I’m new to kayaking and have inherited a Sevylor ST5656. A one-person, sit on top, inflatable kayak with two-chamber bladder (or there are two sections to it), inside a canvas outer shell. Can anyone advise me on how tightly it should be inflated. I doubt I can check ppsi as the valves look like the ones used on beach toys/air mattresses. If anyone can offer any suggestions on how to judge if it’s too tight or too soft, I would appreciate it. Thanks for your help.
It would be easy to check the psi. Just about every hand pump comes with an inflating needle that fits into the chuck, you just have to buy a bicycle style hand pump with a pressure gauge on it. It wil tell you the pressure as you pump it up. They are all over Amazon. You are going to need a nice pump anyway if you are going to be constantly blowing it up. But you can probably do it by feel, you can tell when fabric is being stressed.
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Thank you for your help. Ill check on line. I was hoping to get something from the camping shop, but I dont think they had gauges. Bike pump valve doesnt fit, of course.
No, hunt Amazon, you can get some good deals.I have no way of knowing what kind of volume has to be pumped up but if it is a lot there is a “High Volume” model that puts out a lot of air but is no good for high pressure like a road bike. If you can get by with a standard duty, you can use it on your road bike too. There are also a million small compressors out there that can run of of your car battery.
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they should be pretty firm. It only takes a few psi.
Pump your boat and then put it in the water. In the West good paddling is often in cold water. Most rafts and kayaks will get soft after being in cold water. Pump it up again until firm.