Diamondback Cover - Bulkhead Seal?

I just got the SE cover in, and while reading the instructions to install the bulkhead seal it wants me to take off the square tube top rail, clean, put on the seal, reattach the square tube, then fill all the gaps between the bed rail caps and the square tube with silicone?

I'm a bit apprehensive of putting silicone on the bed if I ever took it off it might look weird, and do I really have to take off the entire tube to get this thing on?

Anyone else who installed a Diamondback cover go through this? Or did you just clean, dry and stick the bulkhead seal on and call it a day? Any leaking issues?

 

I'm also too lazy to go to home depot and get a tube of silicone to fill two small gaps...Right now the plan is to just pull the damn thing off (its only 6 bolts) install the seal and wait for rain to see if I want to silicone the ends of it too

 

I just installed my Diamondback SE the other day. I did put in the bulkhead seal. Not a big deal to take out the bolts, install and put cap back on. Be aware that you really have to push down the cap to get holes re-lined up since the bulkhead gasket does add some height. It will go back on though. I did silicone the gaps between the bulkhead panel and the side panels. Others on the forum have said they have not done either things and have not had leaks but it only took about 30 min to do both things so what the heck...

 

I just looked at the instructions again...the seal is supposed to go under the square tube? So from top to bottom: Square tube, seal, the rest of the bed?

 

Take out the (I think 6) bolts. Remove the plastic cap (it just kind of falls off). Clean (metal bulkhead) with alcohol. Cut to length and place (very sticky) gasket on metal bulkhead. Reapply plastic cap. Align holes of cap. Swear a bit since they no longer align. Press down on cap to compress gasket. Replace bolts. Have a beverage.

 

I did installed the bulkhead seal initially but didn't do the silicone part. Is no big deal if you don't do that. It's not going to be 100% leak proof though. But the amount of water that sneaks through is minimal. I did went back and sealed the gaps with silicone like a month later. It helps but I still get some water drops every now and then. But not a big deal at all. And not water from rain because I'm in Cali but when I go through the pressure washer.

 

That's what I'll probably do until I pass by a hardware store and can run in for a tube of silicone or something.

 

They include silicon with the cover now.