Bedding Genoa Track

[Dean Strong]

I'm chasing down a longstanding leak, and believe it could be coming from the genoa track, so I'm going to remove & rebed it. I've been using butyl tape for bedding for the past couple of years, but am wondering if it can be used for this. Tracks on most boats have nuts underneath, so the bolts are seated after being taped, and and tightening the nut from underneath creates a longlasting seal.

Hunter tracks of this era (1988-1992, maybe always) use machine screws that go into an embedded aluminum plate. The screws must be turned to tighten the track to the deck, which will break the butyl seal.

I'm going to use butyl under the entire track, and countersink the holes, filling the void with butyl. But what about the heads of the fasteners? What can be used to get a waterproof seal around the head of the screw when it has to be turned to tighten it? LifeCalk? 3M4200? Smear on the upper threads?

 

[Project_Mayhem]

This isn't an ideal situation but here's what I would do

1. Before removing the track, apply masking tape to the edges of the track and on the deck along the track. This is simply to make it easy to remove excess sealant that will squeeze out
2. I suggest countersinking the holes so all the sealant doesn't squeeze out when you tighten it down. Counter sinking is also a very fast way to eliminate left over sealant in the area around the hole. Just make sure to clean it afterwards
3. Apply sealant to the underside of the screw heads, the upper portion of the threads and the area around each screw (on the underside of the track or top of deck)
4. Reinstall track

I'm not sure what the embedded plate is made of but it might be worth it to apply some Tef-Gel to prevent corrosion

 

[Project_Mayhem]

This isn't an ideal situation but here's what I would do

1. Before removing the track, apply masking tape to the edges of the track and on the deck along the track. This is simply to make it easy to remove excess sealant that will squeeze out
2. I suggest countersinking the holes so all the sealant doesn't squeeze out when you tighten it down. Counter sinking is also a very fast way to eliminate left over sealant in the area around the hole. Just make sure to clean it afterwards
3. Apply sealant to the underside of the screw heads, the upper portion of the threads and the area around each screw (on the underside of the track or top of deck)
4. Reinstall track

I'm not sure what the embedded plate is made of but it might be worth it to apply some Tef-Gel to prevent corrosion

To clarify, countersink the hole before cleaning off the old sealant. Much less work this way. I'd recommend 3M 4000UV, 4200 or Locktite Marine sealant.

I haven't tried this but I suspect that if you run a knife along the edges and pull the tape when the sealant is partially hardened, that it will be much less messy than if you were to pull it right after installing the hardware.