From Takuma:

Stiffer, stronger, lighter. The integrated carbon mast and top plate will radically improve your performance and the pure feeling you get from riding. The Takuma Carbon mast has a new profile redesigned to deliver perfect efficiency and maximizes comfort in flight. The refined profile guarantees high rigidity, eliminating flex and drag, working harmoniously with the full range of wing sizes. The thinner, stiffer profile decreases frontal resistance and reduces torsion to deliver the smoothest of glides. This in turn increases speed, wing stability and control.

Variable chord.

The shape of our mast has been optimized for overall flexural strength and torsional stiffness. The “variable chord” is wider closer to the top plate which gives maximum strength and stability.  The chord gradually reduces in width and is much narrower at the joining with the fuselage, allowing for better glide, less drag, and more maneuverability. This combination also enables the foil to achieve much greater speed. • Torsional stiffness • Maneuverability • Greater speed

 Conic locked-in.

Secure airtight fuselage connection. Maintaining a fully impenetrable connection with the foil, the new mast foot design improves lateral stiffness, securing a “one welded piece“ feeling between fuselage and mast.

 Aluminum fuselage.

Tough, strong, and streamlined. The intelligent locked-in system avoids any movement between the front wing and fuselage. Helicoil screw inserts make for a completely secure back wing attachment. The overall hydrodynamic contour of the fuselage increases glide.

Transport cover.

High-quality protection for your Carbon mast with an innovative magnetic closure and elastic support for securing the fuselage.

From Nick at Big Winds:

As a bigger and intermediate rider with the need for speed but also loves the free-flowing vibe sessions in the waves the Takuma Carbon Mast (85cm) connected all the dots for me.  With a background in one-design windsurf racing and college sailing, my foiling only just began when I ventured out to gorge in spring of 2022.  I spent the spring and summer riding the alloy 75cm mast and had incredible progression sessions on a predominantly Takuma kit.

The switch to the longer Takuma carbon Mast presented a notably different feel for me.  It added comfort at higher speeds and an extra 10cm of play in waves and to throw in mightier turns.  As a heavier rider, engaging a hydrofoil requires a bit more effort and speed than a lighter rider (see Navier-Stokes & Bernoulli for some light reading and arithmetic).  As I progressed, I could feel the forces at work beneath my feet. The stiffer carbon mast delivered a more stable and controlled ride at higher speeds.  The added stiffness decreased speed wobbles and I felt more connected to the foil as I flew through the water.  Speed wobbles on a foil are not quite the same as on a skate/longboard for those of you who also grew up shredding the streets.  On the water it almost feels as though the foil is swimming like a fish underneath you.  Its not a bad feeling but you are aware of it… it just feels like you and the foil are not really vibing.  On the carbon mast the vibe was immaculate.  I could feel the connection – feet-foil-mind – and I knew it was time to let ‘er eat.  I opened up the throttle on the wing and was amazed by the sheer lack of any chatter coming up from the foil.  It was like a hot knife through butter.  Strait line speed is one side of the story, but how does it handle tight turns in big swell?  Phenomenally!  If you’ve rode an alloy mast hard and really pushed the turns as tight as you can handle, you have probably felt like the foil doesn’t always respond as quickly as your telling it to.  The carbon 85 mast eliminates this with the added stiffness.  It will make sure your foil tracks exactly how you tell it to.  The additional length gives you the depth you need to really dial in those tight turns without feeling like you’re going to be bucked off the board or catch a board edge.

The Takuma carbon mast was a delightful upgrade from the alloy 75.  While the 75 was certainly not holding me back, the carbon 85 unlocked a sportier ride with added comfort.  I imagine it would be like swapping out your 88 wrangler for a Porsche 911.  While one will always be held near and dear, the carbon 85 will make you feel one with your equipment on the water.