Bow water tank conversion to storage space

The Pearson 35 comes with a fiberglass water tank in the bow, about 40 gallons or so I've been told. The inside of the water tank on my boat was quite pitted and ugly, and certainly not where I would store drinking water. More importantly, I didn't want all that weight up front at the bow, and will be installing flexible water tanks under the settees in the cabin instead. I cut open the v-berth and the water tank under it, and will be using it for storage space. My v-berth cushion is a single piece job though, making access to the tank top difficult, so I'll use the space to store things that I don't need often, like winter clothes, tools, and other less popular items.