Jetboaters question

[ultramagbob]

Fellow boaters,I was wondering if any of you have flowmeters installed on your boats?Im thinking of installing one.Not sure which brand or unit to go with.Any experiance on insight will be appriciated,Thanks

[ultramagbob]

Well let me begin by asking what the flowmeter does?

Is it for measuring water flow throught the jet? Or are we talking fuel flow measurement?

Once you tell me what it does or direct me to some info I would have greater confidence making a worthy comment.

LOL.It measure fuel consumption.Allows you to find the "sweet spot"so you get the most out of a tank of fuel

[winchester284]

I have a Mercury Sportjet 200 with the smartcraft flowmeter. I think it's an awesome investment. Not only does it tell me where the sweet spot is (economy wise); I know if I'm burning 5gph and if I have 20 gallons on board, that's roughly 4 hours travel time. On a long trip it's a whole lot easier predicting the amount of fuel you need.

[Riverratz]

I have a Mercury Sportjet 200 with the smartcraft flowmeter. I think it's an awesome investment. Not only does it tell me where the sweet spot is (economy wise); I know if I'm burning 5gph and if I have 20 gallons on board, that's roughly 4 hours travel time. On a long trip it's a whole lot easier predicting the amount of fuel you need.

Absolutely agree........have SmartCraft monitor on my 250 SJ, best investment I ever made. Monitors in Imp or metric, shows fuel burn in real time at any speed, total fuel consumed since start, plus all engine parameters; tach/temp/pressure/time/engine hrs., etc I know each tank contains 72 L. full. Set the SmartCraft to zero when tanks are full, it monitors total consumption. When it hits 65L. or so, it's time to change tanks.....simple, and deadly accurate. Wouldn't leave home without it. Takes all the guesswork out of everything. No nasty surprises at inconvenient times !!!!

[bridger]

good post. what is the ball park cost of a flow meter?

[tuchodi]

If you have a V-6 or V-8 you can also just install a Vacumn Guage. I have had these guages on all my previous boats and it sure allows you to find out where the best RPM for your specific motor is for best fuel economy. I will look into the SmartCraft monitor for my 175 SJ.

[srupp]

how much $$$ does these cost installed ??

Steven

[tuchodi]

I also use a vaccuum gauge, but mainly for early diagnosis of an impending valve train problem.

What value do you look for on a vaccuum gauge that tells the best rpm for the particular motor?

I just use the gauge only as a guide and when I still had good vacumn showing on the gauge I found I was getting better mileage. On a 6 cyl BMW motor I had I just about lost all vacumn when the 4 barrels were cutting in so as long as i kept vacum I was getting better fuel economy. I am sure it is not as scientific or accurate as the new smartcraft flowmeter but it helped.

[Rock Doctor]

I know what you are talking about. As the carb petals open more the vaccuum goes down. At WOT the vaccuum gauge shows zero. I look for consistent vaccuum readings at various rpm and that tells me valve train is functioning properly.

I'm intrigued by this Flowmeter.

I'm getting tired of training and yelling at my passengers to switch the fuel tank selector valve as the engine sputters while sideways in a rock garden or log jam section!

Who sells the Flowmeter Ultramag?

You can get a Smartcraft for your 240 from Merc. They actually do work very well.

Also, why not install a solinoid valve in your boat for switching fuel tanks? I used to have to yell at passengers as well, usually at the most inconvenient times. Now I just flip a switch on the dash, much easier than breaking in new recrutes:-P.

RD

[Deadshot]

Putting one on mine next week. I think the one on order is the Northstar 210. Around $200. Simple to install. Takes away the guess work.

[Jetboater]

the can vary from 200-400 depending on the motor type... they are worth every penny... sometimes a little unnerving when you hit the 35-45GPH stage....

[RiverBoatFantasy]

I not too keen on the idea of spending a single penny on something that will confirm what I already know - that my fuel economy is terrible!

Kinda nice to remind you when the tank needs to be switched over I suppose.

I dont even have a stereo or heater yet. A Smartcraft Flowmeter and fuel solenoid valve would be seriously hi tech for me.

[ultramagbob]

Thanks for the info guys.I "Think" Im getting around 3.5-4 GPH.But want to know for sure.

[Riverratz]

The "Smartcraft" unit referred to is a Mercury Marine product and designed to work with their EFI engines, either outboard or inboard, jet or prop. It is a "plug and play", i.e. install the gauge where you want in/on the dash, plug opposite end of cable into port(s) on engine.......pretty simple. But I think it is unique to Mercury, and again.....for their EFI engines (in the jets,200/250 Optimax). I don't think it is adaptable to other brands of engine(s) ??

Here is a link to another product which I think can be adapted to to pretty much whatever you're running for an engine;

http://www.lowrance.com/upload/Lowrance/Documents/Manuals/EP60R-Fuel-Flow_0154-432_091407.pdf

In simple terms, you need a monitoring/sending unit installed into the fuel line, and a receiver device on the dash. With the Lowrance unit, the receiver can be one of their GPS units or a stand alone display gauge.

Your engine mfr. may have a unit designed for that engine, while probably a little more expensive, no doubt easier to install, etc.