The distance separating the boxes is equal to the depth of a
box.
The sides of a box make angles of 60 degrees and 120 degrees with one
another, the depth of the space enclosed from front to back being the same
as the length of a side. With these angles the effective area of the sails
is about six-sevenths of the total area. Therefore a kite of the dimensions
given in Fig. 117 will have an effective area of some thirty square feet.
[Illustration: FIG. 117.--Diamond box kite in perspective. Ties are
indicated by fine dotted lines.]
The long stretchers pass through holes in the fabric close to the sticks,
and are connected with the sticks by stout twine. Between stretcher and
stick is interposed a wedge-shaped piece of wood (A in Fig. 115), which
prevents the stick being drawn out of line. This method of attachment
enables the boxes to be kept tight should the fabric stretch at all--as
generally happens after some use; also it does away with the necessity for
calculating the length of the stretchers exactly.
The stretchers are tied together at the crossing points to give support to
the longer of the pair.
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