1996 Rendezvous Repair Advice Before I Start

I own a 1996 Bayliner 2659 Rendezvous with a Merc motor and outdrive. I bought this boat almost 10 years ago and my wife and I love it's versatility. I have always tried to repair the little things over the years so they dont add-up to something major. I'm pretty handy and not afraid to jump in and attempt to fix most things. This spring my projects are:
1.Fiberglass repair
I have a few cracks on the rail, mainly where things attach, like the bimini posts and the metal rails. I was thinking about grinding these cracks out a bit and using white Marine-Tek to repair. I also have a few screw holes here and there that I was going to repair the same way. Now for the big issue. The deck between the porta potty room and the starboard side exit door has some soft areas. What type of under layment does this boat have? How should I attack this issue? Cut the whole area out and replace or? After all glass repair I'm probably going to have the boat painted by a professional.
2.Boat cover
When I first bought this boat I had a complete custom Sunbrella cover made, cost about $1300.00. I have resewen and patched this cover over the years but I think it's about time to make a new cover. I have pretty much figured out most of the issues and have gathered all the materials I will need. My only confusion is, How do you fit a flat piece of Sunbrella up and over the windshield? I was thinking about using a piece of 6mil plactic and create a templete for this area. The rest of the cover should be fairly easy. Any advice?
3. Carpet
I'm going to replace the snap in carpet. Im going to use the existing carpet to make a templete using this 6mil plastic. Then when happy with the fit, cut and bind the new carpet. What carpet should I use? I see all kinds of differant weights up to 20oz. Rubber backed? Does anybody have a good source for this carpet? I can sew myself. Since my bimmini is Persian Green, I think a Teal color would be nice.
4. I want to put some sort of load auditable alarm in the dash for things like low cooling water, oil pressure etc. Any advice?
Thanks in advance. This is a long post, But I always follow Bob Villa's advice. "measure twice, cut once"

Re: 1996 Rendezvous Repair Advice Before I Start

Let's start here VVVVVVV

rlamoreaux said:

The deck between the porta potty room and the starboard side exit door has some soft areas. What type of under layment does this boat have? How should I attack this issue? Cut the whole area out and replace or?

Click to expand...

This is your biggest job and it probably where you should start:

Remove the soft decking and inspect the structural members below the deck for water saturation/rot, if you find wet or rotten wood... follow it until the wood becomes dry and rot free. Remove and replace all wet/rotten wood below deck. This includes decking, stringers, and any urethane foam if your boat has any.

After this job is done you focus back on the cosmetic details. and the bells and whistles.