Deck plates or lots of fiberglass?

I bought H16 a month ago for dirt cheap. $425, trailer, rigging, and two sets of sails. I knew it was a fixer upper, which is what I wanted. Since it is my first Hobie Cat, I'd rather learn the hard stuff on something cheap than spend a lot and stress about learning.

As such, first step in my repair list is a set of holes in front of the forward stanchions (I think that is the right terminology). I'm guessing the previous owner had deck plates in it, there are a few screw holes to back up this idea. They are roughly 9 inches in diameter. The port side is nice and clean and even... the starboard has a straight edge and the fiberglass has a rip...

So here is my question: Do I take the easy solution and install deck plates, or the hard way and patch it?
This boat is going to be a play boat, as I've only sailed lasers before... about 6 years ago. So low stress lake fun; I'm not terribly worried about a weakened hull. I'm not even sure a fiberglass repair that big would work, though I admit i have never worked with fiberglass before.
Port


Starboard


Thanks!!

Deck plates would be nice. Not only for some storage purposes but being able to have access to the inside of your hulls for inspection purposes, future repairs, and airing them out when conditions are dry. I would vote for deck plates if it were my boat. Clean up the edges and seal it good when mounting the threaded ring. I just rehabbed my 1981 Hobie 16 so if you have any questions let me know.

In your situation it looks like deck plates are the way to go. In the future I would advise others that that area is critical for hull strength and if you really want hull access I would install them between the pylons.