Installing Aluminum Jib/Genoa Track on Steel Boat

[kaakre]

Has anyone out there installed a jib / genoa track on a steel boat? Some questions-

The Aluminum track has a curved base with sharp edges that will cut through the paint and start corrosion through steel rusting and dissimilar metal action.

May want to sand the track base flat ?

May also need a base- like a fiberglass batten to isolate the metals and allow some sealant.

Any ideas will be helpful-- Thanks

[Terra Nova]

Why not use stainless track?

[Pauls]

Drilling holes in a steel boat to mount hardware is a really bad idea. A great plus point of metal boats is that they can be genuinely dry, leak free. Drilling holes gives you the same long term problems as glass/wood boats have with leaks.

Whatever type of track you use, the best way to mount it is to weld mount points to the deck. They should be stainless, with threaded holes to screw down your track. They can either be welded on top of the deck, in which case the track will be slightly above deck level, or you can drill holes and weld in stainless acorn nuts flush with the deck level. This is a very clean set up.

Installing the track with a thin insulator - uhmw plastic strip is good - should be done if you go with the flush mount route.