Yeah gran, I am thinking of heading on that direction.
I do not care about cosmetics at this point because at some point the deck and transom will need to be redone anyway. Since everything is solid, it could withstand some exploratory holes that I patch up. I have all the west epoxy and cloth i need on hand, so I guess the only choice is where would the best location be for a single hand sized hole that would allow me to get a good view of the space between the stringer and the side of the hul and reach as much foam as possible.
As a refresher and justification for why i think my weight is on the outside of the stringers, here is what i found on the starboard side when doing the tank
Busted fishbox drain throughhull
and it was surrounded by this
which was bone dry at the top, but soaked at the bottom.
I have had my boat pitched in my driveway at around 20 degrees to stern all week, so if i have a chance of getting water, now would seem to be it.