When you buy an inflatable boat, kayak, dinghy or SUP board, they usually come with a small hand pump. This simple pump is good enough for most beginners. They can get the job done. But if you want a more effective and powerful pump to inflate your portable inflatable vessels, you have to consider upgrading your pump to one with higher performance as you become more professional. Let's see what options you can get.
 

Everyone knows that there are two different types of pumps that can be used to pump air into the air chambers of each inflatable unit. There are Electric Pump and Manual Pump. Both of them have their own advantages and disadvantages. In order to help you make the right decision of buying the most suitable pump for your inflatable boat, let us take a look at features and uses of each type.
 

 

In comparison to the manual pumps, the biggest benefit of electric pump is that it saves you time and manpower to blow up your inflatable boats, SUP boards and kayaks. The electric pumps are invented to alleviate the inconvenience and strain of inflating blow up products. Electric pumps are also easy to use and work very fast, 10 times more efficient than manual pumps, very suitable for lazy people.

However, this powerful tool also has several disadvantages:

1. Electric pumps will need a power source

This is not very convenient for outdoor use. Although some of the electric pumps can be powered by your car batteries or some even feature a rechargeable battery, you cannot be assured that your electric pump can always have an available power when pumping your inflatable boat outdoors.

2. Single-stage electric pumps can not achieve high pressure inflation

This is because single-stage electric pump lacks of the required pressure power, it's hard to inflate your inflatable boat to its 100% capacity. Although you can buy a 2-stage electric pump to achieve a higher pressure outlet, but these 2-stage pumps can be really expensive, with an initial starting price of $100.

3. Electric pumps are easy to over-inflate

Unlike your inflatable boats and kayaks, the inflatable stand up paddle boards have very small air chambers, so an electric pump is very easy to pump air into your SUP board and over-inflate it. You must watch and handle it very carefully to avoid the risk of over inflation.
 

The manual pumps can also be divided into two kinds, the foot pump and the hand pump. A foot pump, as the name suggests, you need to use it with your foot. And a hand pump, of course, use it with your arms. The hand pumps usually have a longer air cylinder than the foot pumps, so it can pump up an inflatable boat faster than a foot pump. Therefore, many manual pump users prefer hand pumps to the foot pumps.

The advantages of manual pumps:

1. Most important of all, manual pumps are far more affordable than the electric pumps.

2. Manual pumps rely on manpower, so you don't need to worry about the power source, it's very convenient for outdoor and travel use. However, this can also be a disadvantage, manual pump can be tiring and strenuous when pumping air into a big inflatable watercraft.

3. Manual pumps can inflate your boat and board up to the proper pressure required.
 

The high-volume pumping means a high-speed pump move a lot of air into the tubes quickly. So electric pumps can be said high-volume pumps. However, high-volume pumps can not produce enough pressure, you need to top it off with a manual pump or a high-pressure electric pump. In the other hand, high-pressure pumps can force air into the tubes to a much higher pressure, but they can not move the air very quickly, like most manual pumps. The high pressure is very important for iSUP and air floor of inflatable boats.

Pumping is very important for inflatable boats, kayaks and SUP boards, so it's necessary to make an additional investment in the air pump. Most people just opt to get either an electric pump or a manual pump, however, it's wise to have both types of pumps so that you will never be bothered by the inflation issues. Contact sunjoy to custom your own inflatable boats, inflatable SUP board and other water games, standard air pumps for inflatables are also available.