Fuel Flow Meters

[Circle Hooked]

Do any of you guys have one and what brand, I've been looking at the Flow Scan 7000 and 9000 series and thought I was settled on one of the two, I have heard good things about Flow Scan.
http://www.boatersland.com/flo7000.html
http://www.boatersland.com/flo9000.html

But I Just came across this one which will match my other Gauges perfect, it doesn't have all the bells and whistles of the others, which i don't have to have and in return it's alot cheaper  but I don't know anything about it good or bad.
http://www.boatersland.com/far-ffm024.html

Any opinions on these things would be great, thanks.

[slvrlng]

Here is another one. The Faria looks interesting.

http://www.amazon.com/Lowrance-LMF-Mult ... =8-3-fkmr1

[wingtime]

If you have a chart plotter/ GPS check and see if  you can get one that can be coupled with it.  That would give you the ultimate in fuel management.  I know Garmin has one that I would like to get.

[Capt. Bob]

Any opinions on these things would be great, thanks.

Scott, I have a mid 90s era Flo Scan. It's analog, set for a single outboard and has a LCD Totalizer (somewhat like this)http://www.boatersland.com/flo5500.html

It has been, IMHO one of the three best upgrades I did on my old CCP (hydraulic steering, trim tabs) and now is performing duty on my WAC.
Having used it for so many years and checked fuel consumption shown against tank fills (as close as one can) I'm confident enough in running a reduced quantity of fuel on my trip.

They are expensive but I personally feel that with fuel costs so high and since you like long trips, knowing your burn rate and total fuel used, at any given time of your trip is well worth the cost. No speculation but an accurate picture of your boat/motor performance. I think you will find it quite interesting what a small change in trim/rpm of you motor will equate to in speed versus fuel consumption. :o

I think you will be very happy with your purchase in a short period of time.

Just my two cents.

[Circle Hooked]

Capt Bob that's the info I'm looking for, the reasons you stated are mine as well, I would love to carry less fuel on some of my trips, less fuel = less weight = better gph, and to have a better idea were my motor likes to run trim wise ect, and the fact that you've had yours as this long and it hasn't let you down speaks volumes thank you.

[John Jones]

Flo-Scan is the only way to go.  I installed several for friends over the years and they never had an issue.  Certain models accept a gps connection and you can add a toggle switch and change the readout from gph to mpg at will.

I could never afford them so I bought one originally branded Northstar.  It worked two trips and the sensor quit.  It took six weeks to get a new sensor under warranty and it lasted one trip.  Then they were bought out by someone else and they would not honor the warranty.  The Northstar has been sold under many names and I would expect the Faria to be one of them.  

No experience with Lowrance.  All I can say about Lowrance is that they leave a bad taste in my mouth.  A few years back they screwed over a ton of people with their 300 series gps/sounder combos that even Lowrance could/would not fix under warranty.

[Circle Hooked]

The Northstar has been sold under many names and I would expect the Faria to be one of them.

JJ in my research tonight I found the above to be true, and your experience is very common, I think I know the brand I want now thanks to you and Capt Bob, just have to decide on a model.

[Double Trouble]

I have the Floscan twin scan model and would not trade it for any other there products are top quality and they stand behind them.

[RickK]

For another brand option I offer the Lowrance LMF-200.  This is the one I have on my 230 and it has some quirks but works well for the most part and is less than have the price.  It also connects on a NMEA compatible Lowrance Net, so you can start adding other sensors and they're available for many displays.
http://lr.factoryoutletstore.com/details/0-15060/lowrance-49551.html

[SeaCue]

Stay FAR, FAR away from the NorthStar F210 product.  I bought three of them for different boats.  Two failed within the first tank of fuel ( yes I do have them mounted AFTER the Filter, in a vertical position, well secured and even wrapped in foam padding!)
All three have had sensor problems.  Two sensors have completely failed and they are NOT watertight if the gauge is on an exposed center console panel.
I picked them strictly on the basis of price because I needed three of them... My mistake, you get what you pay for.
However.... If you are feeling really lucky, in the interest of truth and fairness, I do have to say that ONE of the three does still work today.  It has run over a thousand gallons of fuel through it in 2+ years.... Guess even a blind squirrel finds a nut every now and then :)

Chris

[Aswaff400]

The guy I bought my outboard gave me a navman fuel 2100. Haven't hooked it up yet .

[John Jones]

The guy I bought my outboard gave me a navman fuel 2100. Haven't hooked it up yet .

Same as the NorthStar F210 and all the others.  Hopefully you got a good one.  I think Navman was the company name before NorthStar.

[Aswaff400]

The guy I bought my outboard gave me a navman fuel 2100. Haven't hooked it up yet .

Same as the NorthStar F210 and all the others.  Hopefully you got a good one.  I think Navman was the company name before NorthStar.

he said it worked great, the only flaw was every time he shut the battery switch off it reset to liters, only reason he removed it was the optimax he installed had the smart craft gauges with its own flow meter

[seabob4]

If any of you guys have paid attention to the threads on THT over the years in regards to the Navman/Northstar, well, let's just say they haven't gotten good reviews.  Flo-Scan has been around for years, it works, there's a reason guys who fly airplanes non-stop around the globe use them.

While Suzuki's SMIS and Etecs I-Command have fuel flow capabilities, they are both identical in that they are Lowrance products, part of Navico, along with Simrad.  I have done 2 major Lowrance and Simrad installs lately, the Simrad with the CHIRP sounder.  While the products appear to be excellent in performance, navigating through the systems is a MAJOR beetch, and getting the various components to do what you want them to, to display what you want them to, well, let's just say I'm on the phone a lot...

My opinion?  Flo-Scan or nothing.  Remember, my opinion...

[Circle Hooked]

You guys are the best, I don't ask many questions but when I do, as always you all come through