I'm looking at buying a Dart 18 I "found" at my club - the owner has moved abroad and it hasn't been used for years. When he laid it up it was in excellent condition and the sails / tramp / rigging have been carefully stored and are all very good. The hulls have been left outside and moved around the compound. It currently resides in a rather overgrown corner.

When I went to check it it all appears sound except one of the hulls had about 3 inches of water in it. The cover has fallen to pieces over the years and at some point one of the inspection hatches' cover has been left badly fitted. I could find no damage on the hulls.

I'll use this boat for club racing and taking friends for joy rides but notheing more serious.

My newbie questions:
1) Where might the water have come from? I'm assuming rain into the badly fitted hatch cover or that the hatch was removed at some point and then put back on (badly).
2) Assuming the hull has had rainwater in it for several years is this likely to have damaged to hull?

Thanks