Good Afternoon fine gentlemen.
Feedback and podcast say to upgrade from the Takuma aluminum mast.
Seems the better guys are using No Limitz to get the most energy transfer. Has anyone tried the Cedrus aluminum? Does it get the job done? Obviously the cost of aluminum is attractive.
Wait for the new takuma carbon is your other option. Anyone heard when that is coming out?
Big Winds just placed an order for the new Takuma 75 and 85cm masts w/ fuse. The US distributor is air freighting these over, w/ hopes of a September arrival. Contact tj@bigwinds.com to pre-order.
Fortunately there are a bunch of different options these days, I’ve listed the ones I know of (sorted roughly by price).
Full disclosure, I designed the last option for myself, then had some extras made.
A doodad adapter! I was just wishing that existed, and it does! I had a session recently where my cedrus adapter got a smidge loose and I was wobbling. Doodad wouldn’t do that.
I just got word from the US Distributor that Takuma Masts won’t be available until December on the next container. Airfreight is too expensive to bring them in earlier. If I hear otherwise, I’ll keep you all posted!
Just got the Surf elementals doodad for my axis aluminum mast. Works great! thanks Walter.
I’m Using the Takuma aluminum fuselage for my Kujira 1210 and my Pedigo tail from foil parts (shimmed leading edge up .5 degrees) on a 4’6" FFB fusion. Fun setup plenty of pump power and nice turning.
The stock Takuma mast (not the new generation) is awful. I broke one the first time I ever used it. The m6 connections and mast wall thickness are critically under-engineered.
Ive been riding a Cedrus with Takuma with a direct mount Stringy fuselage (no adapter, m8 connection, multiple tail mount options) and that setup is solid. I love the Cedrus mast for my use (mostly winging), its as stiff and solid as anything out there. There is some compromise in glide, but I can still pump it - no problem. I like the direct mount fuselage too - much beefier than Takuma and no adapter required. I don’t love the Cedrus Takuma mount solution because it still relies on Takuma’s crappy m6 connections (not Cedrus fault) and the Stringy is a much better option.
In addition to the crappy mast, the wing>fuselage connection is a real issue on Takuma. There is a lot of play in the system and it puts too much stress on the m6 bolts. I sheered mine recently. HVAC tape didn’t work to tighten this connection for me, but I’ve finally stabilized it with a trimmed up aluminum can. Not exactly sexy, but it works and the connection is finally stiff.
No aftermarket fuse that I’ve seen will fix this issue, but the new Takuma fuse design features expansion which should fix this. I’m trying to get this mythical new Takuma fuselage and getting the runaround from everyone. MacKite told me they aren’t going to be sold separate from the mast. Chinook (distruitor) told me they aren’t bringing them to the US. I will try BigWinds and see if I can get one there. Also not sure whether its going to require a new adapter for Cedrus or not and nobody is able to tell me what the compatibility is. I’ve tried and it seems like literally nobody really knows the story with this magical fuse - kind of par for the course with Takuma.