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The plywood rot below the non-skid usually happens when residual water is left in the rig tunnel, of sufficient height to saturate the plywood. Boston Whaler did not seal the plywood after cutting the hawse fitting for the fuel hose installation to the area below the RPS. You can seal the area with polysulfied caulk; the long term solution is to keep the interior of the boat dry so water does not penetrate the floor.

To level off the binnacle on your console, I suggest the fabrication of a triangular wedge of wood installed between the console and the binnacle so that the angle of the binnacle is more level to the deck. I saw a photograph of such a modification on this site, but could not find it again.

I repowered with Evinrude E-Tec specifically because of economy. The first time out, with four passengers, my E-Tec 60 hp consumed 4.5 gallons of fuel during a 35 miles cruise from East Falmouth to Martha's Vineyard. The Etec is comparable in fuel economy to a four stroke. I love the torque of the E-Tec. And less maintenance. Plus I have a 6 year warranty.