I bought an 88 F-242 SS yesterday. It had about 10 gallons of rain in the bilge, the pump didn't work, and the drain was plugged. When I got it home, I unplugged the drain and bailed a few gallons from the cuddy and shop vac'd everything dry. Then I elevated the bow, not realizing that water could get back into there from the engine bilge (was still some residual water apparently). This is my first boat with a small cuddy. All other have been bowriders. I have searched for a few hours about this and can't find the answer:

Supposedly, the cuddy drains back to the bilge. Under the tank, over the tank, I can't find a drain. However, there is a small perforation (almost feels like a defect) in the bulkhead aft of the gas tank on the port side, just outboard of the inboard stringer, and the stbd side has a small black piece of plastic in the same location (plug??). Water seems to re-appear in there (see picture) if the bow is elevated. Can anyone confirm whether this is a possible drain from the cuddy or representative of a bigger problem? I plan on cleaning and painting the bilge this weekend.

Apparently, I can't post a picture with my first post -

Thanks

There is a drain from the cabin that runs under the tank via a tube. In my boat there is a plug ( rubber stopper) that can be inserted to prevent rain water from entering the forward area. The other two holes don’t exist in my SS so I don’t have any insight to offer. I think there should be some path for water to be drained from every void that might get wet but that isn’t how these boats were designed. If you have water coming from outside the main stringers, I would do everything you can to get it out. Jack the bow as high as you can and clear the opening of any obstruction. Post pictures when you can

on my 292 there is a similar setup. the cuddy bilge is actually lower than the engine bilge when on the trailer or on a lift. so I'd get a ton of water in the front until I figured that out. in the water the rear end of my 292 is practically under water.

I had to get 2 rubber plugs. I plugged both ends of it and haven't had water since.

Alright so I have some questions specifically regarding the 242 hull. I have found that the tank bulkhead is rotten, along with many other various frustrating issues. The glass is delaminated in the cuddy under where the portable toilet housing is, and in the void forward of that (found probably 10 gallons of water there, guessing it has been there for 10 years, bulkheads are starting to get soft/dark)

- How do people repair stringers/bhd on these boats without being able to remove the molded deck aft of the cuddy? Stringer replacement without glassing in the outboard side?
-Does anyone remove the molded deck by cutting it out? Obviously there is a removable tank access panel but I don't see any way to remove the rest of the decking.
-Is there foam installed from the factory between the hull side and the outboard side of the main stringers (outside the tank area?)

I am the kind of person that likes to have a project and know my toys inside and out. I would really like to strip this boat down the the bare hull and work it over starting at the end of boating season here if it's even feasible to do so.

There is an older link in the Formula section where a guy completely dissembled and refurbished his entire 242 SS. The entire project is photo and text documented. I think the post was 2013-2014 vintage. If I find it I will post link for you.
I had to make drain holes this winter for the drainage from the "ditches" to the center bilge.
Good Luck

TomZ went through this repair on the rear of his 242LS and has a lot of knowledge on the geometry of the entire hull, he will most likely chime in on the topic with some advice.

Here is what I found so far. Lots of info and pictures.
1984 242 sr1

Wow perfect. That is exactly what I was looking for. Slight differences in construction due to year and twin vs single drives but very helpful.

Gary got you pretty much what you'll need. The structure is similar to the later 242. Big project!