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Step 1
Purchase fabric for your sport kite. You should have ¾ oz.-weight rip stop nylon. Porcher makes a good example of this cloth. The nose of the sport kite should be Dacron reinforced with Kevlar. The leading and trailing ends of the sport kite should be ½ oz.-weight nylon rip cord. Choose your frame material, be it fiberglass or aluminum rods. Use JACO standoff connectors, .098-inch mcr for the sport kite standoffs, and a .2100-inch AVIA pultrude for the upper spreader. Purchase these materials through Kite Builder.
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Step 2
Create your templates from plans found at such sites as Kite Builder, David Salmon's Delta Sport Kite site, Ian Newman's Acara Sport Kite plans, and more. Lay the templates for the sail on the sail fabric and pin it in place. Fold the fabric in half so you can cut both pieces for the sail once. Add 1½ inches seam allowance to the side of each panel, and 8¾ inches to the trailing edge. Cut the fabric with a hit cutter so the edges of the fabric melt slightly, preventing the fabric from fraying. Gently separate the two pieces of the sport kite's sail gently, and the hit cutters will melt the two pieces of fabric together.
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Step 3
Attach the two pieces of the sail together with 6 mm double-sided tape, then sew the tape with a zig-zag stitch on your sewing machine. Finish the trailing edge of the sport kite with double-sided tape, and double-fold the edge. As you finish the trailing edge, tuck a length of dyneema/spectra line (50 kg in weight) inside the fold. This line helps your sport kite fly. Allow a loop about 8 inches long to protrude from the end of the sport kite.
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Step 4
Cut a length of mylar that is almost 10-inches wide. Sew the mylar strip and the trailing edge on your machine with a straight stitch. The mylar should go over the seam on the spine of the sport kite, on its back. Cut a length of Dacron that's 6 inches longer than the leading edge of the sport kite, and fold the Dacron in half and press it with your fingers to make a fold. Open the Dacron and put double-sided tape on each of the Dacron's outer edges, pulling off the paper covering the tape a little bit at a time. Fold the excess Dacron that extends beyond the leading edge of the sport kite back over itself so that it creates a double layer of Dacron which will reinforce the tips.
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Step 5
Place the leading edge of the power kite so that the edge lines up with the fold of the Dacron. Press the Dacron closed over the leading edge so that the tape secures it in place. Sew the Dacron in place in this manner: a straight stitch from the tip, leaving a small gap for the leech line, then zig-zag stitch to the other side where a straight stitch will leave a small gap at the other end.
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Step 6
Create the nose piece by gluing Dacron and a tough fabric like those used for seat belts together. Fit the nosepiece over the nose of the sport kite, and sew it in place, leaving a gap for the line. Hot cut any excess away. Sew a 3-inch length of Velcro with the hooks to the tail's spine side. Make sure the Velcro is straight. Sew a 4-inch length of the soft Velcro to the end of a 10-inch length of Dacron. Sew the Dacron to the kite with a straight stitch, making sure the Dacron is not crooked.
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Step 7
Make a hole with a hot cutter in the end of the Dacron sewed to the sport kite. Make standoffs for the sport kite by cutting 3½-inch pieces of Dacron, and folding them in half, cutting the ends so they are diagonal. Insert the edges of the sail in the folded Dacron in the spots indicated in the plans, and sew them in place. Burn three holes in the Dacron so they're almost an inch apart. Burn a hole in the end of the Dacron 3 inches from the tip of the sport kite. Create tension in the leading edge by using either an inch wide bungee or a cable tie. Insert it beneath the Dacron so that the line cannot get tangled on it.
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Step 8
Cut holes in the leading edge for the spreader connectors--both upper and lower. The hole should be about 2-inches long. Consult the plans for the exact locations. The nose to the upper spreader should be about 12 inches; from the upper and lower spreaders, about 25 inches; and from the lower spreader to the tip of the wing, about 21¼ inches.
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Step 9
Create a T connector for the center from one of the leading edge connectors. Make a hole for the spine, and insert a 2½-inch carbon tube ferrule in the middle. Insert all of the rods, and the remaining fittings, attach the bridle, and go flying!
