condition as bought

teak opening up in foreground,
Ballard Bridge closing in background.

The most obvious issue with the boat was the failing teak deck overlay. The fiberglass deck below was visible in a few areas, and some strips were splintering off. A few rivets were missing. The fiberglass deck seemed sound even with the hundreds of rivets in it, but it probably wasn't going to stay sound much longer. There were already a couple of small leaks to the cabin.

To replace this teak overlay would cost about $10K, said the internets. It was a big bummer since the teak was basically art, but we figured the best thing to do was get rid of it before we created fond memories of it, or maybe wait a year at most. We'd decide after testing to see how difficult it was to remove.

The deck under the forestay was popping up a bit, and the mast step seemed to be slightly crushed. The standing rod rigging was 38 years old, much older than recommended. The rigging was very loose, probably because of the crushed mast step. The clutches and cleats for the lines were read to retire. The feathering prop didn't always swing out on both sides underway, requiring going into neutral and trying again. The motor was good, the deck and hull seemed sound, the sails were going to be okay for a while.

interior as bought (except new stove)

Most ancillary equipment - gauges, toilet, cabin lights, water to sink - did not work. It did not have a stove, which was the first thing to be addressed on the boat - we added an alcohol stove within two days.

The cabin had been partially refinished, but needs a good cleaning everywhere and sanding and repainting in some places. The interior cushions were newer and in great shape other than being dirty. They were super comfortable and a nice shade of gray. This is super exciting for the seamstress in the family.

So on the balance so far all the things that needed fixing or replacing were the relatively fun and cheap things to fix or replace.

When we hauled out in Everett we found many small blisters in the paint and a few large ones in the gelcoat of the hull. One thruhull needed immediate replacement.

Extra photos from when we bought it follow.

boat history

test sail on 20 April 2016

We first visited Elixir on 20 April 2016. The boat was a few miles from our house at the north end of Lake Washington. We bought it a few days later. We got it cheap because it came with a long list of deferred maintenance items.

The current owner daysailed it for twelve years. It had been raced in Olympia previously. Before it was renamed Elixir by that owner, it was Impatience. It was Leading Edge before that. According to the previous owner in Olympia it was one of a dozen or so Aphrodite 101s brought to Seattle by a group of racers.

Information about the Aphrodite 101 in general is here.