riffclown

Seamless pattern isn't happening.. While it is possible, I considered two factors in this decision.. First, the poly definitely has a dark side and a lighter side.. front and back varies between Charcoal Navy Blue and Black.. Second, because of the pattern and the way I create it, I'd have to offset an entire row which would lose about two inches of sail from the top of one side and the same from the bottom of the other side.. Not willing to throw that much effort into the waste bin.. A simple Diamond of royal in the middle will hopefully tie this thing together.

Both panels are basted to this point now.. I'd say I have about 6 hours of work in it so far with just cutting, piecing and basting..One other thing I'm HOPING to address on this sail is making the center section stay in pattern with a smooth-ish transition between sides. Ultimate goal is to have the pattern repeat across the entire surface of the kite..

202 panels on this one half so far..More soon...Yes, I know there are wrinkles in the Poly.. This is about learning more about offset and area loss due to seams.. Panels shrunk almost a full 6" in width and just about 3" in height.. due to the 1/4" overlap on the diamond pattern.. It's not perfect but I like where it's going.. .

no to the epoxy.. Plenty of thread..

I'm pretty happy with the LED and LED controller choices I've made.. They are Christmas Strips BUT they are on a flat ribbon so they hold their position in the sail VERY nicely.

@Paul LaMasters I agree.. But since I don't have those materials handy I'm looking at doubling up the LE by zippering out the LE Sleeve and offsetting the ferrules.. If that fails I'll remake the Sleeve to accommodate a SLE rod. @whtmtn An odd number puts a spar in the middle.. an even number puts a ferruled joint in the center.. The Ferruled Joint is what failed on my first venture..

Figure out what you want to do and just build it.. Don't be afraid to experiment and recognize that some things might not work the first or even second time.. Figure out what makes a kite fly and use those things to steer your creations.. Be creative and enjoy. Pick a plan you can build and go from there..

Should I give it one more solid try with 8P or commit to a LE Sleeve change and SLE? If I commit to another 8P test, the middle section will be offset to center an 8P spar. Will be a 5 piece LE but I do have 2 8P spars to trim at this point anyway.. Thoughts???

4 piece yes but with 3 splits not just the center was over-stressed.. This was a systemic issue.. the ferrules are solid.. no damage there.. the walls of the spars took the shock and split.. Will either redesign or move to SLE leading edge. Unfortunately, that approach will require resewing the LE sleeve since I make them pretty tight.. Researching options.

OK Close damage inspection tells me I need to approach differently.. not just one split but "three" splits or hairline fractures starting.. Time to retool, resize or redesign..

Good News and Bad news.. I took it out on the field today for maiden flight.. It flew well, it hovered, it hovered inverted well it steered well.. I decided to do a dive stop it stopped about 20 inches above the ground as planned and the Leading edge snapped right in the middle.. Upon inspection the Skyshark 8P split the full 2 inches the ferrule covered.. I may need to either redo this with an SLE rod or consider a much stronger section in the center stress point.. I may have exceeded the practical wingspan of the design.. (also possible I had a weak spar. It was a second and I may have expected too much from this particular piece..) Given that thought I'll probably re-spar and give it another try before giving up.. Also discovered I need stronger velcro to hold the electronics in the pocket. They started flapping free way too easily..

Edge binding is done on ends and the dacron reinforcement patches are all in place. I drilled out two end caps to accommodate the P8x LE and will use P400 for the verticals (no special caps needed for those) The Verticals will also have to be 2 piece to meet the 36-1/4" requirement. Using a full length tube and a 4-ish inch extension with tube ferrules. Extension portion will be wrapped and padded to help with the wear points.. LE is P8x with solid Ferules. I need to edge bind the trailing edge and frame it up. I'm completely out of 1" orange and 2" yellow & 2" Lime now. Trailing edge will likely be blue (because that's what I have left at the moment). Bridling is going to be an adventure.. I've not bridled one this big before and it's all new ground. I may go with Orange and Yellow Muzzy extreme. Just to match the overall look of the kite. I really want to get this kite finished and flying.. Once I get it completed, I'll share some of the design details I added to support everything.. Slits in the light sleeve holes for LED to show through velcro pocket for electronics very slight camber to keep slight tension on the sail LE won't have my normal reinforcements due to it not being the stand materials but the Verticals WILL be reinforced more to come as progress happens..

I thought about it but the effect I'm getting is something I'm not willing to give up on at this point. 7 isn't enough for me on this one. If I absolutely have to, i can sew a screen strip on and back cut it.

No way I'll be doing much throw and catch with this monster.. 130" LE and a heavy heavy sail to boot with all the lights and electronics. I decided to leave the screening out in my night kite.. I may add holes in the center section if the belly is too overpowering.. I definitely appreciate all of the input. Not sure I'm worried about reverse too much in this sail.. I'm thinking may a dive stop or two but mostly just forward flight. The more I adjust this kite the narrower the wind range will be of course.. IF all else fails, it'll be a flag..

One of my favorite sails on the planet. Do keep in mind the Symphony is a sport sized kite and not a power kite. Even with that said, my first buggy ride was with the Symphony 2.2.4 You should see what that kite will do converted to 4 line. Team KiteLife on the lines. https://www.facebook.com/mystainedskin/posts/10213897169695267

So I've run into a couple of delays before I can go further on this kite.. The Skyshark P8x I chose for stiffness are quite a bit larger than normal rods so I have to get different endcaps.. Either internal or larger than the norm.. I also need to order additional materials anyway so putting of finishing this kite until I can get a shipment in. It will stil get done but might be a bit bfore the next update on this sail.. (I've got a lot of sewing to complete anyway on the other projects..)

Light check to verify the completed electronic package..

Leading Edge is 130" (4X SkyShark 8P). LE Sleeve is attached with no screening. This kite is going to be a monster... I need to finish a bit of transitional sewing on the Trailing Edge and ready the pockets for the electronics. After, edge binding and the rest of the framing and I'll be ready to reinstall the electronics.. Flyable by ?????

Since the smallest kite of the stack goes in front on a progressive stack, the sheer magnitude of that comment makes my head spin. IF this thing flies as designed, then great.. if it doesn't it will be folded and made into a diamond SLK..

Honestly unless you are flying team, line lengths are entirely flexible.. You just need this

Honestly it's a totality of decisions.. Due to dual layers in the stripes AND sheer size, the sail without frame weighs as much as a Rev with a frame.. This will work but will need a bit more breeze just to be air-worthy.. FWIW, I'm actually toying with the idea of splitting the halves and making this a single line diamond kite. I can always keep that as a fail back plan..

This thing is getting very heavy..

Thank You, Also noted the SuperSonic is also quite a bit stiffer at the LE junction than would be typical.. I'm asking because I'm trying to bypass that need in the night kite with lights.. It's getting pretty heave and right now I'm looking at a 126" LE.. Thank you again for the response.

While I have answered this question many times in the past for others, I've only parroted the conventional wisdom and given the explanation most accepted.. The Screen (or holes) along the leading edge definitely affect reverse flight BUT my question is.. If you've flown one without either, was the kite completely unwieldy or just difficult to fly in reverse?? Please respond only if you've flown one without either the LE Mesh or LE Holes.. I understand the principle behind it but want to explore a different tact.. Would like to hear the voice of experience.