Insulation under sail track

[Jfwtc]

What material is used under the bronze sail track to isolate it from the aluminum mast or boom? Where can it be purchased?
JFWTC

[The Good Goose]

I used electrical tape I got it in white to match my mast. Don't know if it is the right thing but several people said it ws what they had used.

Brock

[Tim]

You can use just about anything. My existing bronze track seems to have a sort of papery material beneath, almost like a very thin roofing felt. Lightweight roofing felt, if it was not overly thick, would be fine, or even something like Tyvec.

The idea is only that you need to provide some sort of buffer between the materials to avoid as much direct metal-to-metal contact as possible. You can spread a thin layer of sealant on the track, or use electical tape as suggested, or anything. It should be thin to allow the track to seat properly against the spar, and should be resistant to weather.

A sealant (like polysulfide) is a good choice because you can also ensure that the fastener threads are coated, further isolating the various materials and making future removal easier. The isolation is more important if you have a painted spar, since the corrosion might cause paint failure around hardware, a common malady.

I didn't remove my mast track for a recent repainting, but I reinstalled all the other hardware using polysulfide--just a thin layer, since I am not trying to keep water out, but only to provide that thin buffer on the backs of the hardware and on the screw threads.