fuel tank gauge inspection plate

[jason hines]

my 323 has a fuel fill gauge on top of the fuel tank  (unsure if original tank)   but not viewable unless I go below in the sail locker and use a mirror...not sure it that was standard on the tanks.....and if so  has anyone cut a hole for a clear inspection plate in the cockpit to see the gauge?

 

[RICHARD USEN]

My P-30 had an inspection port in the cockpit sole. I seem to remember seeing an older P-30 w/ a fuel fill in the same spot.

 

Dick Usen

T-33 #100

Hopscotch

Boston

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[Dan Pfeiffer]

My 10M has a gauge on top of the tank and there is a fixed clear view port in the cockpit sole.  It does not open or unscrew.  I think it's OEM.  It is somewhat scuffed up but I can see through it fine if I pour a bit of water on it when I want to look. 

Dan Pfeiffer

May 26, 2014 03:16:21 PM, pearso...@googlegroups.com wrote:
>

my 323 has a fuel fill gauge on top of the fuel tank  (unsure if original tank)   but not viewable unless I go below in the sail locker and use a mirror...not sure it that was standard on the tanks.....and if so  has anyone cut a hole for a clear inspection plate in the cockpit to see the gauge?

 

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[David - Annapolis, MD]

My P-35 has a (what used to be) clear inspection port on the floor of the cockpit. The 40 year old gauge is also mounted directly on the top of the tank and has never worked in the 5 years that I've owned the boat ... so this season I replaced it with a new sender and gauge on my cockpit wall. My original inspection plate was bronze with a real tempered glass lens. It became so crazed that even if the gauge worked it would not be viewable. The new clear plastic inspection ports become unclear very quickly.

[Joel Bondy]

My 323 has the same, including the cloudy (understatement) inspection port. The mechanical gauge on top of the tank worked fine, but to see it, you had to hang upside down in the cockpit locker and look into a narrow space between tank top and underside of the cockpit sole. A PO had placed large marks on the tank to help read the gauge. I did the same as the poster below, installing a sender in the tank and an electric gauge on the cockpit wall. The thing immediately got out of calibration and in this, its second year, stopped working entirely. Since I keep a log of repairs and fill-ups (about once a year), I'm not really suffering from a lack of info.

Joel

Pokey III

'78 P323 #101

Bayside, NY

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Date: Tue, 27 May 2014 11:08:57 -0700
From: davidvi...@gmail.com
To: pearso...@googlegroups.com
Subject: [pearson ] Re: fuel tank gauge inspection plate

[steve_hayes_maine]

The fuel gauge and inspection port must've been a later modification, because my 1977 P-323 Hull #63 has nothing of the sort (not that it would be easy to notice). My low tech/low cost solution was a 3 foot dowel. Each fall, I completely drain the tank (filling it to the brim with fuel treatment still does not prevent ethanol from breaking down). When the tank was dry, I added fuel in 5 gallon increments and then marked my trusty stick at the top of the wet line. Until such time as I have other reasons to add another hole in my cockpit sole, this solution works for me.

Steve Hayes

s/v Redeemed

P-323 #63

[Bill Robart]

There was no fuel gauge on my P-33-1 and I never really felt the need for one.  The A4 seems to burn just under 1 gallon per hour no matter what it is doing so fuel level was a simple thing to figure.  My fuel fill was in the middle of the cockpit sole and the fill pipe went vertically down to the top of the middle of the tank so it was easy to stick a graduated wooden sail batten to the bottom of the tank to check the level.  Most of the last years I owned the boat it was only used for racing so the tank, against conventional wisdom, was kept nearly empty to save weigh in the aft end of the boat.  Don't know if it had any positive effect but it was one less excuse for doing poorly. Once in a while I'd fail to measure the level with predictable consequences.  Fortunately the boat sailed well (some say due to a favorable rating) so there was always a competitor following me into the harbor who could "rescue" us.

During the time I owned the boat the engine stopped on 4 occasions.  Once due to a bad condenser, and 3 times due to wanting to win races (empty tank).   On a 5th occasion I returned to a mooring to wait for the fuel dock to have space for us.  When I restarted the engine to power 100 yards to the fuel dock the engine only ran half way there before it stopped.  I though it was due to no fuel but my 2 year old son appeared in the companionway with the ignition key in his hand.

If you do install a fuel gauge make sure you calibrate it to show when the tank will no longer draw fuel.  Having it read empty when the float is resting on the bottom of the tank is well after the engine has stopped drawing fuel. Better to have it read empty when the pick up is still well immersed.  Carry some fuel in a jug until you get the calibration correct. My P-33 had about 2 gallons left when the engine stopped drawing fuel in calm conditions (tied to the dock).   That's 10% of the 20 gallon total.

Bill

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[mcjo...@yahoo.com]

Pearson 323 "Our Alice," Hull No. 110, has the same fuel gauge (and awkward inspection method) as Jason and Joel describe.  I would hang upside down about twice a year.

Mike Jonas

Sent from my iPad

[Ken Mart]

Mine also had the inspection port in the cockpit floor.   But instead of the clear fixed cover it has the screw out access cover.   Makes checking fuel easy. 

Also helped greatly when I got a batch of bad diesal.    Was able to empty and clean the tank through the fuel gauge port via the inspection port in the cockpit.  No climbing though the locker.