Product Description
Specifications:
- 6061-T6 Aluminum.
- "Almost 8 foot lengths" (what does that mean? *see below)
- Satin 201 R1 Anodized.
- Each 8 foot piece of sailtrack has 36 rivet holes predrilled and countersunk holes for 5⁄32 countersunk rivets.
- “Vee” groove for easy drilling.
- For use with 5/8″ internal slides.
*note (almost 8 feet): for shipping we often cut a couple of inchs off the 8' track pieces which reduces shipping costs significantly as most major shippers have added large fees on packages "8 feet or more". Future track will most likely be produced in slightly shorter lengths (93" most likely). If you think you need more than 1 piece give us a call and we can throw in a bit of scrap offcut we have lots.
The New Internal Aluminum Track: Our sail track is extruded aluminum and every corner inside and out is rounded. A concave back face with “feet” on either side fits perfectly on round mast sections down to 1.5″ diameter. The concave causes the track to literally “snap” into place and self aligns lengthwise on the mast. In larger diameters, the “feet” contact the surface to provide a wide contact area that cannot work loose over time.
Fastening: B&B sailtrack is pre-drilled and countersunk for 5/32 countersunk head rivets. We supply and recommend the use of stainless steel rivets for our sailtrack. Stainless rivets should always be used when riveting aluminum in marine environments. As shown above, a small spacer is needed to extend the tip on a standard rivet gun in order to reach the rivet head due to the depth of the track. You can buy one from us or make one from a mild steel bolt on a drill press or in a pinch, a few #6 nuts can be stacked to act as a bushing.
For wooden masts, #8 screws can be used but will require a larger countersink in order for the screw to fit flush. A regular countersink can be ground down on a drill press with an angle grinder such that it fits between the sides of the track. Click here for an album of pictures showing our shop-made countersink which was used in testing.
Plastic Sail Slides: The track is designed for standard 5/8″ internal plastic sail slides. The combination of plastic sail slides on aluminum is superior to stainless on stainless which requires careful polishing and waxing to achieve friction free hoisting and lowering. Plastic slides can also be “hollowed” slightly on a belt sander to reduce friction on the backsides of the sail slides. Pictures of a hollowed slide can be seen in link above.
