Ok, rainy day so I decided to poke around. I probed the foam in the three compartments on the stbd side and all I could really get at was the stuff down to the chine. It all seemed fine. There was very slight moisture at the bottom of the foam in the forward most compartment (forward of the bulkhead in front of the gas tank) but still it was really just moisture on my finger from between the hull and the foam, not wet foam.
I guess I'm going to drill through the deck to see how the deeper foam is. Will start under the pedestal seat as Skunk suggested and then move to the more exposed compartments. As much as I would like to use a 7/8" auger bit to get a good sample, I'm thinking about a 1/2" bit through the deck and then a long 3/8" bit down into the foam.
I also looked at placing one battery in the port transom locker and that seems problematic. The bait well is glassed in and I don't want to destroy it. Cutting a hatch in the front face of the locker is also problematic as there is very tight clearance and the drop to the tray below the deck would make dealing with the battery difficult. It was a great idea but I think I will stick with moving them to the forward fish box if it comes to that.
And here is a photo that I saw mounted on the wall at Louie's Oyster Bar in Port Washington Long Island. Thought it was neat...
