Apparently the holes we already cut in Tangaroa weren’t the right ones.
So Blaine’s solution?
Cut more holes in the boat.
In the new episode of our Hybrid-Electric Project, Blaine starts turning one of our round portholes into a big square opening in the side of our aluminum hull. It might look a little crazy at first, but there’s actually a reason for it that ties into the engine room redesign for the hybrid-electric system.
There’s Sawzalls, routers, aluminum dust everywhere… and a few moments where you might wonder if this is a very bad idea.
Luckily for you, there’s no searching required — the video is right here for you to watch.
Thanks for being part of the crew and following along as we rebuild Tangaroa for the next chapter of this adventure.
Hi
Everyone,
We often get asked where Tangaroa’s engine room sits in the boat, and the answer usually surprises people.
Tangaroa was built in 1969 as a 65-foot yacht, with full crew quarters forward. In the bow there’s a forepeak stateroom with two beds, a head with shower, and a small lounge area with a fridge. The captain’s cabin used to sit just behind that, but we removed it and replaced it with shelving for parts and tools.
In the stern is the master stateroom with a queen bed and what used to be a large head with a bathtub. That tub is gone now and Blaine has fabricated a custom shower base for the rebuild.
There are also two more staterooms with twin beds and another head with a shower.
In the diagram we’ve shared you’ll see where the engine room sits forward of center, along with the future location of the hybrid battery bank and generators, both sitting partially below the waterline.
And in the extension alone there’s 1,400 gallons of diesel tankage, plus 700 gallons of water.
Take a look at the layout and see if it’s where you expected the engine room to be.
Hi Crew,
Episode 21 is now live, and this one is all about compromise in Tangaroa’s hybrid-electric engine room.
We originally planned to run four generators, but once we started laying everything out in the engine room, it became clear that something had to change. After reading through your comments and suggestions, we took another hard look at the design… and one generator had to go.
In this episode, Blaine explains the reasoning behind switching to three generators and starts building the platform that will support them along with the 390 kWh lithium battery bank.
This project has always been a bit of an experiment, and your input has played a big role in shaping the decisions along the way.
So we’d really like to know…
Did we make the right call by getting rid of a generator?
Let us know what you think.
Just sending you a fun ai photo of what is happening here on Tangaroa- yep Blaine and I are sick thanks to Izzie who picked up something at a local Trampoline Park!
She is patient 0!
We announced it on our Monday live but there won't be a video today. So sorry. We will get one out on Friday and Sunday though. Promise. If you haven't already - check out our other YouTube Channel,
👉Onboard Tangaroa - Exploring the World.
Thanks everyone for your support! We appreciate each and every one of you.Blaine and Janis
Crew,
Operation Silent Running just shifted — because of you.
When we first mocked up the engine room layout, we thought we had it sorted. Then many of you said the same thing: stack the generators.
We hadn’t even considered it.
Blaine went to bed frustrated with the layout and woke up ready to rethink the entire plan — including moving the 390 kWh lithium battery bank before it was installed.
That redesign came directly from this community.
The new video is live. This engine room carries your fingerprints.
Thank you for building this with us.
Blaine and Janis