2 PSI for Inflation...How to Tell??

Hi everyone.



Due to space limitations I decided to go with an inflatable as my first kayak. I got what I think is a pretty decent one based on reviews that I found on this site.



The instructions say to inflate it to 2 PSI. However, there isn’t any gauge that I can find that reads that low of pressure.



Is there any “accepted” way of determining if something is inflated to 2 PSI??? My fiance bought a Sevylor Tahiti boat and it inflates to 1 PSI and is pretty firm at that pressure…so I imagine that 2 PSI will be quite a bit firmer, but I’m just trying to figure out if there’s any advice for me to get it to about the right PSI.



Thanks!!

Jeff

Years ago…
I use to have a motorcycle that had fork caps that could be pressurized with an bike pump, and it didn’t take much. I remeber using gauges that were deigned and calibrated very low for this purpose, they were calibrated up to about 10lbs, and I believe you could read them down as low as a 1lb. Try a motorcycle shop, and ask if they still sell air gauges for front forks. Worth a try.

foot pump
A normal bellows foot pump won’t really inflate much more than 2 psi. Pump it until it starts getting hard to depress the pump, then a bit more and stop. The boat should have a firmness like a tennis ball, and give a bit when pressing down on it.

Thanks
Thanks for the help everyone.



The foot pump I have says that it’s max PSI is 3.00…but as I started pumping the boat up I got it to a point where I thought it was about right, and the pump was starting to pump quite a bit less…so I’d assume that I was right about 2 PSI or so.



The boat does in fact have a firmness like that of a tennis ball, so I think I got it about right!!



Thanks for all the suggestions and help guys and gals.

Go to your local ATV dealer.
My Yamaha ATV requires 3.0 PSI and a gage came with it that starts at 1 and goes up to about 5.



The first time I ever put air in the tires I assumed it took 30 , and had about that much in the tire when my wife who was reading the manual quickly yelled out stop. - Needless to say I quickly let air out and didn’t end up blowing the tire to smitherins.

Live and learn !



Cheers,

JackL

pressure gauges
The gauge that your ATV uses may not be the same kind as will fit into a boston or military valve, which are what a lot of inflatable kayaks use.



Sevylor has a pressure gauge available, but I’ve heard it’s so unreliable as to be useless. The makers of the K-Pump make a pretty good gauge that works well with military valves…called the Kwik-chek gauge I think.



Some pumps these days have a built in pressure gauge, but they do not work well with military valves. You have to inflate with the valve in the open, “deflate” position to get a reading. imho, a gauge is not really necessary for a 2 psi boat. The advice above is very good…it’s the expansion of the air due to heat and sun that will kill the boat. A normal foot pump or hand pump will not likely overinflate on its own.

Oops-good point !
I was thinking that it would be a schraeder valve.

Thanks for the heads up.



Cheers,

JackL

Pump it up until firm
with your hand pump. For the final blows, use your mouth. A human can only blow about 2 psi. Done.