BANNER TOW PLT AT LOW ALT DUE TO HOT DAY HAS BANNER STRIKE THE WATER IN A TURN. THE BANNER IS RELEASED BUT ACFT IS UNCTLABLE AND STALLS. PLT REGAINS CTL HEADED TOWARD THE BEACH.

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I WAS FLYING A MODIFIED C175; AND TOWING A VERY HVY V- BOARD; WHEN CIRCUMSTANCES FORCED ME TO DROP THE V-BOARD AND RECOVER FROM A VERY BADLY STALLED CONDITION NEAR THE HUNTINGTON BEACH PIER. I HAD PREVIOUSLY PULLED THIS V- BOARD WITH THE SAME AIRPLANE FOR MANY HRS WITHOUT INCIDENT. AUG/XA/97 WAS NO DIFFERENT FROM ANY OF MY PREVIOUS FLTS; EXCEPT THAT IT WAS A MUCH HOTTER DAY; CAUSING A HIGHER THAN NORMAL OIL TEMP READING. AS A RESULT; I WAS FLYING AT 300 FT (INSTEAD OF THE NORMAL 500 FT); TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE COOLER AIR DOWN LOW; THEREBY KEEPING THE OIL TEMP DOWN. THE V-BOARD TRAILS 400 FT BEHIND THE PLANE AND DROPS FURTHER BELOW THE ACFT IN A TURN (THE AMOUNT OF DROP DEPENDING ON THE STEEPNESS OF THE TURN); AND BECAUSE I WAS FLYING LOWER THAN NORMAL; I WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT IT WAS SAFE TO TURN WITHOUT HAVING THE V-BOARD GO INTO THE WATER. TO DETERMINE IF I COULD TURN SAFELY AT 300 FT; I MADE 2 FAIRLY STEEP L TURNS AT THAT ALT; ONCE UP AT MALIBU; TURNING FROM N TO S; AND ONCE DOWN AT SAN CLEMENTE; TURNING FROM S TO N. NEITHER RESULTED IN THE V-BOARD COMING CLOSE TO THE WATER; (AND THEY WERE BOTH WELL CLR OF PEOPLE AND THE SHORELINE). SO I CONCLUDED THAT IT WAS SAFE TO MAKE SHALLOWER R TURNS WHICH I COULDN'T SEE AS WELL. AFTER COMPLETING THESE TESTS I WAS HEADED NWBOUND ALONG THE SHORELINE; WELL OFFSHORE AND CLR OF PEOPLE AND OBJECTS. ABOUT 1/2 MI FURTHER N; I MADE A SHALLOW R TURN TO BEGIN MY SBOUND TRANSITION. WHEN I BEGAN THE TURN; MY ALTIMETER SHOWED THAT I WAS AT 300 FT AND THEREFORE WOULD HAVE NO PROB WITH THE V-BOARD HITTING THE WATER; ACCORDING TO MY EARLIER TESTS. THE TURN PROCEEDED NORMALLY; AND AS I ROLLED OUT PARALLEL TO THE BEACH SEBOUND; THE PLANE PITCHED UP SOMEWHAT; WHICH IS NORMAL; AS IT ALWAYS DOES ON ROLLING OUT OF A TURN; BECAUSE ON ROLLOUT THE V-BOARD IS BEING RAPIDLY PULLED UP TO ITS NORMAL TRAILING POS SLIGHTLY BELOW THE PLANE; SO I SIMPLY PUSHED THE NOSE DOWN AND EXPECTED A RECOVERY. WHAT HAPPENED NEXT WAS VERY FAST. FIRST THE NOSE PITCHED UP A SECOND TIME; THIS TIME QUITE VIOLENTLY; AND THE PLANE SEEMED TO BE PULLED FROM THE SKY. I KNEW IMMEDIATELY THAT I HAD HOOKED SOMETHING - - PROBABLY THE WATER; AND QUICKLY RELEASED THE V-BOARD; WHILE PUSHING THE NOSE DOWN. HOWEVER; AFTER RELEASING IT; AND EVEN THOUGH I WAS CONTINUALLY PUSHING THE NOSE DOWN; THE PLANE WAS STILL BADLY STALLED AND UNCTLABLE; AND IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE RELEASE; IT PITCHED OVER AND TURNED TOWARD THE SURF LINE ON ITS OWN. WHEN I REGAINED CTL; AFTER RELEASING THE V-BOARD; THE NOSE OF THE PLANE WAS POINTED DOWN AT THE SURF LINE AT ABOUT A 60 DEG ANGLE AND THE PLANE WAS JUST REGAINING FLYING SPD. HOWEVER; AT THAT LOW AIRSPD; THE ELEVATOR CTL WAS NOT RESPONDING FAST ENOUGH TO PULL THE NOSE ABOVE THE HORIZON BEFORE I HIT SOMETHING; SO I ADDED FULL PWR; WHICH FINALLY GAVE ME THE ADDED AIR FLOW OVER THE CTL SURFACES ENABLING THE NOSE TO BE PULLED LEVEL BEFORE HITTING; AT WHICH POINT I CLBED TO A SAFE ALT AND TURNED BACK AWAY FROM THE BEACH. I DID NOT HAVE FULL CTL OF THE PLANE FROM THE TIME OF THE SECOND PITCH-UP AND STALL; UNTIL AFTER I WAS ALREADY POINTED NOSE DOWN AT THE BEACH; AND ANY ATTEMPT TO TURN AWAY AT THE POINT; OR UNTIL AFTER THE NOSE WAS LEVEL; WOULD HAVE BEEN FATAL. SO AFTER THE STALL; BUZZING THE BEACH WAS BOTH UNINTENTIONAL; AND UNAVOIDABLE. WHILE THE CAUSE OF THE V-BOARD GOING INTO THE WATER AND CAUSING THE STALL CANNOT BE DETERMINED UNTIL WE'VE HAD A CHANCE TO EXAMINE THE REMAINS THAT WERE PULLED FROM THE OCEAN; I THINK THE STRAIN OF THE ROLLOUT CAUSED PART OF THE HARNESS TO BREAK AND DROP INTO THE WATER; PULLING THE REST IN AFTER IT AND CAUSING ME TO STALL. HOWEVER; FROM HERE ON OUT WE WILL ONLY MAKE L TURNS WHILE PULLING THE V-BOARD; SO THAT WE CAN OBSERVE WHAT IS HAPPENING DURING THE TURN.