of sticky tape over the two rectangles as illustrated in the photo.
  • The strips of tape can overlap slightly and should cover the rectangles completely.

Cut Out

The Paper Sled kite - rectangles cut out.Rectangles cut out

Cut out the two rectangles, which will be totally covered in tape on one side. A little bit of curl is OK.


 

 


As mentioned earlier, there's more kite making on this site than you can poke a stick at. :-)

Want to know the most convenient way of using it all?

The Big MBK E-book Bundle is a collection of downloads—printable PDF files which provide step-by-step instructions for many kites large and small.

That's every kite in every MBK series.




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