The hatch door was missing and I noticed inside that there is a raised piece just leaving the bulkhead and going a foot and a half or so toward the bow. It is something structural. the fiberglass is split and rotten wood is expossed. I assume that this helps the strength of the hull the the boat is heeled. As you can tell this is my first boat and just looking for any imput on it's importance of how the boat functions. thanks