4 line or 5th line

[windnwater]

Hey Guys,

Still looking into the options for a new set of kiting gear. (although had a minor car accident :/ money hit)

Just wondering what the pro's and con's were for the 4 line over 5th line.

A friend is convinced I MUST get the 5th line for safety but a look at a few forums and i'm not so sure :/

Help!

[matth]

5th line is not a must for safety. Most kites are 4 lines and have good safety systems. Focus more on a beginner friendly kite. Slower moving, good depower ,and good relaunch is what you want. Stay away from C shaped kites that turn much faster and have less depower.

[davesails7]

I think the 5th line has a safety advantage over leashing to 2 front lines, but I don't think it is significantly safer than leashing to a single front line.

That said, I ride Rebels (5th line only) because I like the way the kite flies and performs.

The downside to the 5th line is that if the kite gets rolled inside out in a wave, the fifth line will get wrapped around the canopy. There is always a chance this can happen on a 4 line kite too (happened recently to a local rider's Switchblade and cut right through the canopy in a wave).

I ride a mix of waves and choppy conditions. In my 150 or so sessions on 5th line rebels and Dynos over the last 2 years I've only wrapped the 5th line once. I released to 5th line, drifted in to the beach, sorted the lines and was back out in just a few minutes. No damage to the kite. If it was a 4 line kite I could have relaunched, but I still would have had to go back to the beach to fix the lines.

For me the 5th line safety pros and cons don't make much of a difference. All new kites have pretty good safety systems. I would just buy the one you like the best no matter how many lines it has.

[dyyylan]

there is no difference between 4 and 5 lines for safety unless it's a 4-line bar that flags to both center lines instead of only 1 line. for example cabrinha 2013 and older, epic 2013 and older, switch kites, best kites 2012 and older, etc

the only real advantage a 5 line kite has is that the 5th supports the leading edge so that you don't need bridles/pulleys. it can be a huge advantage because it makes the kite feel super direct and responsive. other than that it's really only good for tearing your kite in half when you roll it over

5 lines were necessary when kites didn't relaunch and when one wrong move would kill you, but we've advanced beyond that point now

[eloico]

The 5th line is a pain.

There is no big significant advantage, if none, less for a beginner or intermediate kiter. It could make sense as safety line for a C type kite.

When the kite drops the 5th lines wraps around the kite very easily.

It can take much longer to unroll the lines.

Eloico.

[matth]

The 5th line is a pain.

There is no big significant advantage, if none, less for a beginner or intermediate kiter. It could make sense as safety line for a C type kite.

When the kite drops the 5th lines wraps around the kite very easily.

It can take much longer to unroll the lines.

Eloico.

I find it odd that the Rebel is one of the best selling kites of all time, has one of the most loyal followings, and has not changed the basic design for 5 , 6, years. But some seem to think the 5th
line rips kites in half and is a pain in the ass.

My first kite was an OR rise. The first lesson I took was in shallow water. It was side off with 2 to 3 foot surf. I dropped the kite and sure enough it ripped half.

Ironically even though 5 lines are considered the safest, maybe they are not the best choice for a newbie because they will crash the kite a lot more than most , which will lead to more wrapped lines and possible damage.

[JGTR]

I'm yet to see any evidence of a 5th line ripping a kite in half

[Wiski23]

I love my mutiny C kites 5 line quiver

[longwhitecloud]

5th line can be real pain but nothing better in my opinion. a simple design feature from years ago overlooked by many for sake of usability that introduces extra complications in the form of bow kites. Just cos a kite has a 5th line does not mean it has good depower though, although some of teh newer c kites really do have waaay more depower than they used to.. case by case basis tho..

[WndRdr]

The safety difference between a 5 liner and a 4 liner that flags to single line is that most propably you can relaunch the 5 line kite after safety release as the lines will not be tangled as the 4 line kite flagged to single line may tangle the lines so that you need to roll the lines to the bar and swim back. Then you have tangled lines to work with for some time at the beach or home.

With 5th line you never hesitate to release the safety as you do not think if the lines will get tangled. However, tangled lines should never be an excuse with any kite not to pull safety when it is required.

Another case depending how well the 4 line kite flags the kite and how twisted the lines were before pulling safety is that there is a minor risk that 4 line kite may not lose its power totally and will keep looping. I have seen this happen. Fortunately I think this happens less with the newer kites but still there are some cases.

No matter the kite the most important thing about safety of your kite is that you know how the safety works with your kite and you train it regularily. If you get into a situation where you need to pull safety you do not have time to think what to do but it has to be natural reaction.