[abl1111]

Taste the water. I bet it's fresh water, either from rain or a washdown. Mine gets water there from the (4) side vents located on either side of the hull. The water 'should' drain into the bilge, via a hose through the stringer, for that exact purpose.

However, those hoses can and will get clogged very easily, especially with the older hull - not letting the water drain into the bilge and therefore collect.

On my boat, I keep (2) large sponges in that area anyway ( I have an i/o, and this small amount of fresh water goes thru the drain hose well, but gets 'pooled' near the motor beds - just a little - I did not want to cut a hole through the motor bed just to drain a little water ! )

The sponges are almost always bone dry, but sometimes there is some water there. No biggie.