My 5th line snapped on the weekend, so I used an identical brand new bar from one of my other kites and noticed the pink part of my 5th line was slack and not in tension like it was on my primary bar.

The kite flew ok but I'm not sure what the correct setup is, should the pink part of the 5th line be in tension or not?

Also, my kite got chewed up by a wave and one of the battens slid through the trailing edge of the kite, it didn't damage the canopy or trailing edge but just went through the seam. Is this supposed to happen?

Hi Taurus,

Your Pink line should never be under tension, thats why there is an adjustment on the line. By having tension on the 5th line, the ball at the top "Y" of the 5th doesn't sit on the ring and so you end up with a nose line which pulls the 5th down too far and changes the A of A and also the relation to front lines changes.

Keep the 5th loose!

DM

dogfish said...

then why do north call it a loaded 5th line?
just wondering.
when does it load up and what role does it have in flying the kite?

The top section of the fifth line will be under tension when properly tuned, so the ball will sit against the ring.
I think what Darren was trying to explain is that the lower part of the fifth shouldn't be under tension, unless of course you release the QR and drop the kite to the fifth or you grab the fifth line to choke the kite during a squall.