I was wondering how many crew out there use a fith line in the waves. Now the winter swell has started to arrive, Im interested in how a kite holds up after being mowed down by a wave.

Yesterday in desperation I went out and in the process dropped my kite. It was just about to relaunch when a sucky head high wave caught it and dragged it over the falls. After that it got rolled by a couple more waves until it was on the inside. I relaunched it then and although the lines were all twisted it flew. It did manage to break one of the carbon struts in the wing tip, but the kite is still in A-one condition.

I cant help but think if I had a fith line my kite would be in two halves about now.

a guy dropped his 5 line kite in big surf at cronulla the other day and a wave ripped the fifth line connection point and the bladder was poppin out. brand new kite as well

a guy dropped his 4 line in the surf a few months ago and it also got ripped to pieces..... atleast if your on a fifth line.. you have a better chance of getting it out of the water quicker

I fitted FrankenBlast (my AirBlast10 rebuild) with a fifth line... the first few times out were in the surf, it got dropped (coz I'm good at that) and it was a breeze to relaunch.

When a wave breaks on a four line kite that is nose down and the pilot is outside of the break (or at least behind the wave) the kite will most likely become the biggest farken sea-anchor that you've ever been hooked onto! Unless you can drop the bar quickly you could end up bursting the canopy. With the fifth line, just haul in a couple of metres of 5th line and the kite will be flipped onto its back by the wave and the wave will wash over the kite and not drag it much at all.

But of course different surf and different situations will mean different outcomes... but my experience is that a 5th is good for surf.

BTW FrankenBlast is fitted with two 5th line attachment points and a "Y" bridle on the 5th; a stronger, load spreading, method than one point only. He's an ugly mutha, but he's a tough mutha[}:)]