New Door

New Door

 The new door arrived this week thanks to Noel and the team at Woodstyle in Naas.
The door and frame are made from solid Mahogany and the door is surprisingly heavy! 
I decided to add a circular port hole style window into the door. In addition to bringing extra light to the main cabin, it will also be useful for the skipper on the tiller to see into the cabin when crew are inside on a rainy day when the door is closed. The glass is bulletproof!

Trim and Edging Complete

This week saw the completion of all trim and edging throughout the barge. The new seating now has a really solid and well finished look. Holes were cut out for vents, screw holes are filled and they are ready for varnish.

Bed Frame

 Work progressed in the main bedroom. Single bed frames have been built in on both sides. They both provide ample storage areas with easy access through removable tops.
The bed frame to the right will convert into a double bed. An extension will be added using a 2 meter long brass hinge that will allow the extension to the main bed frame to rise up when required.
  

Interior Ready For Varnish

 The main cabin living area is now ready for varnish and paint. The upper walls will be painted white to give a break to the wood, and create a
greater sense of light and space.
Next week will see a significant leap forward on the renovation with the kitchen units ready to be installed, stainless steel LED lights fitted and the table for the main seating area ready to go in. Work will also commence on the bathroom with a new shower tray and a Sani-marine electric toilet ready for installation. 

New Ceiling, Decks and more....

Amo Barge - Ash Ceiling

 Work continued inside and out this week. A new Ash ceiling was completed giving the main cabin a solid bright feel. 

The old ceiling wasn't in bad condition, but looked a bit tatty when viewed against the new Mahogany seating and lower walls. So the main cabin area was re-clad with 8 x 4 feet Ash veneered plywood sheets.

Mahogany Trim 

Throughout the barge there is a lot of trim required to tie in ceilings to walls, corners and any small gaps. About 40 meters of trim in total. For most of this 19mm mahogany slips are being used. For the ceiling 45mm slips were used to give extra strength ensuring that it keeps its curved shape.

12 volt Fuse Board

Good progress has been made on the 12 volt electric system. Throughout its 23 year life various add-on's were made to the electric system and and we had to go through a process of checking every wire to determine its use and compliance with safety. I am very fortunate to have Ray, skipper of the Celtic Count, looking after this. His attention to detail and safety is second to none. About half of the old wires were removed and a new 12 volt fuse board installed. The Amo will also be wired for 220 volt sockets, but all essential systems will operate off a 12 volt battery bank.

Bow Deck Seating

Back Deck

Outside work is also ongoing and this week we replaced to old hatches and seating on the stern and bow decks. The old wood had lasted pretty well, but after 23 years it was time to renew. We used marine plywood that has been given 2 coats of primer to protect them from the elements and they will be painted to tie in with the overall exterior colour scheme.

Hull painting

The hull has been blackened down to the waterline. We are 4 days by canal from the nearest dry dock so it wont be possible to do the whole hull this year. The hull was surveyed last year using an ultra-sound sensor to determine the steel thickness. The hull is in excellent condition and is a testament to the standard and quality of craftsmanship of the original boat builder, Dartline UK. The pic shows a blow-torch been used to get it completely dry at the waterline to ensure adhesion.     

Seating

Amo main seating area

It was very busy on the Amo this week with great progress throughout the barge. 

Its an interesting fact that everyone involved in the project is a boater. Ger, Vinny and Jimmy are working on the interior and exterior, Ray on

the electrics and engine, Brian on the gas/plumbing, Jill and Giles will be looking after the upholstery and Noel who is making the new door all live on or own boats.

Vinny 

All the skills required to undertake the project are all contained within the boating community in Sallins.

Left Seating Area

The main seating area was built this week. The spec was to create a seating area that could seat up to 8 people and function as 2 beds when required. They also have to provide storage space. 

The main material being used is Mahogany Veneered MDF board. All exposed edges on the MDF were treated with sealing oil. When varnished the wood will be completely sealed to keep unwanted moisture away. The bench is over 2 meters long and a log storage box with a circular opening is beside the stove. There's a bookshelf at the far end under the window. 

Right Seating Area

 The right hand side seating area is raised a little higher that the other side and was finished off with a solid oak foot-rest step. The step will also host the receivers for the legs of a table that will be able to drop down when required turning it into a double bed. 

The far end of the bench is built over the waste holding tank and has been constructed so that wood panels can be easily removed if access is required in the future.

What Lyes Below

Some years ago when we got the Spideog I decided that the only thing we were going to change was the lino on the floor. As I began lifting the lino it became apparent that it was in fact the lino that was holding the sub-floor together and as I removed the lino the floor came with it. And as the floor was removed so too was everything on it! 

 For the Amo renovation the first step is to create a blank canvas for the refit. The Amo got its original fit-out 23 years ago and as I suspected, the sub-floor was rotted away throughout half the barge. I also wanted to get down to the steel base-plate. Barges rust from the inside out and it was necessary to treat the rust below the sub-floor. 

 With the old sub-floor removed and the steel base-plate exposed I used Owatrol Oil to treat the rust. Overall the rust wasn't too bad, mostly dry surface rust that wouldn't be a cause for concern. But the area from about mid ship back had sections of damp progressive rust that needed to be dealt with. 

 Owatrol only works on dry rust so the first step was to get it dry. I used a wet vac to get out as much moisture as possible, then put down layers of Lidl's finest kitchen towel to absorb some more, and finally I used a small blow heater aimed at the worst sections to get it completely dry. Owatrol is a penetrating oil that keeps moving down through rust until it reaches good steel. It stops the rust from progressing, forming a water proof barrier and turns the rust into a hard black colored compound.
  

 The new sub-floor was fixed in place on pressure treated batons. For the sub-floor I used OSB particle board which is ideal for where water resistant material is required. The walls below the gunnel line were re-clad in Mahogany Veneered ply-wood.

 The Amo has now been gutted. The old interior is gone and it is ready for its new fit-out.
The sub-floor is in, walls are re-clad with 12 volt and 220 volt wiring in place. Plumbing pipes are in and the work to create a barge that can carry up to 8 people on day charter or sleep up to 6 people for overnight accommodation on www.bargetrip.ie is about to begin!

The Amo Barge

Amo Barge

The Amo Barge Renovation blog will detail the interior re-fit and re-painting of this wonderful canal cruising barge over the coming weeks.

Work commenced in February and is been documented as the project progresses. 

The Amo will join its sister barge, An Spideog, as the second vessel in the www.bargetrip.ie fleet which will operate out of Sallins, Co. Kildare on The Grand Canal from April 2014.

The Amo was built by Dartline Boat Builders in the UK in 1991 and was brought into Ireland as part of the Celtic Canal hire fleet. 
After a decade of service as a hire barge it went the way of many a hire boat in Ireland and was sold on as a live-aboard barge. 

This well built vessel served as a home for another 7 years before we bought it in 2008. We were live-aboards on the Roisin Dubh Barge in Sallins with 2 children and we needed the extra space! 

Amo Barge interior 2011

The pic to the left shows her in her pre-renovation condition. It was given a minor revamp in 2011, and has been a comfortable live-aboard space since then. 

The new spec requires a complete gut out of the interior, and with the assistance of master carpenter and former Amo resident Vinny Gale, the boat will be transformed over the coming weeks. 

Progress will be posted regularly so sign up to the blog and watch as she it transformed!