Flo-scan

[Mike36c]

Here's the reason I like them: Run to the Bahamas and top the tanks, next day go fishing which might be 2.5hrs running and 5hrs trolling (plus genny) and tie her off. Maybe bottom fish the next day, sandbar the day after, then fly home. Mix and match these trips over a month or so and I would be lucky to guess reserves within 50gal. Plus, fuel price can vary $2 per gallon per destination. knowing my exact fuel reserves allows me plan fillups and save some bux. Another benefit is peace of mind when caught in bad WX for hours, we have enough to worry about, fuel should not be one of them.
I'll agree if a captain makes the same run, or runs at a constant RPM over a known period of time fuel can be guestimated darn close, that's just not my situation.

[Boss Lady]

At those fuel prices, your return on investment pays for itself quickly. Much less what they advertise them for. LOL

[Genesis]

I put them on Gigabite and while they cost me a bunch (I did the install myself) they were one of the best investments I ever made in the boat, second only to Tony's fuel filter system.

I won't own another large boat without them. My little boats have all had something similar (either the engine manufacturer's built-in system or one I added) and I simply find them extremely valuable for any sort of cruising.

They make trivial knowledge of how far you can go on remaining fuel and when fuel prices vary significantly and you carry a LOT it can make an absolutely enormous difference in operating costs.

"Can I make that port?" Well, if I run at 9 knots instead of 18, yes for certain.

Therefore, I eschew the $3 fuel for the $2.50 fuel and take the extra five hours travel time.

500 gallons times 50 cents is $250.

How many times do you have to do that to pay for the meters?

[Maynard Rupp]

We spent a lot less money and got the same results using the Nav Man, (now Northstar), units and fuel flow add ons. The whole fish finder and flow scan parts was around $600.00. We also have their GPS chart system. Either of those units will read the fuel page if you add the fuel flow kit. They worked perfectly all the way from Detroit to Miami and after some calibration gave perfect fuel info.

[Trojan]

I vote for the flow scans. I hope to find time to install them this winter. I like to carry as little fuel as I can. Why carry all that weight. it just cost you to haul it around. I make a lot of 3 hour trips. Plus I will have fresher fuel since I purchase it more often. I sometimes worry when I get into a ruff sea condition that I'm going to have enough fuel. I always do but the flow-scan would make life a lot easier. I don't have a boat just to sit around a play with fuel figures. I don't do it with my car. I'm not going to do it with my boat. I like figures at a glance. I have a fuel sensor in my car an I like it.


BILL

[Nonchalant1]

I have them and I find them very accurate for fuel used and GPH. They're not GPS interfaced but I just wrote down multiple runs at many RPMs and did my own RPM/speed/NMPG curves. I only needed to do that once. I always know how much fuel it's going to take when I fill up and can use 90% of a tank if necessary, which would be otherwise dumb.

I also like the digital tachs that come with them, which are always accurate within one or two RPM.

Doug

[krush]

I think flo-scan is so popular because it's the only thign in the worst marine catalog haha.

[GaryNW]

The flowscans are worth the money. I installed the analog type twinscans with gps interface a month after buying my 31' Hatteras EC this summer. I use almost all of my 150 gallons to go to the San Juan Islands (and back). Gas is expensive in the islands and suspect, as far as I'm concerned. The day will come when I will need to hit best economy to get home. The flowscans not only tell me what the best speed is for my load condition, but assist in course selection to take advantage of wind and current conditions. One can also assess the wisdom (or lack of it) of hull speed operation on one engine. I also like the engine sync function. $750 ain't that much when fillups are over $400 even for the baby Hatt.
I installed the Navman system on my single I/O last summer. It's o.k., but is not reliable at idle speeds (no reading). This would be a bummer if I trolled with the main engine. The flowscan hardware is of higher quality and I expect will have better service life.
Gary

[67hat34c]

i purchased a used set from another member on this forum. they do work well. we have gas engines. As Mike P said, airbubbles are a problem. we get some leaks at the Racors but have since figured out how to resolve that. I have yet to interface with the GPS, i installed the switch and have wires hanging. guess I will do that next time i am there.

[Beckytek]

I also purchased a used set from a forum member and installed them for my gas engines. The GPH meter for one engine is rock solid and works great but the other one is all over the place going from 0 to 32 GPH. I haven't been able to get it working yet. I tied my loran into it and it gives me MPG instantly and that I like, of course that will not work properly until I fix the faulty port side. The LCD display for fuel used and MPG is very hard to read and that I don't like. Ron