chinook bulkhead template?

Do you have the flotation bag for the front compartment?

Your Chinook is a plastic (not fiberglass) boat?

I would be inclined to go for a float bag too. That is a plastic boat, so not easy to stick stuff to. You would probably have the best luck with minicell for a bulkhead, and carve it carefully to fit, then jam it in, maybe with some kind of sealant in addition.

If the bulkhead leaks, you may get water behind it that can't flow out easily, and end up sloshing around in there while you are paddling, which would be annoying, so a good tight fit would be advisable.

Unless you need the storage space, I would install the biggest float bag that would fit in front of your feet.

The front hatches on those boats look quite small anyway. I'm not sure how practical they would be in use.

Etienne.

Another vote for a thick block of minicell if you decide to do it. Use 3M 5200 adhesive; it will stick. Whatever Aquaterra used to use didn't, I've had to repair several.

West System G Flex is supposed to stick to plastic kayaks. The mfg had a video on line where they cut a plastic kayak in two and successfully repaired it with G Flex. I have had good luck using it for repairs on various composite and some plastic boats.

John VB

If it's one of the Chinooks with only the small (4") armhole hatch forward, installing a bulkhead may cause more problems than it solves.

IMO, of course.

With thanks to John Caldeira, I whipped together a contour gauge from some scrap B&C strips. I was recently tasked with replacing bulkheads on a number of plastic boats that a raccoon had scrabbled its way through. This gauge should get me close enough.

Yes John's template method as perfect for lofting a boat from another.

I had to do a bulkhead for someone's boat a year ago. Another simple method is to take a piece of that foam core cardboard and cut out the shape best you can until if fits over the boat. Then you take pieces of thin card stock about half the size of a playing card and you add on all the parts that do not fit perfectly. An electric glue gun is easier than tape. You just keeping stacking and gluing in the pieces until you get a perfect template. Its actually quite easy. An extra pair of hands helps but it can easily be done alone. You make marks on the hull, flip the boat over and do the bottom side. Just run a line of tape around the boat when you start so you don't drift off course.