Silicone adhesive isn’t reliable on thermoform hulls (like Eddyline’s) either.
Yeah you got that right. I took a photo. The photo shows how it looks like with the bulkhead in place but not glued on yet, looking from the cockpit towards the stern.
I’m not 100% sure since I bought the kayak second hand. But it matches to the one in the front in material and in design.
Something looks fishy about that. Does not fit at all. It should wedge in snugly. I wonder if the prior owner got a replacement bulkhead but that is a duplicate bow unit rather than one sized for the stern? Would it be possible to trim it down to fit more snugly? I made a bulkhead years ago for an old Chinook kayak that lacked one by using 6’ length of bare solid copper 14 gauge wire to bend an outline of the inside cross section of the hull to get a rough template of the piece, then cut a couple of heavy cardboard shapes and kept trimming the edges until I had a pattern that fit fairly well. Then used that template to cut rigid clised cell foam(1 1/2”, I think) that we wedged in and sealed with Lexel. You might be able to do that to resize that bulkhead to fit correctly.
Good to hear that Sikaflex is useful sealant also since our local Habitat ReStore got about 30 cases of it donated by a building supplies company some months ago and have been selling it for $1 a tube. may pick some up to have on hand. Though I have been always been impressed enough with Lexel, which has proven a durable sealant for both boats and various painted steel and fiberglass joints in my box truck conversion camper.
Silicone adhesives should never be used in a kayak. They leave a residue that prevents anything from bonding to the surface. It’s very difficult to remove completely and compromises the integrity of any future bonds.
I was responding to a post above re silicone and rm plastic, but I agree completely. Thanks for the clarity.