A PA25 PLT; DEPARTING 0L7 WITH A GLIDER IN TOW; NEEDED TO CUT THE LINE BECAUSE OF AN UNQUALIFIED GLIDER PLT'S IMPROPER XWIND TECHNIQUE. HE WAS UNABLE TO CUT AWAY DUE TO THE OWNER'S REPLACING THE NYLON CORD WITH DACRON ROPE WITHOUT THE RPTR'S KNOWLEDGE NOR PERMISSION.

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THIS WAS A NEW OP FOR GIVING GLIDER RIDES AT JEAN; NEVADA. THE OWNER/OPERATOR ARRIVED AT JEAN THE PREVIOUS DAY (MAR/SAT/04) AND DID NOT HAVE A GLIDER PLT PREARRANGED. I WAS OPERATING THE TOW PLANE. THE EVENING OF MAR/SAT/04; BOTH I AND THE OPERATOR MET A PLT; KNOWN TO ME ONLY BY FIRST NAME WHO OFFERED TO FLY THE GLIDER THE NEXT DAY TO GIVE GLIDER RIDES. THIS PLT TOLD ME THAT HE HAD LAST FLOWN A GLIDER IN OCTOBER 2003. HE; THEREFORE; WAS NOT CURRENT. ON THE MORNING OF MAR/SAT/04; THE OPERATOR (WHO IS ALSO A GLIDER PLT) MADE ONE FLT WITH THE NEW PLT. THE TOW TO ALT; WHICH I FLEW AS TOW PLT; WAS DIFFICULT; WITH THE GLIDER UNSTABLE ON TOW; INDICATING LACK OF CURRENCY ON THE PART OF THE PLT. AFTER I LANDED; I WAS DISTR AND DID NOT SEE THE GLIDER RELOADED AND ONLY SAW THE NEW PLT GET INSIDE FOR THE SECOND TOW OF THE DAY. THE OPERATOR ACTED AS WING RUNNER FOR THE LAUNCH. THERE WAS MODERATE XWIND FROM THE R; AND DURING TKOF ROLL ON RWY 20L; THE GLIDER DRIFTED FAR TO THE L WHILE I HAD ACCELERATED TO ONLY ABOUT 40 MPH. THE GLIDER BEGAN PULLING MY TAIL TO THE L UNTIL I WAS MISALIGNED FROM THE RWY CTRLINE BY ABOUT 20 DEGS; WHILE I INPUTTED FULL CTL DEFLECTIONS IN AN ATTEMPT TO COMPENSATE FOR THE MISALIGNMENT. FOR THE FIRST TIME IN ABOUT 900 GLIDER TOWS; I PULLED THE EMER TOW RELEASE HANDLE; AND IT FAILED TO CUT THE TOW ROPE. I CONSIDERED CLOSING THE THROTTLE; BUT REASONED THAT ACTION WOULD RESULT IN LOSS OF CTL OF THE GLIDER AND A SUBSEQUENT CRASH OF THE GLIDER IF THE GLIDER PLT FAILED TO RELEASE THE TOW ROPE AT HIS END (HE WOULD OVERFLY THE STATIONARY TOW PLANE AND BE TOPPED IN THE AIR; OR LOSE SIGNIFICANT FLYING SPD; BY THE TOW ROPE). I WAS LATER TOLD BY THE OPERATOR THAT HE WAS AWARE THE TOW RELEASE WOULD NOT WORK BECAUSE HE HAD SUBSTITUTED DACRON ROPE THAT COULD NOT BE CUT BY THE RELEASE SYS. ABOUT A SECOND OR TWO AFTER ATTEMPTING TO RELEASE THE GLIDER FROM TOW; I BECAME AIRBORNE; AND THE TOW CONTINUED WITHOUT INCIDENT; ALTHOUGH THE GLIDER WAS STILL UNSTABLE ON TOW. THE GLIDER RELEASED FROM TOW AT 4000 FT AGL. WHEN THE GLIDER LANDED; I SAW THAT IT WAS CARRYING 2 REVENUE PAX -- EVEN THOUGH THIS WAS ONLY THE GLIDER PLT'S SECOND FLT SINCE OCTOBER. 2 FAILURES OCCURRED THAT COULD HAVE LED TO AN ACCIDENT: 1) THE LACK OF CURRENCY ON THE PART OF THE GLIDER PLT THAT LED TO INADEQUATE COMPENSATION FOR THE XWIND ON TKOF (AND VIOLATION OF FAR 61.57(A)). 2) THE FAILURE OF THE EMER TOW ROPE RELEASE SYS IN THE TOW PLANE. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS WERE MY LACK OF KNOWLEDGE THAT THE TOW ROPE -- WHICH IS NORMALLY NYLON THAT COULD BE CUT BY THE RELEASE SYS -- HAD BEEN REPLACED BY DACRON; WHICH COULD NOT BE CUT. ALSO CONTRIBUTING WAS THE OPERATOR'S FAILURE TO NOTIFY ME THAT THE TOW ROPE HAD BEEN SUBSTITUTED AND COULD NOT BE CUT. 3) THE OPERATOR'S PERMITTING A NON-CURRENT PLT TO PERFORM A FLT WITH NON-PLT REVENUE PAX.