RE: getting started
Mine didn't have the cracking on the outside but I still was taking on water through poor seals around the hatch I think. This, in turn, let water into the keel through the poor finish on the inside. I put some better foam around the comb and the hatch and it seems to be working better.
I sealed the inside with a better coating of epoxy when I put the support for the mast under the deck. Hopefully between the two it will help. On yours, if it were me, clean up the outside and re-coat with Z-poxy and finish sand and paint it. Then go to the inside and re-seal that with regular epoxy. I would try that and see if it helps.