Standing water in bilge, fiberglass resin

[th365thli]

Hi,

I recently purchased a 1987 Ranger 375v in seemingly excellent condition. Transom is solid and the motor passed compression test and run. One thing that slightly concerns me was standing water in the bilge. The boat wasn't tilted up. The owner says he hasn't used the boat in 2 years, so I assume the water has been in there a while. I drained the water and took off a drain vent and felt inside. It felt solid and looked like a bunch of fiberglass strands.

I called Ranger and they said it should not be an issue because that's actually fiberglass resin laid with a chop gun. He also claimed that they also use gel coat to sandwich the wood core.

I wanted to know what you guys thought. Research online suggests that fiberglass resin can still pass through water. The fiberglass resin hasn't been drilled or anything. How concerned should I be?

[th365thli]

Forgot to mention the boat was covered, but the cover apparently is worthless.

[Whitebeard]

I wouldn't worry too much about it. If it floats level and the splashwell drain holes are above water, enjoy it. If it does have water in it somewhere, not a lot can be done with out spending a lot of time and $$ IMO.
Keep it bow high and the plug out. I know my old ranger has had some water in it, had a brown water stain from an old battery tray screw hole. Mine is an 89, had it for 27yrs, I am confident it will last me until my boating days are over.

[th365thli]

Thanks!