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A sounding stick is a stick which is
inserted into a fuel tank to the bottom and the level of wetness indicates
the height of fuel, the same as an oil dip stick. You can calibrate the
number of gallons you have put in the tank by marking lines on the
sounding stick. In the context of the guidance, it would be good to have
at least a marking when the tank is 90% full.
When beginning a cruise, some
boaters take readings of their
available fuel using a sounding stick that
they have calibrated to the particular tank they
are sounding. Fuel gauges may provide a useful reference -- if they
are working properly -- but often they are not accurate enough to
determine true fuel-level rates.
The irregular shape of many tanks can cause false readings. A tank with a
triangular section and pointed end down might appear half full when it is
really only a quarter full. After powering for a protracted period of
time, a sounding stick makes the boater
able to determine how many gallons per hour they
are consuming to achieve a particular boat speed in those
particular conditions.
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