I am currently considering purchasing an Aire Sea Tiger inflatable kayak. Can anyone recommend a pump that would be good for inflating a kayak this size. I am thinking that I may need 2 pumps… one that would run off my car battery for the initial inflating and a second to be used as a top off pump. Thanks in advance…
foot pumps
Most use foot pumps, pump alot of air in a hurry.
Bill H.
Barrel Pump
We have the Lynx I and the new Force. We originally thought we needed the electric or a large barrel pump. We ended up buying the one shown on the Aire web site under assessories. It is a two stage pump which means it pumps air on the up and down stroke. Then when nearly full you change it to just the down stroke to inflate to the final pressure. It only takes a couple minutes per boat. I bet I could have one boat pumped up before you could lift the hood and hook up an electric pump.
They do make barrel pumps with a gauge on the top handle and I wish I got one of those. Here is the link.
http://www.theboatpeople.com/product_info.php?cPath=40&products_id=233
Aires are suppose to be inflated to 2.5psi and you are suppose to be able to tell that pressure by the 1/2 inch deflection test. This is impossible to tell on the floor system. So, I would suggest a pump with a gauge or a seperate pressure gauge. Also, I have found the boats occasionally need pressure adjustments after on the water. Cold water or letting them sit in the sun changes the pressures and I am now looking for a small hand pump to tweek the pressures. If you don’t have it you will find yourself away from the car with wrong pressures.
I hope this helps. Enjoy your Aire. They are great boats and are a ton of fun.
Alan
A large doble-action pump
– Last Updated: Aug-16-10 11:07 AM EST –
Should do the trick. If what the other post said, that the pressure is 2.5 PSI only, than that's not that much.
I had a Standup Paddle Board inflatable that goes to 15 PSI. That thing I could inflate to about 6-7 PSI with the included double-action hand pump in no time (under 5 minutes) and not much effort. From there to 12-14 PSI was a serious exersice though, and took a good 15 minutes to complete. That is with minimal but pretty much mandatory breaks - I can't pump for 15 minutes hard and continuously... I did not need a warmup to paddle after that - I'd be sweating by the time I'm done....
For anything below 5-7 PSI I think there is no need for electric pump if one is reasobably fit. Though a gauge is a good idea (either on the pump or off it).