Thanks for the info. I didn't want to remove the pad since I'm pretty sure you have to destroy it to get it off.

As for the water, how do you get it out? Do you just tip the boat after every rainstorm? On my old Dart 18 which didn't have drain plugs I had a hand bilge pump with a long tube on it to reach down to the "heels" of the skeg design to pump it dry. Do any of you do that? That was a good solution if you have access ports in the rear.