The pics I took of the weep hole are not very good. A good scrubbing will be needed to distinguish between hole and keel.
I did some more research and learned that many boats can have a variety of drainage or weep holes and for a variety of reasons. The most common reason I learned for a weep hole is to prevent ice damage by letting liquid water drain before it has a chance to accumulate and freeze in boats stored on the hard.
In other news, I just bought a 6hp Evinrude outboard (not sure of the year until I look up the serial number). At $450 bucks the motor cost almost as much as the boat but it came with a gas can, hose, new fuel pump and is clean enough to eat off of. The most exciting feature of the motor is the reverse gear.
This weekend I plan on taking off the boat's motor mount to get that back in shape. It's a solid looking spring bracket but there's rust under the paint so it needs to be wire-brushed, sealed and re-painted. There's a wood plate between the motor mount and the hull and that wood has seen better days. The whole mount assembly does NOT look original to the boat.
Getting the motor is a big accomplishment and let's me cross off one of the most important items on my boat project to-do list. Another major challenge for sailing the boat next season is finding a place to park the thing. There are a lot of marinas in New Jersey but I want to find one within an hour's drive from home and one where dockage fees don't rival my mortgage. Like finding the right motor, at least that challenge is just about doing research and putting some ducats away.
More soon -- happy sailing.