Recreational boat owners who install a FloScan
Fuel Computer report that it quickly becomes the most
important instrument aboard and the one they depend upon
more than any other. A fuel computer tells them so much
about their boat's operation that they wouldn't otherwise
know. Best of all, it keeps them totally informed about
their fuel situation from minute to minute. It's little
wonder that FloScan owners feel almost to
a person that fuel computers should be standard equipment
on every boat.
A FloScan Fuel
Computer Performs Many Critically Important Functions
Super-Accurate Tank Gauge. How many times
have you hesitated to try new fishing grounds or to stay
out longer because you couldn't trust your fuel tank
gauges? Everyone agrees that marine fuel tank gauges are
often next to useless - especially in rough seas when you
may need them the most. To compensate for their inaccuracy
many skippers carry extra fuel to be on the safe side.
This costs money, and it adds extra weight (50 gallons of
fuel weighs over 300 pounds) which in turn reduces fuel
efficiency and often adversely affects the way the boat
handles.
Many
first time FloScan buyers are looking
primarily for an accurate tank gauge. They are not
disappointed. With a FloScan Fuel
Computer it is not uncommon to return to the fuel dock and
find that the amount needed to fill the tanks is within a
gallon or two of what the fuel totalizer says the boat has
used. Dock attendants are often amazed when the skipper
already knows the exact amount it will take to fill the
tanks.
Now
that you know for sure exactly how much fuel you have you
can plan your next move without fearing that you may run
out. This often allows you to take that extra fishing run,
or to make it home from the islands without refueling at
that expensive refueling dock. You'll enjoy boating more
because the fear factor has disappeared.
If
you split fuel costs with your fishing buddies a fuel
computer can also save you time at the end of the day. You
won't have to line up at the fuel dock to full up just to
find out how much fuel you've used. You can read it
directly off the totalizer!
Big fuel saver. A FloScan
Fuel Computer will save you 10-20% of your fuel bill. It's
one of the few products for your boat that pays for
itself, and quickly too. If you're a serious boater or
fisherman, a FloScan Fuel Computer will likely pay out in
less than a year.
A
FloScan Fuel Computer helps you save fuel
in several different ways. First, it lets you choose the
optimum speed for maximum fuel efficiency. Knowing your
fuel flow rate and boat speed you can calculate your
miles-per-gallon (MPG) and select the speed which results
in the lowest fuel consumption for present conditions.
This alone will usually cut your fuel bill by 10-15%. (The
latest addition to our product line, the Series 9000,
automatically calculates MPG by interfacing with your GPS
or Loran to obtain boat speed).
Speed
is very important but many other factors affect fuel
usage. Boat trim, propeller, engine condition, and hull
condition all are important. With a fuel computer you can
see the effect of a change in trim tab angle or a shift in
the load. The same applies to the art of selecting the
best propeller type, size and pitch; fuel computers make
it possible to measure the effect of prop changes on
engine/drive train efficiency. It's not difficult to pick
up at least another 5% in fuel savings with these
adjustments.
The
importance of engine condition on maintaining top fuel
efficiency in marine engines is sometimes overlooked; this
is especially true for gasoline engines. Marine engines
operate under continuous high loads for a much higher
proportion of the time than engines in cars. At these high
loads, engine equipment deficiencies can chew up a lot of
extra fuel until they are discovered and remedied.
Something as simple as a faulty spark plug can increase
fuel consumption by 20% and yet be very difficult to spot;
a fuel computer picks up such an increase immediately,
calling for an engine check to determine the cause.
Monitors engine and drive train condition.
Anything that degrades engine or drive train/prop or
overall boat performance also shows up immediately in fuel
flow rates. FloScan Fuel Computers help spot problems
before they become emergencies that could either leave you
dead in the water or cost a lot of money.
Something as common as a nicked prop will increase fuel
consumption by as much as 20%. If you notice a sudden
increase in fuel flow rate, especially on one engine in a
twin engine boat, one of the first things to inspect is
the prop on the offending engine. Or, as discussed above,
a fouled spark plug could be the problem. Whatever the
problem turns out to be, a FloScan Fuel Computer is a
valuable tool to first identify and then solve it.
A FloScan Fuel Computer can even save your life.
Engine fuel leaks that could have been disastrous have
been discovered by alert skippers who noticed that the
flow rate suddenly increased without any reason and then
discovered gas pouring into the bilge! Without a fuel
computer, they would not have known of this life
threatening situation.
On
diesel engines, a fuel computer which measures both the
forward and return flows can spot a clogged return fuel
line which, if left uncorrected, could lead to expensive
engine repairs. Without a fuel computer, you wouldn't know
until the damage was already done.
Bottom fouling is another thing that increases fuel usage.
It can creep up on you, especially in tropical waters.
With a fuel computer you can tell when it's time to clean
the hull. |
