Decathlon eFoil from Takuma . Good or bad?

[E-Surfer]

Takuma is licensing the former eTakuma Cruising eFoil Model to sporting goods retailer Decathlon from France. It will be exclusively produced for Decathlon. Takuma is still providing spares, but no longer sells this model though their own channels. Takuma is focusing on their new Carver Version 2 eFoil, which is supposed to be available by early June 2021.

Initially announced in December with following promotion video, Decathlon will start selling electric hydrofoils:

- YouTube

About Decathlon:

(Source: Wikipedia) Decathlon S.A. (French pronunciation: ​[dekatlɔ̃]) is a French sporting goods retailer. With over 1647 stores in nearly 1000 cities in 57 countries and regions (Jan 2020), it is the largest sporting goods retailer in the world The company manages the research, design, production, logistics and distribution of its products in house; partners with global suppliers; and markets their own brands directly to consumers in Decathlon-branded big-box stores.

The company expanded to Germany in 1986, Spain in 1992, Italy in 1993, Belgium in 1997 Portugal, the United Kingdom in 1999, Brazil in 2001, China in 2003, India in 2009, Taiwan in 2012, Hong Kong in 2013, Malaysia and Singapore in 2016, South Africa, Philippines and Indonesia in 2017 and South Korea, Australia in 2018.The company employs more than 87,000 staff from 80 different nationalities. The retailer stocks a wide range of sporting goods, from tennis rackets to advanced scuba diving equipment, usually in large, big-box superstores averaging 4,000m2 in size Decathlon Group markets its products under more than 20 brands Its research and development facilities are located across France, where the company develops its product designs, registering up to 40 patents per year.

eFoil available on Decathlon website

The Takuma electric hydrofoil is now live on the Decathlon website. So far only in the French website:

https://www.decathlon.fr/p/pack-efoil-electrique-surf-electrique-takuma-cruising-blanc/_/R-p-X8671388?mc=8671388&c=BLANC&opeco=opeco:LP_PRECOMMANDE_takuma-efoil-takuma-cruising&type=opeco

PRICE

5890 EUR

DELIVERY TIME

Pre-order, no exact date mentioned

We did a translation for you:

The Cruising is the most versatile Efoil on the market. It’s for everyone, really everyone. Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced boarder, this Efoil is made for you. Its innovative design and size make it easy to learn and progress at your own pace, and you’ll experience incredible boarding sensations right from the start.

A 100% Foil brand. More than products, it is a whole universe and a philosophy that this company develops every day. Takuma is one of the pioneer and expert companies in the world of foil and electric foil. Its reputation and reliability make it one of the leading brands on the market. Innovation is at the heart of all their projects in order to revolutionize even more the world of surfing.

What if your passion became your job?

Live the Efoil experience to the fullest

Since the first Efoils appeared on the market, the demand for them has increased year after year. Naturally, the electric foil rental business has developed in parallel.

Efoils offer new and unparalleled sensations, which makes them one of the most sought-after products on the water sports market today. Decathlon proposes extremely advantageous offers for professionals wishing to rent electric foils.

Do you want to be part of the adventure?

Contact:

charlesalexandre.vanroyen.partner@decathlon.com

jeremy.bascunana@decathlon.com

This electric foil has been selected to allow you to discover the unique sensation of flying over water. Our partner Takuma has developed this E-foil in order to make the experience of flying on water finally accessible to all. Whatever your level, live this unique experience.

When pre-ordering, the article PACK EFOIL ELECTRIQUE - SURF ELECTRIQUE -TAKUMA CRUISING BLANC cannot be sent with other articles. If you want to order other items, we invite you to make two separate orders, the delivery time may be extended.

Technical specs:

RIDING TIME

Between 60 and 90 minutes depending on the conditions and your level

ERGONOMIC GRIP

Ergonomic, safe and intuitive BBTalkin Bluetooth remote control

POWER

3KW engine requiring no boat license in Europe

STABILITY

Very stable foil for easy take off over water

SHAPE AND SIZE OF THE BOARD

Thanks to its innovative shape, this 150L board is adapted to all sizes, its stability will put you in the best conditions to ensure your first flights over the water with ease. Its shape is specially designed to allow you a smooth landing and not to stick to the water.

Dimension of the board:

Length: 190cm

Volume: 150L

SHAPE AND SIZE OF THE FOIL

A front wing whose shape has been studied to give you maximum stability at low speed. The combination of the front wing, the length of the fuselage and the stabilizer ensures a smooth take-off. The mast of moderate height (50cm above the engine) allows you to land easily to take off again and find more easily the perfect balance above the water.

Size of the foil:

Front wing: 1900 cm².

Stabilizer: 300 cm².

Length of the mast: 50cm from the plate to the motor

ELECTRIC MOTOR

Electric brushless motor of 3KW. Its limited power allows you to practice freely without a boat license anywhere in Europe.

HELIX

5-blade propeller with fairing.

LITHIUM BATTERY

Lithium Ion battery offering you a duration of practice going from 60 to 90 min according to the conditions and your level of practice.

Characteristics: 48 V / 35 ah

BATTERY CHARGER

Recharge time:

220V = 3H

110V = 4H

BLUETOOTH REMOTE CONTROL

Waterproof and ergonomic Bluetooth remote control developed in collaboration with the BB Talkin brand specialized in Bluetooth communication for action sports.

It allows you to control with simplicity and finesse the speed of the E-foil. Safe, it allows you to cut the action of the motor immediately either by releasing the trigger or when you fall into the water.

REMOTE CONTROL CHARGER

Wireless charger dock, you just have to place your remote control in the dock which is connected via a USB port.

Does not contain the electrical outlet but only the USB cable.

COOLING SYSTEM

Its innovative design allows for permanent cooling of the electrical system that controls the power management of the battery by a grid positioned under the board in contact with air and water.

MAINTENANCE

After each use, rinse your E-FOIL: Open the upper part of the board and rinse with clear water without disconnecting the cables.

Also rinse the e-mat and the thruster thoroughly.

Dry the inside of the board with a clean, dry cloth until there is no trace of water left inside.

Also dry the VEV, the battery and the connector covers.

Unplug the connectors, making sure that there are no traces of water or sand.

or sand.

ESSENTIAL ACCESSORIES FOR PRACTICE

Always practice with a Wakeboard helmet (EN1385 standard) (Ref 8608531) and a 50 Newton buoyancy aid vest (EN ISO 12402-5 standard) (Ref 8605532).

It is recommended to wear gloves (Ref 8180605) and neoprene shoes.

RULES OF USE

The practice of E-foil is exclusively on flat water, beyond 300 meters. It is imperative to use the channel dedicated to motorized boats to go out of the 300 meters and not to exceed 5 knots (10km/h) in the 300 meters.

IMPORTANT

It must be maintained and checked after each use in order to ensure the good working order of the product and to reduce the risks of damage.

Never let the connectors come into contact with water or sand, as this could cause serious damage.

Never store it when it is still wet. Before any storage period, make sure it is completely dry.

Apply TEF anti-corrosion gel to the screws regularly.

WEIGHT

40 kg

CARE INSTRUCTIONS

Rinse with clean water after use.

RESTRICTIONS

Practice only on flat water and outside 300 meters.

LEGAL MENTIONS

The practice of E-foil is exclusively on flat water, beyond 300 meters. It is imperative to use the channel dedicated to motorized boats to leave the 300 meters and not to exceed 5 knots (10km/h) within 300 meters. Always practice with a helmet and a 50 newton buoyancy aid vest (EN ISO 12402-5 standard)

NOTICE

For more information about this product, please consult the manual

[Jetsurfingnation]

Great for industry that big boys retailers are joining the club

[Ed_the_surf]

I can’t believe that they want to sell a product to masses, which has already proven to be a low quality product:

Avante Innovations (aka Takuma) Efoil: DON'T BUY IT!

Ok, So I did something dumb, bought an Efoil sight unseen. I did ‘research’ but in the end I didn’t want to spend 12,000 so I cheaped out. The Avante Efoil had price tag of 7,499 at the time. [Takuma eFoil] I talked to the Owner, Rick a few times. He told me it weighted 55 pounds. He told me it had a Hull identification number. All of these were straight up lies. The thing arrived direct from China in 3 shipments. I was told it would arrive in 2 weeks. It took about 5 weeks, that was not a bi…

[Andreas]

Let’s hope they will have fixed the known issues before the products end up on the shelves. Seems that they do a test run in France first.

This must be one of the most expensive products in their stores.

[Jetsurfingnation]

Yes, funny how they plan to sell so niche product in mass-market shop… people will be walking down the “watersports isle” and saying “ok i get these flip flops, maybe a new leash… oh and this efoil for 6000 sounds good too, i will grab couple of those”…

[Jones]

That is really interesting. I would have guessed that the price would drop if they sell it in big yolume. The normal price from takuma is 6k right? And they sell the old model?
However I think and hope that this step takes the efoiling to a lot of people that will grow this community and sport. And maybe, if there is enough demand, they will be able to drop the prices, so even more people can enjoy.
Let’s see what will happen.

[Andreas]

Takuma does not spell out the prices of the new models yet on their website. Just “coming soon”. May be the new Takuma models will be more expensive?

[OliL]

So far i can only see the old model in their online shop… This model has so many problems, (cracking boards, nonwaterproof remote, failed Motorcontrollers) that it will be interesting to watch how decathlon will handle this stuff… Maybe they can offer a 24month no question aked replacement warranty… If not I think this could be a mess for Decathlon reputation too…

[sanktnelson]

So I bought the e-takuma from decathlon.
The delivery was well-packaged and on time.
The remote appears to be the newer model which does not need to be (and in fact cannot be) opened.

Anybody buying this in Germany should be aware that decathlon does not include the documentation neccessary for the mandatory small watercraft registration. After some back and forth i was able to at least get a CE certificate from customer support, but this only certified the radio remote and receiver, there was no mention of the motor or battery. However, i was able to get a registration number with this and a few pictures of the board.

[Jetsurfingnation]

Can you show some fotos of your new decathlon e-takuma. Is it carver or old big cruiser model? how long is the mast?

[Andreas]

Yes, some real world pictures and unboxing video would be great.

[sanktnelson]

Too late for unboxing videos.
It is the cruiser model, it is large and heavy, but so am I, so I consider that a feature.
Decathlon only sells the cruiser with 1900 wing and 50cm mast.

[sanktnelson]

Btw. I have written a product review on the decathlon website, in which I mention the required registration in Germany and that decathlon does not include the documentation. It was never published. go figure…

[sanktnelson]

Update: Decathlon published my review after all, it just took them about four weeks.
I have now ridden the board for a few hundred km and I have zero issues with it. It just works.
I (100kg) get ~45min riding time at 22km/h and ~1h at 18km/h. My minimum foiling speed is ~17km/h, I assume lighter riders could go even slower and longer. The battery charges in a little over 4h. Maximum Speed is just shy of 25km/h. Although i have no comparison, I think it is an excellent beginner board, it is very easy to start flying.
Really the only downside is that it is big and heavy. At 40kg it is too heavy and awkward to carry for more than a few meters. With the battery removed it is okay to carry to the beach.
It is exactly too long to fit into a van sideways and too wide to fit comfortably on the passenger side of a regular car, but that is the price of being able to stand up before being on the foil.
So if you plan to drive to your local beach by car and then assemble it there for each and every ride, this will probably annoy you quickly. But if you plan to spend a few days in a row by the water at a campground or beach hut with a power outlet, i can fully recommend it.

[Andreas]

My review on the German Decathlon website was rejected right away. Seems Decathlon did not like some basic info to be shared with their customers. For example that it is based on the first Generation eFoil from Takuma.

[sanktnelson]

Would you care to post your review here, so people can judge decathlon’s rejection in context?

As for it being last year’s model, I don’t see how that is a problem per se. The new carver model addresses a different market but uses the same parts (propulsion, foils, controller) except for the board itself. The main change in terms of electronics from last year seems to be the remote, and decathlon ships the current one.

[Olli81BS]

Hi Everybody,

I just ordered the Takuma Carver at Decathlon, it is supposed to arrive at the end of next week.

As far as I understood the actual available model at Decathlon is the Takuma Cruise Gen 2, it seems to have a modified remote controller and other fixed 1st Gen bugs…

I was able to test the new FliteBoard V2 for half an hour 2 weeks ago near Berlin, which is of course much smaller then the Takuma, but I am not willing to spend 13k € on a Hobby that can be used only in a very short time period over the year when I am at my boat, so I was amazed about the Takuma, which is only half the price.
I will try it out, luckily Decathlon offers a 90 days refund, so I can minimate the risk of buying crap…

[Jetsurfingnation]

It’s not crap but far cry from fliteboard or lift. Most of my friends with takuma are upgrading now to flite… Please share your experience with us!

[Olli81BS]

I got my Takuma e-foil last Friday, and I was really looking forward to test it on the water near Berlin where we have our motorboat located.

Due to the engine power of 3kW, the board is subject to labelling when operating in Germany as a small vehicle, and a CE certificate of conformity is required for approval by the Water and Shipping Authority.
Unfortunately, this was not enclosed with the board, and had to be requested by me directly from the French manufacturer due to a lack of 3x requested recall at Decathlon.

The waterproof remote control is charged by induction by means of a charging cradle. Unfortunately, the remote control only charges if you press it into the shell with force and somehow hold it in it, probably the charging coil is not quite optimally placed.

The board is extremely heavy and in the assembled state alone hard to handle, but the driving performance is surprisingly good, and thanks to the large volume I was able to start without getting wet from our inflatable bathing platform on the boat in the harbor.

Thanks to the large foil you can also get out of the water very quickly, which makes the beginnings in the air easier, when displaced it is totally stable and thus allows an extremely fast learning effect.
The two foils are made of carbon, but the fuselage and the mast are made of aluminum, and here comes the totally annoying part:

When I put the board back on the bathing platform after the 1st battery charge with a wide grin on my face about the first flight jumps and obligatory departures, I had to realize that the mast at the connection to the board has bent, the board is now about 3-4 degrees crooked.

I weight 87kg, started from the harbor, and was only in deep water, a ground contact definitely did not take place.

Unfortunately, you will not find any permissible weight information on the Decathlon homepage,
apparently, the Chinese producer has slipped with the material, the mast has of course to carry a decent load at this point.

All the more annoying me that in addition the 4 supplied M6 screws, which connect the mast to the board, and thus have to carry the entire load, were much too short: these had fully tightened just 2mm in the threaded nut from the double US-Box, although this has 8mm thread. The screws were therefore replaced by me before the first start of the journey against longer stainless steel screws.

I then drove a total of 3 battery charges, this morning the flight worked perfectly on the 3rd charge.
The board has unfortunately gone back to Decathlon, I would have liked to keep it, but 5900, - € are definitely much too expensive for me in view of the lousy quality…

[TeeCee]

Thanks so much for the report! I’ve been eyeing one of these, but the mast bending without impact is so disappointing.