I have a 24 year old Ranger R83 that lets in a lot of water whenever I am loading it on a fairly steep ramp. I checked the splash well drain today and it seems to be fine. I wonder if it could be leaking underneath the rub rail? Have you ever pulled one and tried to replace it?
Is there any other area that I should investigate?

Check the underside of the rub rail. It should have a bead of silicone. On a 24 year old boat I am sure it needs to be re-sealed I think I did it 3 times over 30 years on my Ranger. I did it last year as needed on the Champ. I used an under the waterline rated clear silicone.

check where your cables etc. come thru the splash well, my champion 184 would let water in on steeper ramps.

also, are the livewells full when loading? they will dump into the bilge also (ask me how I know)

rubrail is not all that hard but takes time to do right, I did my 184 in one day, remove/clean/install new.

taco marine is the go to for rubrail.

https://tacomarine.com/rub-rail


I use black silicone gasket maker, you can buy it in caulk gun sized tubes, one did my 184.

Thanks for the advice. I checked it today on the steep ramp and it looks like it is where the cables go through the splash well.

Makes sense. Even if leaking at the rub rail it would probably be a minimal amount of water. Considering the age of the boat I would still check the seal under the rub rail.