bent Takuma mast

[opie]

Hi,  Lot's of great info on here, thanks for that.

I bent the mast on my Takuma, do I need to replace?  Is it possible to bend it back?  Anybody been in this situation and fixed it?  I'll probably try to ride it like this but I expect catching waves with the twist in the mast might make it more difficult.

[opie]

whoops

[TallDude]

The problem with aluminum is....you can bend it, but you can't bend it back the way it was. It looks bent near the base plate. You may be able to shorten it up a bit and save the mast? I don't know how the mast base is attached to the mast?

[opie]

It's bolted but I doubt the mast is threaded all the way through.  It is only bent in the last 3 inches next to the base plate, so maybe worth a look.

 Looks like Houston Kiteboarding is out of 60 cm replacement masts so I may be stuck for a while.

[Newps]

Contact Takuma, there have been a lot of bent masts.  You are not the first.  Hopefully they will replace it.  Report back and let us know....

[TallDude]

Here is probably what the inside of the mast looks like. Most extruded strut and airfoil blade profiles have continuous rounded channels where the screws go.

 http://www.bcawnings.com/?o=modules&n=alum&f=alum&idinfo=899

[opie]

Here is probably what the inside of the mast looks like. Most extruded strut and airfoil blade profiles have continuous rounded channels where the screws go.

 http://www.bcawnings.com/?o=modules&n=alum&f=alum&idinfo=899

So maybe I can cut it and tap the tubes for the bolts.

I have another idea I think I'll try first.  There is a guy at work that bent my dead blow hammer my using it to move a crate by wedging it underneath and lifting the end.  Maybe I can get the edge of the mounting plate on the foil under a tire on my truck.  Or maybe I can borrow a man hole cover, put the lip of the plate under that and then park on top.

[opie]

That didn't work, I picked up my whole SUV.  How did I bend it in the first place?  Without breaking the foilmount?

New idea: I'll shim one side and make it straight, then twist the plate in the foilmount to deal with the twist.  Tomorrow I'll pick up some longer bolts and washers.  Maybe I can keep riding while I wait for another mast.

[supuk]

conttact takuma first but then I would just cut the bent section, as its a extrusion the hole will go all the way through it will just need re taping out. and then re sealing so the mast doesnt fill with water. i  belive most of the ali masts coming out of china are the same extrusion, the naish certainly is.

[supdiscobay]

Cut it and tap new threads.  That is what I did to shorten my Liquid Force mast. Easy Fix

[opie]

Contact Takuma, there have been a lot of bent masts.  You are not the first.  Hopefully they will replace it.  Report back and let us know....

Thanks, you were right.  They are sending me a new one.  I am pleasantly surprised.

[Newps]

Very good to hear.

[Dialy]

The same thing happened to me today. After my board kept going sideways at the take off I realized that my mast was badly bent. I never hit anything as the immaculate condition of the wings and fuselage showed. Could it be just the torque from a wave (3 ft max today)? I am contacting Takuma.
I am worried that it might happen again with a new mast if it’s a design flaw.

[opie]

I was  thinking the same when I bent mine, but my new one is still in perfect condition after about 25 sessions.  I never hit bottom riding but I suspect it hit bottom after I jumped off in shallow water.  Now I am careful to end my rides without allowing my board to get caught in the white water.  I either pull out early or end by tilting the board on its side.  I also avoid trying to surf in too shallow of water.
Cutting the mast with a chop saw and tapping new threads worked great, and it's nice to have  a back-up.  The new one took a couple of weeks to arrive.

[opie]

I just reread that your wings look unscathed.  That is weird, mine was chipped, so I knew it hit something.