I am looking for any patterns/sites/instructions for making kites. Can't seem to find many sites out there, and most of them are very old (2000-2005). Most of the places I have found are the NPW styles. I was hoping to find more modern designs (LEI Bows/Deltas, Foils, etc). Does anyone know of any good places to look?

I have almost as much fun building things as doing the activity. I have already made a
kayak and hammock and tarp.

Kite Plan Base
http://www.kiteplans.org/cat_3/sub_33/

Surfplan (The hobby version is only for non-commercial use and some of the advanced functions have been disabled)
http://www.surfplan.com.au/sp/products.aspx

This page gives you some idea about the complexities of Surfplan:
http://kitesurfingschool.org/kite.htm

Sadly it looks like the designs for some kites like the Gual and the Eliminator are no longer to be found in their original spots. It could be that the folks that were running the sites just moved on to other things.

ATB,
Sam

Thank you Sam. What is funny is I have been to those sites already.

Kite Plan Base looked promising, but there was only 1 plan offered above 6 meters, and that one is only available as a .kte file. The program to run it's domain is no longer active. There aren't any user comments on how it flies, and the original poster's site is no longer available.

Surfplan will generate a plan, but I don't know enough yet to design one myself. If there was a current database of files with some proven designs, I could see myself using it. There are 2 samples on the kitesurfingschool.org, but again, for a smaller kite (5M).

The last link was the most promising. It helps describe what the different variables are about a plan. But with no plans itself, and mostly dead links, it's use is limited.

Everything I have read has said how much the kites have been changing, how much safer the sport is because of it. But are all the advances in designs locked up in a commercial studio's offices?

I admire your ambition. I don't know where to look but it might help if you narrow your search to a specific type of kite such as 4 line fixed bridle, open cell depower, or water relaunchable depower. Then maybe you could find a kite that is damaged or very inexpensive to reverse engineer. Also you might be able to cannibalize some of the lines or other bits.

I've got a book called Stunt Kites! that has plans in it for ram air foils... I made one out of it. Ok I started making one and gave up cos it was MOUNTAINS of work. There's a guy who posts here who re-makes FBs with like, Calvin and Hobbes designs - they're AWESOME.

Have a chat to Gigi at kiteforum.com - he makes his own LEIs for fun.