Fuel Gauge.

[Joshua]

If fuel gauges are such a good idea why then is it a legal requirement for light aircraft to have (and to use) a dip-stick? Pilots have excellently accurate fuel gauges and they do complex and accurate consumption calculations - but they must dip the tank before they even start the engines - you cant beat a bit of good, old-fashioned 'analogue' when your life depends on it!

 

You make your own luck!

 

I used to own a 1936 J3 Piper Cub that went one step better. The fuel tank sits directly in-front of the pilot, well passenger actually, as the passenger sits up front and the pilot behind. The filler cap therefore was on top of the engine cowling in the pilots direct view, well nearly, the pilots forward vision is so restricted you spend most of your time looking out the side windows. A piece of stiff wire (like a coat hanger) fed down through a hole in the filler cap and through a cork in the tank. As the fuel burnt off, the piece of wire slowly disappeared down into the tank, effectively a permanently fixed dip-stick, in full view, all the time. The plane rattled and shook far too much for the wire ever to stick.

It is generally true that pilots rely on checking everything as much as possible by sight and where possible manhandling things, it is an industry with a generally very good safety culture.

[beerbeerbeerbeerbeer]

I've got two linked tanks, one on either side and I have a stainless steel dip stick that screws and locks in place on the right hand tank.

I find it hard to see the level on the dipstick even laying it on a bit of kitchen towel.

So I cut myself a dip stick using a chopstick.

The chopstick does not reach the bottom of the tank by a few inches.

As a rule I never go lower than the chopstick will reach, and if I do I should have enough to reach somewhere for fuel.

The less gadgets using up any wiring the better for me.

 

Glenn

 

To add, diesel on the wooden chopstick leaves a clearer mark is and is easier to see.!

Edited August 29, 2014 by Goliath

[gazza]

We have dried NC out and she sat nice and level. She sits on the bottom of the vee on the hull and the bottom of the raised leg quite nicely. She didnt look incredibly stable but didnt move as we moved around on her so safe enough. We just try to avoid it if at all possible!

 

Does open up more moorings of course.

One of the advantages of a leg! The nut jobs in the narrow boats beat us by being able to dry out totally level on their flat bottomed tubs but I'd trade seaworthiness for the ability to take to the mud any day :-)

 

The wash is our local playground, we shan't be doing much more than crossing to Boston and playing on the sand banks until little un is quite a bit older.

 

There's plenty of places to drop the hook and go and say hello to the seals in the dinghy though.

Edited August 29, 2014 by gazza

[Naughty Cal]

One of the advantages of a leg! The nut jobs in the narrow boats beat us by being able to dry out totally level on their flat bottomed tubs but I'd trade seaworthiness for the ability to take to the mud any day :-)

 

The wash is our local playground, we shan't be doing much more than crossing to Boston and playing on the sand banks until little un is quite a bit older.

 

There's plenty of places to drop the hook and go and say hello to the seals in the dinghy though.

Indeed. Can't beat a bbq on Roger Sand.

[David Mack]

Many hire boats have simple mechanical fuel gauges, like the one at the bottom of this page: http://www.tek-tanks.com/boattanks/fuel-level-indicators/

 

The dial is recessed, so protected from damage.

Why do hire boats need a fuel gauge? Surely they just fill them full every turnround.

[nicknorman]

Why do hire boats need a fuel gauge? Surely they just fill them full every turnround.

Depends how long they go out for.

[Naughty Cal]

Why do hire boats need a fuel gauge? Surely they just fill them full every turnround.

We had to refuel our hire boats when we were out for a couple of weeks and covering long distances.

[bigcol]

I've just fitted a fuel tank gauge complete with sensor

Relative easy, drilling the fuel tank was nervy, but all went well

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/371023903015?_trksid=p2059210.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

 

£27.40 all in inc postage

 

Works a treat

 

Col

Edited September 20, 2014 by bigcol

[Metz118]

Hi,

I recently fitted a fuel guage to my narrowboat. It has a s shaped inlet pipe so is unable to use s dip stick. I had to have a 1,1/2 inch bsp fitting welded to the tank. Not cheap especially as I can weld myself but I had to pay the marina owner. The guage was a mechanical float type about £70 I think. My only problem is my tank is shallow around 10 inch deep. This means the gearing is very high so the float is unable to rise when filling the tank quickly , however when running the engine the vibrations cause the guage to work properly on the way down.

Hope this helps Martin