MFV Argonaut IV gets upgrade at Mooney Boats Ltd.

The 24metre vessel specialises in seine net fishing and its catch supplies the ‘Fisherman’s Catch’ fish shop which is owned and run by John and his wife Michelle.

The Argonaut IV arrived at Mooney Boats in mid-October 2014 and works began straight away in the vessel’s engine room with the removal of the old auxiliary engine and installation of a new Perkins auxiliary engine and generator which would provide the vessel with 3 Phase 220 Volt power. The vessel current electrical system was110 volt & 24 volt which are very expensive to maintain and difficult to get parts for. The owners wanted to upgrade the electrical system on the vessel so the yard also supplied & installed a new Transmotor AGG 27.6KW 110 Volt DC generator which is run of the main engine, a new double wound transformer 25kva input 380 volt output 110v DC @ 200 amps, a new Victron Skylla TG 24/100 amp battery charger, new electrical distribution boards, new 220v LED fluorescent light, LED flood lights etc.

Along with the electrical work on the vessel the yard renewed the bilge and ballast piping system on the vessel supplied and fitted a new Cleghorn Waring AM50D EM2T 50V400 2″ Bronze Self-priming Centrifugal Motor Pump Complete with 5.5kW 400v/3 phase/50Hz 2900rpm. All ships overboard valves were removed and reconditioned along with the valve chest. On the wheelhouse roof the yard removed the old exhaust stack & fabricated & fitted a new one along with new exhaust on all 3 engines.

For the air intake system the yard supplied a new 12” single phase stainless steel air intake fan. The yard cut of the old trawl gallows and fabricated and fitted a new one along with reconditioning all the trawl blocks and sheaves. The vessel was then dry-docked and stern tube, bushings and propeller were all removed, overhauled and re-fitted on the vessel. A section of new hull plating was removed from the stern area by Mooney Boats engineers with the high definition hand held plasma, and replaced with new plating.

To get at the selected section of plating, the crew’s cabins had to be removed and once the new plating was fitted the cabins were put back in with the addition of new flooring and bedding. As part of the renovation works carried out inside the vessel, the galley area was re-vamped and modernised. The yard also completed a full ultrasonic hull inspection of the vessel. Once works were completed, the hull of the vessel was painted and new anodes were fitted.

During the modernisation works the Argonaut IV also completed its 4 year COC in Killybegs which was overseen by the local MSO surveyors. The vessel is now back fishing from her home port of Clogherhead.