mechanical fuel guage

JohnCranston · Post by **JohnCranston** » May 3rd, '12, 00:26

Fellas,
Need some advice on a mechanical guage that will mount on top of my 270 gal fiberglass tank. The tank is approx 4" higher than the orginal 223 gal Bertram tank. There's no room on the helm for an electronic gauge.

Any thoughts or advice will be appreciated.
John.

Hyena Love · Post by **Hyena Love** » May 3rd, '12, 08:40

I like Tom P's old approach. He had this real nice bamboo stick. He also had a small fitting on top of his fuel tank, and he would open the fitting and dip the stick in the tank.

His mistake, albeit a very, very minor mistake, was not marking the stick to indicate fuel burned or fuel remaining. Thus, he discovered one day that even though there was still fuel in the tank as indicated by the stick, it was below his fuel pickups, and as result, the engines would not run.

But the stick was always accurate. It was a good stick.

Rawleigh · Post by **Rawleigh** » May 3rd, '12, 08:48

I use a hardwood dowel through a pipe plug on the inlet plat of my tank. A piece of bronze keyway was brazed to the top of the plug so that you can unscrew it without tools. I cut notches for full and half full and interpolate from there.

In Memory of Vicroy · Post by **In Memory of Vicroy** » May 3rd, '12, 08:48

I have a similar, and just as good, stick I use to plumb my home genset diesel tank. The tank is a "farm tank", 275 gallons, and its end profile is oval.....so trying to mark the stick correctly was a challenge. Now, for the life of me I can't remember how I rose to that challenge.......it all became moot when I marked the outside of the tank with a paint pen....."how", you ask, "can you tell how full the tank is from markings on the OUTSIDE of a steel tank?"......I did it, and still do it.

This is a contest. Whoever is first to guess how I do it wins a nice prize.

UV

Rawleigh · Post by **Rawleigh** » May 3rd, '12, 08:50

Dip the stick and hold it up against the end of the tank?

In Memory of Vicroy · Post by **In Memory of Vicroy** » May 3rd, '12, 08:57

Nope.

UV

In Memory Walter K · Post by **In Memory Walter K** » May 3rd, '12, 08:59

The tank is somewhat transparent when back lit?

Rawleigh · Post by **Rawleigh** » May 3rd, '12, 08:59

Temperature change on the outside of the tank with your favorite IR gun?

In Memory of Vicroy · Post by **In Memory of Vicroy** » May 3rd, '12, 09:03

Rawleigh got it. The fuel in the tank is always much warmer or colder than the tank itself and the "fluid line" stands out like a sore thumb with the IR gun.

UV

TailhookTom · Post by **TailhookTom** » May 3rd, '12, 11:47

I was going to guess you used the old school stud finding technique on a wall, and knocked on it was your knuckles.

Tony Meola · Post by **Tony Meola** » May 3rd, '12, 22:12

John

Who says the guage has to go in the dash panel. Find another spot, under the gunnels, in another panel some place. Purchase a good sending unit and a CruzPro digital guage. No need to dip the tank after that.

Pete Fallon · Post by **Pete Fallon** » May 3rd, '12, 22:51

John,
The old style mechancal guages were made by Dallas guages of Texas. They had a mangnetic guage that sat into the top of the guage . The old style had a cork that ran up and down on two bronze rods that screwed into the top of the tank. I don't know if they are still in business.

Isapro (spelling ) makes a nice electric guage that sits about a 1/2" above the top of the tank, guage can be mounted anywhere on the boat, inside the head, under the dinette seat or anywhere else.

JohnCranston · Post by **JohnCranston** » May 4th, '12, 00:25

Tony and Pete,
Damn...feel like a dummy...sure, the guage can be monted anywhere. Pete, my buddy has a 24' Hydrasports with a mechanical guage that mounts on the top of the tank that seems to work great. I'll check out if Dallas Guages is still in biz, and, then go from there. I had a teak dowel in my 26' Shamrock that was always dead on, but, a little messy.
Pete, I want to talk to you about your anchoring skills whenever it's good for you.
Thanks guys,
John.

JohnCranston · Post by **JohnCranston** » May 4th, '12, 00:30

Tony,
What sending unit do you think is best...I'm too drunk to try to spell recomend..ha..ha...
John.

JohnCranston · Post by **JohnCranston** » May 4th, '12, 00:43

I meant Gauge.
Thank you.

Pete Fallon · Post by **Pete Fallon** » May 4th, '12, 03:35

John,
My anchoring skills? Latley my only skills seem to be going to orthopedic doctors offices.
I have anchored from the cockpit and forward deck, I find it's easier from the cockpit. I use a 25' peice of line that is secured to the bow cleat, run through the chock down the side of the boat to a small cleat just forward of the house deck break,( small cleat also acts as a anchor point for the out rigger halyard) that line stays in position all the time it's a peice of 3/8" white 3 strand nlyon, ( 10" Eyes spliced into each end). I attached the main anchor with a quick release pelican hook that is permentantly attached to the short line, I have a trip line that goes from the pelican hook eye, through the bow chock atop the cabin house, through the starboard express bridge opening windshield to a loop over the ignition switch. ( Trip line is a section of 300 pound black dacron braid fishing line).
When I want to get off the anchor I pull the quick release and retrieve the anchor line from the cockpit. I use a stainless steel ring attached to the poly ball, the ring has to be large enough to freely go over the shackle on the anchor chain(20'-3/8") and a bullet shaped lobster bouy at the end of the anchor line(so you don't loose the anchor line when you come to the bitter end) and medium sized orange poly ball to lift the anchor all the way to the anchor shank.
Pull the quick release, back up to the lobster bouy before the poly ball, hook the anchor line over the stern cleat, go forward fast enough to get the poly ball moving down the anchor line, when the poly ball reaches the anchor shank, the anchor starts planing on top of the water. Back down fast enough so that the mate is not killing himself trying to put the line into a large laundry basket or a fish box tote. With a little practice and you can retrieve 300 to 600 feet of anchor in less than 15 minutes without killing your back, the boat and the poly ball do all the work.
I usually disconnect the anchor from the chain for anchor storage, I keep the 23 S Danforth in the floor hatch under the V berth sole, the flukes and the shank face the bow, I have stainless steel J hooks to hold the anchor in place.( J hooks have blue silcon hose over them to keep from rattling).
It takes a little practice but it's easy once you get the hang of it, saves the crew from going forward in rough seas, no dropping chain or anchor on the gel coated forward deck or even through a forward glass window,( Don't ask how my mate did that). I hope this helps explain how to anchor from the cockpit. Call me anytime late Friday afternoon or Saturday I'll be working on the boat, (561-310-7179 cell).
Pete

Wingnut · Post by **Wingnut** » May 4th, '12, 19:58

John,

While its a bit more fufu than a stick (which worked fine in the plane for years) you might consider something like these:

http://www.jamestowndistributors.com/us ... Fuel+Gauge

I'm leaning this way on my B28.

JD

Tony Meola · Post by **Tony Meola** » May 4th, '12, 22:45

John

If you stay with one of these senders you can not go wrong.

http://www.isspro.com/products.php?cat=99
http://www.livorsi.com/catalog/senders_auto.htm
http://www.livorsi.com/pdf/autocal_fuel_level.pdf

I am installing this guage below this year. Actually my old guage is original. Works believe it or not. I have the 230 Gal tank. I know when the needle is at half, I will take on 100 gallons give or take a gallon. I am anxiious to see how this is going to wok.

http://www.cruzpro.co.nz/fu60.html

DanielM · Post by **DanielM** » May 4th, '12, 22:48

John,

If you decide to stay with a mechanical gauge you might want to look at Rochester Gauges. The original gauge used on my boat was a model number 8280 spiral gauge manufactured by Rochester Gauges, Inc in Dallas Texas. It was brass construction and seemed fairly beefy. The original float was damaged so I decide to replace it.

At the time I couldn't find a vendor that would sell a single gauge. The smallest lot I could find was a vendor that would sell in lots of 10.

I was in a hurry to get the boat in the water at that time and I wound up using a Rochester Gauge 8680 that had a zinc head and could be purchased individually through McMasters. McMasters' model number was 3610K46. You can look it up at the following link. http://www.mcmaster.com/#contact

As with most things that I do in a hurry I haven't been too happy with how the 8680 gauge has held up. It still works ok but I've taken out & cleaned it up a couple of times. It has had a fair amount of rust on the float guides as they are steel.

Here is a link to the Rochester website for these gauges. The gauges are made with different length float assemblies for various tank depths.

www.rochestergauges.com/pages/PDFs/8200.pdf

Good luck

Pete Fallon · Post by **Pete Fallon** » May 4th, '12, 23:04

John,
The old style gauge was made by Rochester Guage in Dallas Texas, I had a brain fart last night, looked at the gauge display that I still had in the drawer on the boat today. Daniel M has the correct number for the spiral guage
Sorry for the mix up.
Pete

JohnCranston · Post by **JohnCranston** » May 4th, '12, 23:36

Tony,
After reading the feedback, I think that I'll have a buddy of mine take a look at the digital system that you recommended and get things ordered ..or mayby, I'll just swipe McKinney's, and be done with it.
Pete,
What I like about you, sir, is that, you give great details when explaining things...it makes it real easy on us blind folk. I'll give you a call when I get back in town and squeze you for some final details...Right now, I'm on the way down to the coast to pirate an old Chris Craft.
Wingnut,
Would you please describe what you are considering? I'll be out of town for the next week, but, I'd like to hear what's on your mind.
Many thanks, all.
John.

DanielM · Post by **DanielM** » May 5th, '12, 15:13

John,

You don't want them old Chris Craft parts on your almost new again Bertram.

bertram31.com

mechanical fuel guage

mechanical fuel guage

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