[docblackmon]

I recently almost ran out of gas and was wondering in anyone knew the fuel capacity of a 216 Talari?

[ShabahZ280]

The majority of the 210 Series boats had 43 gallon tanks in 1995.

[docblackmon]

Any idea how I could find out for sure without running it until it is completely empty? I had always thought that it had a 44 gallon tank, but this weekend we went almost to empty. (like the needle wouldnt bounce or move off Empty unless I hit a very big wave) and I was only able to put in 39.5 gallons. Have you ever heard of a 40 gallon tank in a Talari? Is there a way to call the original Mariah people and give them a VIN/ hull id number?

[MariahMan]

You will not be able to get ahold of the original Mariah. There's simply nobody to call. What you could do is look on the tank itself for the size. On my Shabah, just in front of the bilge, there's a hatch that has two screws in it. Pop those screws out and lift the hatch and you have access to service all the plumbing going into the tank and the sender unit as well. There's a label on the tank near this area that says the exact volume. I'm not sure if this is also on the Talari but i'm sure there is some way to access the sender unit. Around that area you should find a label.

Hope that helps.

[docblackmon]

thats a big help! Will do it this weekend. I havent noticed the hatch, but you are right, there has to be a way to access the sending unit.

thanks

[ShabahZ280]

Yes, the hatch is there specifically for that purpose. "Easy Access to Fuel Tank Internals" I read that in one of the brochures! Once again, just another reason the boats are "Equipped like No Other Boat in the World"

[Z 202]

I don't remember seeing such a hatch on my '95 Shabah. I often wonder about the fuel capacity as well. I've had the gauge down near E and put close to 140L (~ 40 US gal) in, but my gut feeling was there was still a few gallons of gas in the tank.

[indykoch]

Yeah, my sending unit went out just after I bought the boat. Mine is a Shabah as well, but I imagine yours is the same configuration - Lift the engine hatch, fold the rear bench forward, then there are 2 stainless bracket-looking things (they almost look like tongue depressors) with 2 screws each. After you pull those out, the door (about 1' by 3') lifts on a hinge towards the front of the boat. Everything is located right there, including the plate Ryan referenced with capacities. One thing I noticed, yet again, the tank was custom built - either by Mariah themselves or specifically for Mariah.

Yes Chris - I think I live and swear by that motto, these really are equipped, engineered, and built like no other boat!

[180diablo]

Since we are on the topic about fuel tanks and capacities, I had a curiousity question about them.......

I have not lifted my fuel tank hatch cover yet (curiousity might get the better of me however). But what I was wondering was, does the fuel filler pipe go to the front portion OR on the rear section of the fuel tank?

Also, if the hatch only lifts so far to gain access to the sender unit, then it would mean the sender unit is towards the rear of the tank and would that not mean that when the boat is in water the "actual" reading on the fuel gauge would be higher then what is physically inside the tank ??

Reason is, my normal fill up for the weekend use consists of a 25L (6-7gal) gas can and siphon pump and from somewhere above 1/4 but below 1/2, the 25L will take my gauge reading to about almost full. So, based on the gauge reading, providing the fuel guage works properly, my tank should be a 50-60L tank... BUT... because of the way the boat sits in water, could my tank in fact be a 70L (16-18gal)?

I don't own a trailer so I can't change the way the boat is orientated (bow towards the ground) to see if in fact you "could" cram more fuel into the tank or not. Yes I know it's not good practice to cram as much fuel as you can into the tank, but more or less knowing if there might be more room in there than I think.

---------

Side note: http://www.flongo.ca/ ( Flo N' Go)

Makes filling up a lot easier and filling up from your dock a lot cleaner as well. A local supplier (Canadian Tire) sells them up here and I picked up the "Maxflo" last week. It delivers fuel around 2 gal or like 7L worth and holds prime till almost bottom. It is a whole helleva lot easier then being in the water and slugging the tank over your shoulder and hoping that you don't spill any onto the transom. From a 2 person job (one to lift and one to guide) it can be done by one person.

Downside, it doesn't get to the very bottom of a 25L tank. But it's simple enough to swap over to the old design nozzle and drain the last bit of fuel into your boat.

$35 canadian, worthwhile investment if you routinely fill up from the road vs marine like I do. Currently it is .92c/L on the road and about $1.22 on water.

[indykoch]

My fuel filler goes to the rear of the tank. The sending unit is also to the rear. I believe you're correct, the way the boat sits in the water, the tank isn't exactly level. But I think the gauge/sending unit is calibrated to take that into account.

On another note, if 6-7 gallons makes your gauge go from 3/8 full to almost full, you may have an issue. I'm fairly certain your boat has more than 16-18 gallon capacity. Especially when you consider the shape of the tank - mine follows the shape of the hull (V shaped on the bottom), which would mean the capacity is less towards the bottom (relative to a perfect rectangle). I don't think the sending unit takes that into account, and my gauge slowly moves from full to 1/4, but after that it drops to empty quite fast.

You're lucky to be able to fuel with "carry on" tanks. My marina doesn't allow it (too much risk spilling fuel into the water), so they make you fill at the marina (yes, owned by the same people) for $3.59 a gallon!!! It sucks, but there's a reason boats are called "holes in the water".