Foil mounting maintenance question

[wjlavery]

Hey - I'm new to wingfoiling - just got back from my third session tonight. I'm having trouble with the foil track on my KT Drifter (it was brand new - just used the three times). The track seems to be getting dented and the paint is flaking, and the nuts won't slide. It's happening on all 4 points where the nuts are. Any ideas about how to prevent this and how to fix it? It got me thinking that I am mounting the nuts incorrectly (see pic A) because if they were in the opposite position (pic B), they slide smoothly. Every photo I've found online shows them mounted like pic A. Also attached a photo of the track - you can see the worst spot. Ideas appreciated!

[smartang]

Mount in A orientation. Those brass nuts don't fit tracks well (or the stainless ones that are the same shape). This style has much more contact and a more snug fit in the tracks, never dents them.

https://kiteboarding.com/proddetail.asp ... -track-nut

Don't overtighten those, or any foil hardware. Mast mounts are into plastic, just snug with the long end of an allen key into the screw then maybe 1/8th to 1/4 turn with the short end into screw. Any overtightening will dent the plastic, unless you know exactly where your foil goes and will never move it.

The only time I've had a track nut sticking is when there was a little epoxy in there after laminating. Which was easy to scrape off with a pick. The tracks themselves shouldn't be painted, they are either white or black plastic with no coating.

[wjlavery]

Thanks for the reply. I'll get those other nuts, and be sure not to over tighten them. To deal with the dents I seem to have made, should I sand them smooth?

[smartang]

Yes, plastic sands fast, start with 220 wet on some sort of a thin sanding block, and only as much as you need to, to get the bolts to slide through. Consider using alternative holes in the mast plate if possible so you don't stress the damaged area.