I also have the same exact boat. Yes, the hole is there, make sure to
clear out the tube that runs underneath the gas tank, on occasion it will
block. I had a drastically worse problem, the deck is rotting out and a
piece of plywood lodged itself in the whole. It was difficult to remove to
say the least. The whole in my boat had two smaller whole on each side, it
looks like it was formed wrong from the factory, so I filled it in with
Epoxy putty and let it harden. I guess I went off on a tangent there.
Should be simple, just blast some water down the hole, if that doesn't
work, get a strong coat hanger or similar instrument and gently work your
way through the tube. It's difficult to work access the whole from the
other end due to the obtruction of the engine and pulleys.

"Mark Conklin" wrote in
:

Funny you mention that - I have the same boat. And I had the same
problem. I found that there was a hole in the back of the compartment
but for some reason the water wasn't draining. I slid a length of
threaded rod into the hole and cleared the blockage with no ill
effects. It took quite a bit of effort. The foam insulation appeared
to have settled or expanded, perhaps due to water saturation, and
blocked the drainage path. No problems since I cleared it out. One
final tip - the tank is indeed straight back through the hole, you
should probe to both sides.

MC

"Patrick Johnson" wrote in message
...
I have a 1998 Larson SEi 176. The center storage area (in the floor)
does not drain into the rear of the boat where the bilge pump is.
Therefore I have to pump out the center section manually when it
fills with water. I looked in the bottom/rear of this compartment
and there is an indention
that
looks like the beginning of a drainage tunnel to the bilge area.
However, the indention is only about 3/4" deep. I am assuming the
fuel tank is behind this indention. Is there supposed to be a drain
hole here? If
not,
how could I drain this compartment without having to pump it out
manually?

Patrick