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35' Viking - Floscan anyone?

Discussion in 'Viking Yacht' started by Greg Page, Mar 5, 2017.

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  1. Greg Page

    Greg Page Active Member

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    Location:
    Annapolis MD
    We bought a 1987 Viking 35 last summer. First run with the new boat was bringing it home from central New Jersey to Annapolis. I love the Viking rigging and build quality (why we picked this boat, I've had offshore sport/race boats before so most boats we saw didn't meet my idea of proper rigging). The one "omission" that really bugs me is no fuel gauge. Yes, there is a mechanical gauge but it's under the bait station so not very useful. The prior owners dip stick is accurate, but also not what I consider appropriate. I'm also spoiled by the accuracy of the fuel readout for the Verado's that were on my center console.

    I've been looking at installing a Floscan system and wondered if anyone has had one installed before. It's a gas boat. The convenient place to install the flow sensors is right at the tank outlets, accessible by removing the stbd fish box. The problem there is I'd need to also install a secondary set of fuel filters ahead of the sensors. The other candidate location is at the fuel filter outlets, but there I'd need to plumb in some hard lines to provide the suggested bubble loop for fuel to flow back up a bit after leaving the sensors. There isn't anyplace in the system where fuel conveniently can go that flows up leaving the sensors.

    A second option is to just install a remote reading fuel gauge sensor. I can machine an custom fitting for the NPT access at the fuel line outlet plate to hold a capacitance fuel sender. There is an access in the cockpit floor directly above so that's pretty accessible for install. The NPT bung/plug is however directly on top of where the fuel tank drops down further inside the inner stringers, so requires some careful positioning to reach the true bottom of the tank and not hit the side of the tank at the step-down.

    Any other owners have other solutions to getting fuel info up to the bridge, or experience with installing a Floscan system?

    Thanks - Greg
  2. Capt J

    Capt J Senior Member

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    I usually calculate fuel burn.

    Look into a Wema style sender as they're a straight sender and just a 1/2" diameter straight tube. Wema's can be ordered in any length and ohm. I would want a remote sender. If you're current sender under the bait station is one of those capsule ones that sits on top of the sender (like Hatteras has used for decades), they make electric ones to replace them for a remote gauge.
  3. Greg Page

    Greg Page Active Member

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    Haven't heard them called "Wema" but the small (1/2" or 1/4") straight tube senders I'm familiar with are the capacitance sender I mentioned. I haven't seen any that are a direct replacement for the NPT threaded float gauge that is currently installed and sounds like the Hatteras one you mentioned. Can you post a link to the one's your familiar with?

    Thanks
  4. Capt J

    Capt J Senior Member

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    Here is the manufacturer, look for the ones with 2 wires on the capsule
    http://rochestergauges.com/pages/gauges.html

    These are the models normally found on Hatteras yacht senders
    for 1-7/8" hole
    FRACTIONAL
    http://www.boatownerswarehouse.com/searchresults.asp?Search=105182&Submit=Search

    ADJUSTABLE
    http://www.boatownerswarehouse.com/searchresults.asp?Search=105190&Submit=Search

    FOR 2-5/16" hole
    http://www.boatownerswarehouse.com/searchresults.asp?Search=102626&Submit=Search

    WEMA is a brand of senders and gauges. You can order their senders in the various OHMS for other brand gauges and in any length you need and it's just a 1/2" tube that sticks down in the tank.
    http://wemausa.com/
  5. Greg Page

    Greg Page Active Member

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    Those are the reed and float type. They would work for replacing the existing gauge but I think the float is too big in diameter to use in the fitting at the fuel outlets which is easier to access. I'd have to remove the bait station to get access above the existing manual gauge to put in a replacement, guess I need to take a look at how hard it would be to remove next time I'm at the boat (it's at a marina on land for the winter).

    Thanks
  6. Capt J

    Capt J Senior Member

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    No it's a capsule with 2 phillips screws that replaces the current capsule on your existing sender.
  7. Greg Page

    Greg Page Active Member

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    Ok. I was looking at the full senders.

    Thanks
  8. RT46

    RT46 Senior Member

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    I had the same boat with same power and floscans.

    I installed the flowscan sensors near the forward engine room bulkhead after the fuel filters and before the fuel pump.

    The boat also had mechanical fuel gauges.

    Garmin makes some neat and easy to install gasoline sensors that plug into their electronics.
  9. C team

    C team Senior Member

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    I added FloScan to my Egg since I also had no fuel gauge on the bridge. It was very easy to do this installation. I had my fuel lines modified at a hydraulic shop so the sensors could be threaded into my fuel lines and ran the wires to the bridge. I also installed the pulsation dampers after the sensor and right before the fuel pump.
  10. Greg Page

    Greg Page Active Member

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    Thanks
  11. Greg Page

    Greg Page Active Member

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    Wanted to put in a final update. In the end I decided to use the capsule pointed out by Capt J and added a fuel gauge to the helm. I put the gauge in the small sub-panel on the right where the windless remote is. It will get a good test soon as we are going on a two week cruise to Norfolk doing a loop of the southern Chesapeake Bay.

    Thanks for all the replies.

    -greg