External Fuel Level Indicator

[MH Hawker]

Re: External Fuel Level Indicator

At the Antique Boat Museum in Clayton, NY there is a mahogany marvel that is dubbed the "largest runabout in the world". She's equipped with a 12 cyl Packard engine that was originally a PT Boat engine. The boat regularly provides river cruises for as I recall $300 an hour. It takes avgas to run her.

After each cruise they fillerback up. The fuel gauge is a 5' long oak pole they stick in the top of the tank. Its graduated in 1/4 tanks.

More than one way to skin a cat.....LOL. Google "Pardon Me boat".

Thats what I used for several years and what I was going to suggest.

 

[thumpar]

Re: External Fuel Level Indicator

Diesel doesn't blow up like gasoline will.

To the OP. How big is your tank? My gauge is not far off but I never trust it to be right. We always fill up before going out to be sure. The tank is 40 gallons and I kind of keep in mind how far and fast we have gone.

 

[thumpar]

Re: External Fuel Level Indicator

At the Antique Boat Museum in Clayton, NY there is a mahogany marvel that is dubbed the "largest runabout in the world". She's equipped with a 12 cyl Packard engine that was originally a PT Boat engine. The boat regularly provides river cruises for as I recall $300 an hour. It takes avgas to run her.

After each cruise they fillerback up. The fuel gauge is a 5' long oak pole they stick in the top of the tank. Its graduated in 1/4 tanks.

More than one way to skin a cat.....LOL. Google "Pardon Me boat".

We used one of those on the launch boat I helped out on in Port Angeles. It had twin BIG diesels and a huge tank.

 

[Thalasso]

Re: External Fuel Level Indicator

I haven't seen such BS answers in a long time. The best sight gauge I have ever seen was on Nordhavn yacht I poked around on at a boat show. Check out this blog where they discuss it a little bit.MV Dirona Blog - Tuesday, 16 March 2010

Federal Regulation 33 CFR 183.501-183.590. Federal regulations apply only to gasoline
Sec. 183.518 Fuel tank openings.
Each opening into the fuel tank must be at or above the topmost surface of the tank.
You have to certify that whatever you put in this boat meets Federal Regulations.

New Boatbuilders Home Page - Fuel Systems
www.newboatbuilders.com/pages/fuel.html



Diesel Fuel Systems:
The USCG does not regulate diesel fuel systems for recreational boats. However, ABYC does have a standard for Diesel Fuel Systems in ABYC H-33.

 

[Pez Vela]

Re: External Fuel Level Indicator

Informative. Thank you, but I'm perplexed by:

"? 183.501 Applicability.
(a) This subpart applies to all boats that have gasoline engines, except outboard engines, for electrical generation, mechanical power, or propulsion."

May that provide an exception for gasoline fuel tanks in outboard powered boats?

 

[thumpar]

Re: External Fuel Level Indicator

Informative. Thank you, but I'm perplexed by:

"? 183.501 Applicability.
(a) This subpart applies to all boats that have gasoline engines, except outboard engines, for electrical generation, mechanical power, or propulsion."

May that provide an exception for gasoline fuel tanks in outboard powered boats?

Post the whole thing. I would think anything below deck would be different.

 

[cobbcfi]

Re: External Fuel Level Indicator

Oh wow!!!! I didn't think my post would run amuck... haha and the replies are spot on and some hilarious!!! But the deal is, the gauge has lost my trust, and last year we went out for a tournament and the boat wouldn't get on plane.. It was starving of fuel and we knew that but didn't know why.. After a few hours of bobbing around in the Charleston harbor on one of the not so better days I finally disconnected the fuel hose feeding the engine, "post fuel/water separator" and found out that the problem was the inner lining of the hose had separated from the hose itself and had collapsed under the fuel vacuum pressure... It would have helped if I had a "sight glass" that would have indicated that I did have fuel remaining and that something else was the underlying issue. At that point I would have known that i did in fact have fuel in the tank and that it wasn't getting to the engine, it would have narrowed down a lot of possibilities.. I could care less about the USCG regulations other than the fact that I abide by most all of them, I just want a way of knowing exactly how much fuel is on-board...

The boat is a 1983 T-Craft (one of the last builds before a fire destroyed the plant in St Augustine FL in the mid 80's) and the tank is squared in all dimensions.. By calculations it holds 98.4 gallons of fuel.. Even then, I trailer the boat back and forth to the landing in a tidal creek (which can be fun at times to watch the river rats fight when they back their pontoon down into a 6.5 knot rushing current and slam into others landing) but when I am at the gas station putting fuel on-board (the tanks is set to be just about level on the trailer and in the water at full stop) I want to be able to observe through a "sight glass" to see exactly what is in there if any at all...

I hope yall understand where I am coming from, being able to visually see gas in a tank, is much better to me than praying that the gauge is accurate. Granted, as a pilot, fuel indicators on aircraft are only required by the FAA to be 98% accurate at empty which means it could show you full tanks for 6+ hours and the drop to near zero in flight.. That's no fun at 33,000ft nor is fun between two rock jetties submerged by the high tide in the Charleston harbor when were trolling for Kings..

 

[MH Hawker]

Re: External Fuel Level Indicator

My suggestion is to have a custom tank made to replace the one in use. No one is going to want to cut and weld on one that has had gas in it.

 

[Bondo]

Re: External Fuel Level Indicator

I could care less about the USCG regulations other than the fact that I abide by most all of them, I just want a way of knowing exactly how much fuel is on-board...

Ayuh,.... So yer plannin' to build a Bomb,..??.. :facepalm:

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: External Fuel Level Indicator

...But the deal is, the gauge has lost my trust, and last year we went out for a tournament and the boat wouldn't get on plane.. It was starving of fuel and we knew that but didn't know why.. After a few hours of bobbing around in the Charleston harbor on one of the not so better days I finally disconnected the fuel hose feeding the engine, "post fuel/water separator" and found out that the problem was the inner lining of the hose had separated from the hose itself and had collapsed under the fuel vacuum pressure... It would have helped if I had a "sight glass" that would have indicated that I did have fuel remaining and that something else was the underlying issue. At that point I would have known that i did in fact have fuel in the tank and that it wasn't getting to the engine, it would have narrowed down a lot of possibilities..

I hope yall understand where I am coming from, ..

you're still thinking like a pilot, or an engineer, and not a boater. On boats, you don't run a tank down close to empty, unless you have a reason to empty it and then you carry a second tank. You always carry more gas than you'd need. You don't equip your boat with your estimate of "just enough" and try to cut it close. Your objective of weight savings is a false economy--do you also only carry light beer?

your previous problem was misdiagnosed. there is no vaccuum pressure from an empty tank. The seperation was more likely caused by ethanol poisoning--that's what it does to old fuel lines. If you always keep at least 20 gallons in your 100 gallon tank you can always eliminate OOG as the problem, then go through your fuel path.

Use your fuel tank from the top down, not the bottom up. Quit fixating on true volume and use "enough plus" as your standard.

BTW I bet sea tow will cancel you after too many OOG calls. I would.

 

[Scott Danforth]

Re: External Fuel Level Indicator

us engineers just fill it and go boating. we actually convert to chemical engineering, converting beer, wine, and spirits into uric acid

with a 98 gallon tank, it probably is 85 gallons useable. fill it with 85 gallons, and keep it topped off.

the fuel line collapsing is from the original non-ethenol compatible line being used with ethanol fuel.

 

[Gyrene]

Re: External Fuel Level Indicator

Thats what I used for several years and what I was going to suggest.

Me, too - a dipstick. Foolproof and safe.