Hunter 34 Fuel Tank

Dec 28, 2016
33
Hunter 34 MiddleR
I don't know why, but my H34 does not have a fuel gauge. Although it's not been a problem (yet) , I don't like not knowing how much fuel is in there. I
know that I could install a gauge, simply by cutting a hole in the top of the tank, but the problem is, the shavings that will drop into the fuel, from the hole
that is being cut. I really don't want to pump-out all the fuel to do this. Any suggestions ?
 
Nov 6, 2006
9,885
Hunter 34 Mandeville Louisiana
Many boats of that era did not have fuel gauges and the H-34 did not have one from the factory.. When the boats were young, you could see the diesel in the poly tank.. as the tanks got older, they became stained and ya can't see through any more.. Lots of folks install a gauge but generally pump the tank out, install an access port and gauge, and then clean the tank to get rid of the drill/cut debris. some folks (like me) just use the engine hour meter and know that the engine averages about a half gallon per hour.. Oh yeah, the hour meter didn't come on the boat either and had t be installed later.
 
Jul 23, 2009
857
Beneteau 31 Oceanis Grand Lake, Oklahoma
On my last boat I could drop a measuring stick into the tank. I measured the tank and calculated that every inch was half a gallon. Easy, if you can drop a stick in.
 
Jan 7, 2011
4,727
Oday 322 East Chicago, IN
I don't know why, but my H34 does not have a fuel gauge. Although it's not been a problem (yet) , I don't like not knowing how much fuel is in there. I
know that I could install a gauge, simply by cutting a hole in the top of the tank, but the problem is, the shavings that will drop into the fuel, from the hole
that is being cut. I really don't want to pump-out all the fuel to do this. Any suggestions ?
Is your tank aluminum or plastic?

I have a 1988 O’Day 322 and it had a small mechanical gauge on the tank itself...very hard to read and not in a good location (bottom of my lazzarette).

it turns out that that gauge can actually drive a remote gauge.
If you have one of these on the tank, you can hook up an external gauge.
E0548F86-3037-41E3-8516-A6DF6AC9FDC3.jpeg


Greg
 
Jan 28, 2017
44
Hunter 34 Halifax
This is what we do. We did in fact run out of fuel once, before we started keeping a general track of fuel consumption.
We just subtract 2.5L to every hour of running and refill when we get to an estimated half full. It's roughly a 90L tank.

So 2.5L x 18h or run time = 45L time to refill!

Many boats of that era did not have fuel gauges and the H-34 did not have one from the factory.. When the boats were young, you could see the diesel in the poly tank.. as the tanks got older, they became stained and ya can't see through any more.. Lots of folks install a gauge but generally pump the tank out, install an access port and gauge, and then clean the tank to get rid of the drill/cut debris. some folks (like me) just use the engine hour meter and know that the engine averages about a half gallon per hour.. Oh yeah, the hour meter didn't come on the boat either and had t be installed later.
 
Nov 26, 2012
1,653
Hunter 34 Berkeley
A dip stick would be the simplest solution. It's pretty much a straight shot from the fill cap to the tank. You could even put marks on the stick to indicate 3/4, 1/2, 1/4, etc.
 
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Jan 24, 2017
666
Hunter 34 Toms River Nj
I've had my h34 for sence 1983 and have the plastic type fule tank. It has become less translucent over the past 38 years however if you place a brite flashlight on top of the tank you can still see the fule level. It's hard to see the level however you should still be able to see the level sloshing around in the tank.
Fuel gauge would be nice however for the amount of time I run my engine I couldn't justify the time to install a gauge. For me looking down the storage locker with a flashlight works for me. I'd rather spend the time sailing. ⛵⛵⛵
 
Jan 22, 2008
1,654
Hunter 34 Alameda CA
A dip stick would be the simplest solution. It's pretty much a straight shot from the fill cap to the tank. You could even put marks on the stick to indicate 3/4, 1/2, 1/4, etc.
I used a magic marker on the outside of the tank. When it was time to add fuel I would mark the tank at the fuel level and then fill it. I'd then go back and label the mark with how many gallons I put in. I have several marks with increasing values the farther down the tank. There is some obstruction from the hull liner so my last mark is somewhere around 15 gallons. Knowing from experience that my H34 tank only holds 21 gallons, if I can't see the fuel any more with the flashlight, it's time to fuel up ASAP.

Even with the darkened tank, a bright flashlight still shows the fuel level inside