Thanks Martin. I'm terrified of moisture in the ballast, given peoples' problems with swelling centerboard trunks: I'm hoping it's a problem my '84 17' doesn't have. --Craig ----- Original Message ----- From: "Martin Johnson" <martlexi@cpinternet.com> To: <montgomery_boats@mailman.xmission.com> Sent: Sunday, January 12, 2003 5:51 PM Subject: inspection ports The only test I can think of is to put it on a trailer and watch for drips out the bottom. If water got in, it should come out. My leak was tiny, like one drip every ten seconds. this adds up to a lot if your boat stays in the water. My leak was more troublesome to diagnose because the boat was frozen half the time, so more water would appear as more ice melted. Or you could drill a hole in your floor and insert a siphon hose... Do you know of a non-intrusive test for moisture in this area (I'm guessing the iron ballast would skew a moisture-meter)? Craig, The little brass inspection ports allow access to the space between the hull and liner, which extends into the keel. Regarding my situation, several gallons of water leaked into the keel before I saw it penetrating through a crack in the liner. Through my new ports I can check for more water accumulating(hopefully none) and vacuum out any water in the fall and add antifreeze to prevent damage from expanding ice in the keel. During daily use these ports will be closed so spray, rainwater, beer, etc. doesn't get below the floor. Martin