K59 - iTrix #1

The iTrix is a kite designed by Wolfgang Seibert. As far as I know, they are not made any more. I always wanted one, but I was too late. So, I decided to build my own. I don’t intend to build these for sale, but I do plan to use this as a starting point to make my own indoor dual line design.

Constructed design

I constructed this design from a friend’s original iTrix. This was my first dual line build from my own constructed template, so that was a useful experience.

3d printed parts

Everything on this kite that isn’t fabric or carbon was designed and 3d printed by me. Some pieces are similar to others I’ve made in the past, but I’m particularly proud of the sail stays. I created a piece that has a thin pultrusion that I could put through a hole in the sail, then melt down to effectively pivot the sail stay to the sail. That took a bit of experimenting, but I think it worked out well.

Nose

I tried to go for a slightly smaller kite-house nose. I found that with the wide nose shape and the narrow rods, I wasn’t quite able to achieve that, but it’s similar, and I think will still be a good design for this kite.

Wing tips

The wing tips are tensioned similarly to the original iTrix with a bit of grosgrain ribbon and an end cap, but with my own printed end caps, of course.

Bridle

I have yet to experiment with the bridle. I thought it would be interesting to go through the exercise of designing my own bridle, so right now, it is set up with all legs equidistant, and I’m going to adjust those while testing to come up with my final bridle. I could have asked my friend for the bridle dimensions, but I think this will be a nice learning opportunity.