23 Tsunami ' well ' repair

[abl1111]

Just removed a fuel tank in my Tsunami ( the tank is a second tank and was located in the floor between the helm and the pass seats ). 12" of the aft area of this sub-floor is a bit mushy ( sigh ). The knuckle-head who owned the boat B.M. ( before me ) drilled (2) holes to let water drain into the bilge from this area - good idea. except he did not put any sealant on the exposed 1" drilled holes.

I am not planning on using this area for standing. Maybe a fish well or just storage. I will be cutting the present (1) pc hatch into a (2) pc hatch.

Two questions:

If I repair this 100%, has anyone removed the this well, redone the core and rebuild it so it extends down fully to the keel ? If I were to remove the well and re-do the cored bottom, it seems like it would make be smart to extend the depth by at least 1/3. Anyone " been there, done that " ? How ?

Second option - to repair exisiting with some form of add'l support. I was thinking of sanding the non-skid off and adding a few layers of glass here ? Maybe sandwich a thin non- wood core material on the top ?

So, what do you think ?