Wal sells an electric 12V pump at $25 in Sandiego with a rotten tube.
Go to McMaster Carr for tube and splicing hardware.
Add 10? foot tube with drier fuel filter to pump unit now equipped with a longer 12V cord for tapping the new Optima battery(s) and CTEK charger.
The pump, digital pressure gauge, tire tool(s) including a designated hub cap remover...we're using a small wonderbar....tire plugs and tools....drill bits for enlarging the finish nail hole...used in the battery powered electric drill with impact lug nut socket adapter....
a LED headlamp with extra batts. Spare lug socket.
and a plastic box from Wal...the cake type....to hold this group.
when you need these tools....drag the box out and say....IS THIS COOL OR WHAT DUDE ! OUTASIGHT.
I am unable to explain why the bags are not inflatable at the car.
I can explain how long lung inflation takes....2 hours.
Two handed operation Is enabled by using the plastic tubing inserted into the dump valve. With 2 hands on the handle and both feet on the pump to steady it, a large bag fills fairly quickly. Using the smaller blow valve required me to use one hand to hold the pump tube in place - not too bad on a small end bag, but quite another thing with a big bag.
REI still,sells what looks to be the pump I have for $28.
parking at the put in Many river access areas have very limited space for parking requiring drivers to park close together such that there is not enough room to put a canoe on the ground between vehicles.
It can be very difficult to install and inflate bags while the boat is still on top of the vehicle and the cords on 12V DC electric pumps are often to short to allow bags to be inflated in a boat in front of or behind the vehicle.
Yes Your description of the two methods matches what I was trying to say.
My pump is marketed as a different brand from that REI model in your link, and has different colors, but looks to be exactly the same one, so I’m sure I can adapt a large-diameter hose the way you did.
Anyway, since I don’t use air bags very often, I don’t know when, or if, I’d have ever thought of the method you use, so again, thanks.
I leave the bags in my whitewater boat all the time. I do make sure that they are fully inflated before putting the boat on the car. If not, they will flap around in the wind and develop leaks. The only time I ever use the pump is when I put the bags in. Otherwise I just top them off by mouth.
Some people feel the the bags will last longer if you remove them for driving. They might be right, but one thing that really bugs me is when someone shows up late, and they then needs to spend 15 - 20 minutes putting in the float bags. Don't be that guy.
cordless quick pumps to blow up rafts and duckys, then top off with a Carlisle barrel pump, ideal thing to carry on the river is a small foot pump- but I don't own one so sometimes I take a small hand pump as a backup or if its a river with traffic (like the Gauley or New) I'll poach a pump.
kayak float bags stay inflated- on a warm day I bleed them a bit.
The coleman rechargeable only lasts about 3 season and then ends up in the landfill- but so do rechargeable batteries which is what most of the unit is to begin with- very convenient- no cord but you still need a top off pump for inflateables
pblanc is right, kind of a pain in the *** to hold the pump in the valve and pump at the same time but it can be done
used to blow up canoe float bags by mouth, would get dizzy, and snuff would get in the tubes just below the valves- looked really gross- only "dips" I take are in the water now
coolest thing I've seen (demonstrated at Gauley fest) is blowing up a lightweight inflatable with just a bag- saves having to carry a pump if you're hiking in to boat in a remote locale
Not necessarily On many whitewater streams in the Southeast there is no developed access. Parking may be limited to very small gravel pull outs big enough for a single vehicle and barely enough room to get your tires off the road bed, with a steep bank, cliff rock face, or dense woods on the other side. Often it is necessary to park in a small space on the non-river side of the road and rush boats across when there is a break in the traffic.
Sometimes there is no parking at all and it is necessary to quickly unload boats from a vehicle in the road way.
Obviously, these are all instances in which a 12V DC pump is not of much use, regardless of cord length.
Perhaps where you paddle the access points all have valet parking. If so, you have no worries. Just have the valet blow up your bags.
I'm not sure why you are throwing the pump and battery away when it dies.
I had rechargeable drill batteries that died. I didn't want to buy new ones if I didn't have to, so I took them to my local battery store. The vendor said if there are screws to take the housing apart, they can replace the batteries with new heavy-duty ones; was done and I'm still using them.
So, when my Coleman pump died, I unscrewed the screws, bought a replacement battery (it is a single, sealed lead battery), put it in, reassembled (I stripped a couple of the screws, so zip-ties hold it together), charged it up and it is recharging and working like a charm.
I deflate my WW canoe bags (60") every time. If those at the put-in with hand pumps didn't keep asking to use my pump, I probably would get through most of the season with only a recharge or 2.
About holding the inflating nozzle on to an airbag filler tube - Go to the hardware store and buy 2 lengths of clear, plastic tubing. One is probably 5/8" ID, plus/minus, and the other is probably 1/2" ID, plus/minus. Slip the smaller tube into the larger to connect them; slip the smaller tube over the filler tube; slip the larger tube over the inflating nozzle. Inflate at will.
EDIT: 1 piece of 5/8" tubing fits over the Coleman inflating nozzle with some encouragement (heat it first with hot water to get it to stretch), and snuggly fits over the filler tube on the air bag. The 2-piece system is to fill through the dump valve (my Mohawk bags have an interior flap that makes the opening smaller) which is the way I usually fill the bags.
Another good idea Your method for making an “adapter” with hoses of two different sizes is another neat idea. My hand pump is good enough for me as long as I can use both hands, so this is another trick I’ll probably try.
Mine stay in … only if I am paddling multiple days same location. Otherwise, I take them out on the way there and on the way home. Long high-speed driving beats the bags up too much in my opinion. My first set of bag developed leaks when I left them in the canoe while traveling. My second set of bags are 20 years old and still hold air with my new approach.
same here I have damaged two sets of bags with long, high speed drives. Likelihood of damage is diminished by keeping the bags fully inflated but doing so can require multiple stops to adjust bag pressure with changes in ambient temperature and elevation. Adding air to the bags can be difficult if you have multiple canoes on the car since the filler valve on one of the bags will be inconvenient to access.
Bags stay in my decked boats (kayaks and C1s) as they remain well protected from wind buffeting.
Paul Mason leaves his bags in but for distance travel he covers them with plates of Coroplast (like the stuff political signs are made out of), cut to the size and shape of the boat and slid under the bag cage lacing.