I have a hydrofoil and board with a plate mount and 4 x M6 screws.

I've got a new board with a track mount - but it seems that the standard for a track mount is M8 screws. Questions for the forum of knowledge...

Can you get M6 thread T-nuts or should I just get M8 and drill out the plate mount to fit?
...and where can you buy them, anywhere local in Perth or online in Aus?

Hi Jack,

Your probably better off going with the M8's in our opinion they are the industry standard for most company's foil mountings. M6 thread T-Nuts will work but its a 25% reduction in the thickness of the screw, thereby reducing strength. We have both M6 and M8's in store so feel free to drop by and quiz us on anything else Foil related!

Kind Regards,
CL

Thanks! I'll drop in and have a chat.

Naish use a M6 Stainless T nut, won't crack like the M8 brass ones sometimes do. Your call to drill out and use the brass ones or stick with the stainless ones. I have used both, haven't had a problem with either.

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airsail said..
Naish use a M6 Stainless T nut, won't crack like the M8 brass ones sometimes do. Your call to drill out and use the brass ones or stick with the stainless ones. I have used both, haven't had a problem with either.

THanks airsail. If the nuts are easily available I will probably start with the M6, as I don't have to make any changes to my gear.

ebay is amazing for massive ranges of fasteners in 304 and 316 stainless steel.

I got away with using M4 for 2 years, hit the bottom heaps and never had any issues. I am now using M6 and obviously it is fine too... M8 is definitely way over kill but easy to get as they are the standard for mast tracks.

The original KF box holds with only ONE M6 screw so don't worry, 4 x M6 will do very well. In fact it is more likely to pull out the whole box out of the board than snapping the 4 screws...

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Livit said..
I got away with using M4 for 2 years, hit the bottom heaps and never had any issues. I am now using M6 and obviously it is fine too... M8 is definitely way over kill but easy to get as they are the standard for mast tracks.

The original KF box holds with only ONE M6 screw so don't worry, 4 x M6 will do very well. In fact it is more likely to pull out the whole box out of the board than snapping the 4 screws...

I would probably rather the screws snapped then ripping the board apart anyway...! The M6's certainly work fine with my existing Nobile setup, the only thought I have is if I have to shim it I don't know how they go length wise. But I assume it is still quite a short length.

You can cut bolts down if they are too long. Have done this for my new foil (took off about 12mm). The first one is a bit of a pain as you end up making several cuts just to get them millimetre perfect but you can get maximum thread into the insert that way.

Follow up question on the track mounts - can you get a blank to put in the track? The board is designed to be a standard kiteboard with the option of a foil, and I'd like to be able to blank off the tracks when I don't have the foil on. I am sure i've seen these on windsurfing boards but maybe I dreamt it.

Yeah good question Jack, I am having a board built as an alround travel option and I wasn't going to use tracks because of the effect they might have when not foiling,but with an insert they should be fine.

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jackforbes said..
Follow up question on the track mounts - can you get a blank to put in the track? The board is designed to be a standard kiteboard with the option of a foil, and I'd like to be able to blank off the tracks when I don't have the foil on. I am sure i've seen these on windsurfing boards but maybe I dreamt it.

Maybe some information there:

www.seabreeze.com.au/forums/Surfing/Longboarding/Fins--Foil-and-Fin-boxes-a-technical-question?page=1

Is this what you are referring to?

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Livit said..

jackforbes said..
Follow up question on the track mounts - can you get a blank to put in the track? The board is designed to be a standard kiteboard with the option of a foil, and I'd like to be able to blank off the tracks when I don't have the foil on. I am sure i've seen these on windsurfing boards but maybe I dreamt it.

Maybe some information there:

www.seabreeze.com.au/forums/Surfing/Longboarding/Fins--Foil-and-Fin-boxes-a-technical-question?page=1

Is this what you are referring to?

Hey Livit, cheers, a similar kind of conversation - the plastic chopping board might be the go!

It doesnt seem like this would be a big issue for surfing, but with a kiteboard I kind of feel that it is going to cavitate at the higher speeds. Here's the board to give an idea...

Hi,
Try here or the K4 site in the UK :
www.surfsailaustralia.com.au/product/k4-fins-us-box-blanker#surf-sail-clothing-hardware

Cheers

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mikesids said..
Hi,
Try here or the K4 site in the UK :
www.surfsailaustralia.com.au/product/k4-fins-us-box-blanker#surf-sail-clothing-hardware

Cheers

That's what I had in mind, thanks!

IKEA chopping board worked a treat