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like everyone else my 1983 13 foot Whaler has wet foam, I would like to use it this summer and do maintenance on it this winter. My plan for the summer is to cut a six inch hole in the floor about 2 inches in from the stern on the starboard side and put a watertight deck plate on. I would remove a six inch foam core down to the hull and when not in use remove the cap and allow things to drain naturally. Over the winter while working on the hull I would put about 100 lbs of Calcium chloride in various plastic containers and seal them in the boat while working on the hull. My questions are: would a six inch foam core being removed from that location adversely affect the hull integrity to a large degree (how thick is the hull?) while using the boat till winter? Has anyone had experience using Calcium Chloride to help with removing moisture from the foam?

Any thoughts would be appreciated