You know the old fable: My grand-father made a beautiful axe, which has become a family heirloom transmitted down the generations.
My Dad used it a lot, so one day he replaced the head. Then he passed it down to me.
I've been using it a lot too, so I recently replaced the handle.
Both major components are new. Is it still the family axe? A brand new one? What if I replaced the oak handle with a modern carbon fiber one?
In many ways I feel this little brain teaser applies to Enfin too. Enfin's paper documentation clearly shows she was built in 2001, so simple math make her 22 years old.
Yet, many of the core components have been replaced many times over the years. For example, all important pumps have been either changed or rebuilt.
Additionally a lot of equipment has been added in the intervening years. The water maker, the electric fresh water head, updated electronics package and so much more. They might not be core components of Enfin, but sure make life easier, and overall they take the average age of on-board equipment down.
After 5 years of ownership we recently had an insurance survey. The surveyor concluded that Enfin's value went up significantly over the years, a combination of the COVID pandemic and the efforts Di and I have put in upgrading and updating our boat and home.
The surveyor even joked that we should stop adding things, as we'll never get our money back.
Of course, we do not do all this work so we can get our money "back" in any financial sense. We do it because we're proud of our boat, because this is our home and we want to live in comfort and safety. So we've added many systems, upgraded and updated many more. It's just the way it is, and we have no real intention of stopping, whether it makes sense or not to an insurance surveyor.
So how old is Enfin?
I recently read a study where older adults saw themselves as much younger (in their heads) than their physical age. I can definitely relate to that, having swung from feeling very old at the end of my cancer treatment, but still very young in my own deluded mind. I'm still 12.5 years old in so many ways, including this sense of constantly wanting to go on some adventure.
As I am recovering, walking every day, I'm feeling closer and closer to my physical age every day. Yet, still 12.5 years old in my mind.
I feel Enfin is the same: She's in great shape, and always ready and willing to go on some bigger adventure. Big waves don't frighten her. The engine starts first time every time, and keeps on put-putting as we climb the face of big waves. I'm sure in her mind she's eternally young.
We take care of her, replace, upgrade, maintain and update core elements on board.
In a way, she's just like the fabled axe: not completely the same, yet still the same great boat that will continue on for a long long time.
A small portion of the constant maintenance, upgrade, update going on on Enfin