sxrracer wrote:
when I painted my comptip last spring, I just taped over the luff track..........
Same here. Much easier than dealing with the track.
To answer the question though, I think you need to use your best judgement here. A 6" long section isn't all that long, so you may not need to do anything. Pop the track on and see how it looks. Is it loose or does the track pull away from the mast at all when the sail is rigged and tensioned? The highest load is at the head of the sail, so if the damage is towards the middle of the track, it may not be a problem. If the track pulls away from the mast, I would probably try glueing it in place with either epoxy or something strong but flexible like 3M 5200 sealant. Keep in mind that if you glue it, you may never get the track off again if needed. Another option would be to use one or two sheet metal screws to fasten the track to the comptip (use silicone to seal). This would be strong but also removable.
sm