water in inner hull under ski locker

[Matt Z]

So, this seems like a bad thing?

https://photos.app.goo.gl/v3E8bsGopmb9u5He9

In my ski locker of my '88 there's a few approximately 1" sized "plugs" -- what look like wood endgrain like a dowel rod. I noticed today that one of them was extremely saturated with water as when I step down next to it, I could squeeze water out of it. The ski locker floor is still very solid, but I can't imagine this is good.

What do you all suggest?

 

[El Capitan]

Very bad. Your stringers are probably soaked and rotted. Are there soft spots on your deck?

can you raise the bow up tilting it high to see if it can drain water into and out of bilge?

 

[Matt Z]

I had obtained this boat about 4-5 years ago. Some of the floor at that time was soft and so I replaced it at that time. Floor feels fairly solid now, although I have noticed the port/stern seating "bouncing" when going through some chop at higher speed. Sitting on them is still solid, but it does seem they might be coming loose.

I have been using the boat approximately once a week this summer and it never got that much use before. I didn't always jack the bow up as I as it could go, and the drain in the ski area would sometimes be clogged. It was never too much water so I didn't pay much attention to it, but it could have been what caused the water to sink down in?

Given that everything still feels solid in the floor, can I simply just dry it out and hope for the best? There's many other things on the boat that are starting to go too, so we need a lot of work and a restore to address all of them (fuel sender busted, upholstery old/ripped, etc)

 

[Matt Z]

What are those "plugs" that are soaked? They look like dowel rods. Can I drill them out to help get the water out? Then put another plug (or seal it up otherwise?)

Just trying to get some more life out of it as it is before the engine goes anyway