Safety When Launching and Landing - The Kiteboarder Magazine

5TH LINE TIPS
As should be your routine prior
to any session, it’s important
to preflight your gear and
make sure your 5th line doesn’t
have too many twists around
the center line which can create
friction and delay relaunch.
Make sure your 5th line is not
too short. It can distort the kite,
causing it to not fly properly.
The kite will have less power,
will not turn well, and will make
the wind feel gusty. Generally
the 5th line should be exactly
the same length as your other
four lines.
When relaunching with a 5th
line, you still have to position
your kite or body correctly so
that the kite can relaunch at the
edge of the window. Also, try
not to roll the kite all the way
onto its back. Roll it two thirds
of the way on its back so the
wingtips are off the water, then
pull on a rear line to move the
kite toward the proper relaunching
position.
Another advanced yet effective
key to quick relanches
is to start pulling the 5th line
leashed kite back to you as fast
as possible (hopefully before it
hits the water) and then grab
the bar while still holding the 5th
leash and initiate the relaunch
before the kite is completely
depowered.
If your kite flies upside down
when on the 5th line (not resting
on the water), move the stopper
on your 5th line closer to the bar.
This will keep it on the water.
If your kite falls on the trailing
edge, give the 5th line a couple
of good, steady yanks until it
starts lifting off the water. Use
caution and be prepared for the
power of a “hot launch” if the
kite is directly downwind!
If a kite tends to fall face
down on the water (like when
it is on the beach) when the 5th
line is activated, the problem
is that your back lines are
maintaining too much tension.
The only solution is to add more
chicken loop range to your bar
set-up or be quick to add trim
loop when the leash is activated.
Before you decide that you
do not like 5th line kites, give
them a try. It is widely recognized
that 5th line kites are
the safest kites on the market
when depowered on a 5th line
leash– yes, even safer than bow
or flat kites. Take the time and
learn to use the benefits of having
a 5th line and you may find
yourself wishing that you had
converted a long time ago.
The Kiteboarder 70
Safety When Launching and Landing
Have you ever blown a launch due to gusty winds or because the person
holding your kite made a mistake? Maybe the kite falls backwards or
stalls out of the sky, or you hooked up your lines wrong and the kite starts
to loop into the power zone. When equipped with a 5th line, you just
throw the bar if you are unhooked or pop the release if you are hooked in.
All the tension goes to the 5th line and the kite will fall harmlessly to the
beach without any line tangles. A scary event becomes a harmless oops,
and you’re ready to try again in minutes.
5th Line
By Hunter Brown and Mike Danish
w o r k s h e e t
Almost all of us know that a good 5th line system provides
a kiteboarder with a reliable safety system and aids in
relaunching the kite from the water. However, most riders
don’t understand how to take full advantage of their 5th
lines and overlook some of the other things a 5th line can
do for you. If you take the time to learn the many different
uses of the 5th line, you will soon realize that the benefits
it offers to make untangling that one extra line worthwhile.
Hunter Brown is the owner of Blowing in the Wind in Wilmington, North Carolina. Repping four kite companies and running a school,
Hunter has excellent experience with the mechanics of the 5th line.
Mike Danish is professional kiteboarder sponsored by North Kiteboarding. Mike lives in Corpus Christi, Texas next door to The
Kiteboarder Magazine. Mike is the resident expert on 5th line tech.
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Self Landing
1) Bring kite to the edge of the window.
2) Grab or secure the 5th line (i.e. attached
to your harness via the leash)
and release your chicken loop.
3) Let go of the bar. The kite will instantly
depower.
4) Let kite fall to the ground.
5) Kite may take a few tumbles until
directly downwind, so make sure there
are no obstacles downwind of you.
6) Detach your 5th line and follow it up
the kite; make sure you never let go of
it (or bye bye kite).
Another option is to have the kite
directly overhead and release the bar
as before with the 5th line secured.
Kite will fall depowered to the ground
directly downwind of you. (Again make
sure there are no obstacles that can
hurt people or damager the kite).
Using a 5th Line
in Waves
Some people have expressed
concerns about
using 5th line systems
in waves because of
the possibility that the
kite could tumble into
the 5th line and get
damaged. Although
this could happen, it is
uncommon for the 5th
line to actually damage
the kite. Overall, the
5th line can save your
kite. Any kite on the
water in waves is at risk.
Relaunching fast is critical
to a kite’s survival.
If you know how to
properly relaunch with
a 5th line, you can get
your kite back in the sky
quickly. Less time on
the water equals less
risk to the kite.
If your kite is hit by a
wave, it is best to not
deploy the 5th line. Doing
so puts all the force
the wave on one point
and could damage the
kite. By not deploying
the 5th line, the force of
the wave is distributed
over the whole kite. If
your kite does crash
face down in the waves,
you can still pull 5th line
(without letting go of the
bar) to aid in flipping the
kite for faster relaunch.
However, in large surf
you may need to deploy
the 5th line for your
safety.
If your kite does
tumble into the 5th
line, relaunch the kite
and the 5th line will
usually slide off the
side of the kite and just
be twisted on the two
side lines. Ride into
shore, land the kite, and
untwist the lines. If the
line does not slide off to
the side of the kite, you
can crash it to one side
of the window. This can
cause the 5th line to
slip over the end of the
wingtip and untangle.
The Kiteboarder 71