How about a large prybar bought for ten dollars at Harbor Freight Tools?Didn't somebody make a smoke seeking missile to guard against F4s? "Where'd that F4 go?" "Follow the trail....."
Four things to never trust?
Car Salespeople
Boat Salespeople
Any other salespeople
Politicians
And speaking of prybars, I have one more thing for the guys here never to trust; A mail order bride from the philippines, Eastern Europe, or Latin America who is half your age and says all she wants is love and companionship. She will pry your assets away.How about a large prybar bought for ten dollars at Harbor Freight Tools?
Makes a lot of sense on one level; You start the season with fresh fuel. On the other hand, you have to go through the bother of bleeding the engine at the beginning of the season, and an empty tank invites condensation into the system. That is why I top off my tank right before or after haul out and add fuel stabilizerPlease remember, when motor sailing, or motoring in no wind but with large swells, where your tank pick up is physically located. Our tank happens to be well thought out and designed for a sail boat, with the pick up in the center vee-shaped bottom of the tank. This places the fuel pick up at the lowest & most optimal point in the tank for our sailboat.. Even at our max average rate of heel there is still fuel in the vee-shaped bottom with as little as 1 gallon of fuel left.
Sadly, I can't say this for all sailboat tanks. Some pick ups are on port or starboard meaning motor sailing with anything less than approx 1/3 tank means sucking air.
Empty, on a sailboat, needs to take into consideration tank shape, pick up location and average heel angle when motor sailing. Some sailboat tanks can suck air with as much as 1/3 or more of a tank of fuel. Do'h.... If your engine is not self-bleeding, this can actually become dangerous...
A quick fix for fuel gauges is to *100% empty the tank in the fall then re-fill it with known quantities of fresh fuel in the spring.
*Physically remove fuel sender and pump out 100% of the fuel, not just what the engine pick-up can grab.
Come spring add 3 gallons to the empty tank, or what ever increment you choose, take a photo of the fuel gauge, add three more and take another photo continue this until the tank is 100% full. Hint; place your camera/phone etc. level with the gauge, on a tripod, so each reading or image is from the identical angle/view point.
Now print the photos, and label them 3 gallons, 6 gallons, 9 gallons etc. (use what ever increment you feel comfortable with) onto a sheet of paper and get it laminated at Staples and place it in your chart table.
You can also physically mark the gauge in 1/8 or 1/4 increments by placing tick-marks on the glass using a Sharpie marker. Because marine tanks on sailboats are quite often not just square boxes fuel gauges are very difficult to make accurate, other than using the above process.
Now add the photos on top of your avg & measured GPH, using the hour meter, and you'll never run out of fuel again.
Yes and usually fresh clean road diesel that has high turnover.Makes a lot of sense on one level; You start the season with fresh fuel.
No spring bleeding is necessary..On the other hand, you have to go through the bother of bleeding the engine at the beginning of the season,
No it does not! This wives tale is the same level urban myth as the "Setting batteries on a concrete floor discharges them." myth... Empty tanks don't magically make water.and an empty tank invites condensation into the system.
Yeah. I blocked the call with my phone and so far so good. No more calls."Windows customer service" calling on the phone.
At least 3 times today...
Can't vouch for the need to bleed the system in the spring, but I am with you 100% on using highway diesel fuel, rather than that sold at the dock. As you stated before, it will most probably be fresher at a service station, or better yet, a truck stop, due to higher turnover. If you live in a four season climate and buy fuel at the beginning of the season, you are likely getting some stale stuff. Due to emissions regulations on cars and trucks, highway fuel burns cleaner in all engines, including marine diesels.Yes and usually fresh clean road diesel that has high turnover.
No spring bleeding is necessary..
No it does not! This wives tale is the same level urban myth as the "Setting batteries on a concrete floor discharges them." myth... Empty tanks don't magically make water.
or do a similar pictogram of the RED WHITE BLUE on your gauge...You can also physically mark the gauge in 1/8 or 1/4 increments by placing tick-marks on the glass using a Sharpie marker.
The time this is MOST true: when you are mutton dressed as lamb.And I might add something else one should not trust; A pit bull from an animal shelter
Even the guys that just fly skyhawks & cubs, get taught the exact same thing.Many years ago in Navy flight school we were all trained as part of the "pre-flight" to visually check the fuel level in the tanks. We never trusted our fuel gauge.