Sode-Dako

Sode Dako

The Sode Dako or Kimono kite, as its name suggests, comes from Japan, and is an excellent kite in light winds. In stronger winds a tail can be added to improve performance. The design shown is for use with modern materials, in this case, 6mm carbon and 104cm wide spinnaker nylon. The measurements given are for the sail; the spars, using 2m long struts, are each 5cm longer. The total measurements correspond to a square apart from the triangular tip.

sode 6kB gif

Sode Dako Measurements (in cm)

(w1....w6) are bridle points.

Constructional Details:

For the longeron a total length of 230cm 6mm carbon is required. The pocket should be at the bottom end.
Both upper spars are 200cm long, of 6mm carbon.
The lower spar is 100cm long, 4mm carbon, and slightly pre-bent.
All the edges must be hemmed.
All the spars go into pockets.
At the top, the longeron goes into a strap (something better, more flexible than Dacron), and is secured at the bottom edge with a rubber band. Otherwise, it can run partially in pockets.
As in the Rokkaku design, the upper spars are fixed to the longeron by means of the bridle lines.
About the bridle:
As in the case of all multi-legged bridles, the Sode is chiefly flown on the outer bridle legs. To this end, a 6m bridle line is fixed through points w1/w3 and w4/w6. Both bridle legs are joined to a third (about 50cm long) bridle leg between them using an aluminium ring. Only after this should bridle points w2 and w5, each with a 3m long line, be attached to the aluminium rings. The middle bridle leg should be slightly taughter than the outer ones in order to prevent swaying round the long axis. The precise towing point will be determined by experiment: if the kite pulls to one side the side bridle legs must be adjusted accordingly.
If it is planned to fly the kite in strong winds, then a further bridle point about 35cm from the bottom end of the longeron on the axis is recommended, in order to prevent the longeron bending at its lower end. Alternatively, the 6mm carbon could be replaced by 8mm carbon.

Bibliography:(at this time all in german)

David Pelham: Drachen - S. 157
Botermans/Weve: Drachenmodelle zum Selberbauen - S. 52
DraMa 3/94 - S. 84
FangDenWind 3/92 - S. 5
Franz Arz: Asiatische Drachen - S. 73

English translation : Philip Le Riche & friends