The Pop-Top on the 25.5 is notorious for taking on water. Some previous owner decided to drill a hole to drain it (it's heavy already) on the fore-starboard side. Over the years, mostly before I owned the boat, this engineered leak caused the sole to de-laminate against the bulkhead as you would step to the fore cabin. I had become afraid to step there, and it was a full stride to avoid it. So I decided to fix it. A jig saw revealed the sole in this area was completely compromised. I researched materials for repair, even considering laminate flooring, which I rejected knowing it would quickly swell. Marine plywood seemed both expensive and unsightly. In the end, for $20, I bought a plastic decking board at Lowes. I had the two sides that could lay on the underlay, but needed support at one corner. That was accomplished with a small "leg" of the same board just above the trough that leads down to the bilge pump. I now have a very sturdy area to set my foot. One note: the corner at the bulkhead is not square. One board needs to be shaved about 4 degrees over 90 to lay flush at this corner. I used piece of cardboard to capture the angle before cutting. I used a jig saw in the boat, and a chop saw back at home. In hindsight, I could have bought a brown board a little cheaper that would have matched better, but I really wanted to see the step clearly. This stuff is plastic, it wont rot, and water now will drain quickly into the bulge. The lazarette bench installed back over it even though it runs somewhat thicker than the existing sole. Pics below. I hope this might help someone. I've gotten a lot of great info here. 
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