Gas gauge!

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Leopoldo

Seaman
Joined
May 26, 2004
Messages
64
I recently bought a McKee Craft 16'. Everything is up to par now, thanks to all of the wonderful information shared at this forum. The only glitch is the gas gauge. Original built in boat tank 16 gallons. The gauge is original as well. The gauge is all over the place with different readings. There is power to the gauge. The question is, is the problem the gauge or the tank? Can I just buy any gauge and substitute the old one or does the gauge have to match the existing tank? Thanks in advance for any help.............L
 
T

tailgunner

Petty Officer 3rd Class
Joined
Aug 20, 2003
Messages
93
Re: Gas gauge!

It has been my experience that most gas guages fail. After replacing mine several times I finally broke down and bought a fuel flow meter. It measures the fuel going through the fuel line and it very accurate. Probably the best gadget I have bought to date, the GPS being a close second.<br /><br />I bought the Navman 2100 but there are a bunch of them out there. Floscan is reportedly the best but the price was too high for me.<br /><br />Good luck.
 
S

swist

Senior Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Jul 1, 2004
Messages
678
Re: Gas gauge!

Most small boat gas gauges are designed the same as car gauges (cheap) - except not only do boats bounce and heel, but many boat tanks have internal baffles in them (to keep a lot of gas from sloshing suddenly from one side to the other). The baffles not only contribute to the fact that the gas level is all over the place, but they are also very good at interfering with float arm travel. And you can't even define what "level" is on a small boat. At rest? With what load? On plane? At what attitude? It's a lost cause.<br /><br />Big boats, aircraft, and anything else that moves around all measure fuel either by weight or by measuring flow.
 
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