Thanks for the post, Easy G. I can sympathize with you on many levels. I was originally a gap theory adherent, and then a day-ager. I'm currently firmly in the young earth and global flood camp, but definitely am willing to think outside of the box, and catch flack for it once in a while.
If you've not yet come across this book I'd highly recommend
Flood Legends by Charles Martin. It's not a very long complicated read at all, but tackles the issue from a literary perspective, really bringing home the case from the actual literature that a global flood and dispersement (diaspora) is recored in virtually all cultures. For me, I've found the literary evidence the most compelling of all when it comes to the global flood question. I think he also effectively shows that the Genesis record is the most original and refined of all flood documents.
Now of course, we have older flood legend copies of accounts that differ from Noah's, but are they copies of the oldest one of all—the original?
Another area I'd recommend you looking into is the tablet theory of Genesis. While I believe Moses wrote Genesis, the archeological/literary evidence points to Moses working with other documents passed down to him. When you look at the nature of the flood account, from Gen. 6:9b-10:1, you see a signature at the end of it, attributing the account to Noah's sons.
This is the account of Shem, Ham and Japheth, Noah’s sons, who themselves had sons after the flood.
Archeology has discovered these to be colophon statements or summary statements that would appear at the end of ancient clay tablets. In Genesis these occur in several places and in every case, the signature at the end of each tablet lists a person that would have been a contemporary to the details of the events recored prior, or would have had access to them.
Prior to these discoveries in the early 1900s critics of Genesis didn't believe writings predated 1000 BC. Then thousands of clay tablets were discovered that predated Moses and even Abraham. And we discovered that Genesis bears many of the traits and literary structures of these ancient tablets.
Now if it is true, that Shem Ham and Japheth were the authors of the original account, it would would make a lot sense being they would have been eyewitnesses to everything that happened that was recorded in that tablet. They started their tablet in Genesis 6:9a,
Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked with God. They end it with,
This is the account of Shem, Ham and Japheth, Noah’s sons, who themselves had sons after the flood.
Now when these ancient clay tablets were discovered, among the writings discovered were countless flood legends. Yet all of them were very crude and fill with the mythology of the contemporary gods of that age. But it's interesting just how refined the Genesis account is, which appears to be signed by eyewitnesses, Shem Ham and Japheth.
Just some thoughts as you work through this.