12v inflator pump for dinghy - any good

[skyflyer]

I see these can be bought at prices varying from £10 to £100; previous threads suggest that the top end models - presumably with sufficient grunt to inflate a dinghy fully - draw as much as 20A and therefore need crocodile clipping directly to the battery terminals.

To me that seems more trouble than its worth.

I was wondering if anyone had experience of the lighter cheaper versions as a means of just getting the bulk of the inflating done quickly. The final top up could be done with the footpump as usual. Also useful for vacuuming out the last of the air when packing away.

They are supposedly powerful enough to inflate an airbed so that you can sleep on it so preumably not that feeble?

 

[nigelmercier]

I see these can be bought at prices varying from £10 to £100; previous threads suggest that the top end models - presumably with sufficient grunt to inflate a dinghy fully - draw as much as 20A and therefore need crocodile clipping directly to the battery terminals.

It's not the grunt needed to partially inflate the dinghy that's the problem, it's opening the valve. At the last SBS I bought a 12V pump from the importer of my dinghy (Excel) which you physically hold against the valve to open it. Works perfectly, and plugs into 12V cigar socket. Price £10, but I did haggle from £15.

 

[northwind]

I see these can be bought at prices varying from £10 to £100; previous threads suggest that the top end models - presumably with sufficient grunt to inflate a dinghy fully - draw as much as 20A and therefore need crocodile clipping directly to the battery terminals.

To me that seems more trouble than its worth.

I was wondering if anyone had experience of the lighter cheaper versions as a means of just getting the bulk of the inflating done quickly. The final top up could be done with the footpump as usual. Also useful for vacuuming out the last of the air when packing away.

They are supposedly powerful enough to inflate an airbed so that you can sleep on it so preumably not that feeble?

I use a cheap one to get the bulk of the air in. I inflate the dinghy with the valves open, and then quickly remove the pump and twist the valve. Then I finish it off with the footpump.

 

[Croak]

I use a cheap one to get the bulk of the air in. I inflate the dinghy with the valves open, and then quickly remove the pump and twist the valve. Then I finish it off with the footpump.

+1

 

[skyflyer]

Thanks - exactly what I was hoping. No burnt out wires etc!

 

[Ex-SolentBoy]

I have the big beast Bravo Super Turbo which is about £130.

Draws a lot of juice so we have a special socket for it in the cockpit.

I bought it because I am lazy and it has the highest flow rate I could find, as well as the grunt to pump up the floor of our dinghy.

The silly thing I that it is actually no quicker than my foot pump so I almost never bother using it.

 

[BlueChip]

If you are going to buy a power pump then its worth getting a decent one otherwise you may as well not bother. I've had one of the LVM cylone pumps for years, it does the job but a high pressure dinghy with airdeck floor will always need topping up by hand or foot pump with that pump and it always seemed a lot of work even with the pump.

Last season I bought one of these Bravo dual stage compressor pumps http://www.youngsboatyard.co.uk/product/1459/Bravo-Superturbo-BST-12HP-Electric-Pump, it has a cyclone for the volume and then automatically switches to a piston compressor pump for high pressure.

It's amazing, just plug the airline into the dinghy, dial in the pressure required and press the start button. The dinghy inflates to working pressure in no time and then the pump stops.

We can blow my 2.8m zodiac airdeck up and have it in the water in less than 5 minutes. Now we have moved the the West Country and use the dinghy much more it's proving invaluable, otherwsise I would seriously be considering fitting davits.

The pump does need a decent battery connection but you can get high power cigar lighter connectors that are suitable.

 

[northwind]

Thanks - exactly what I was hoping. No burnt out wires etc!

Nope no burnt out wires. Mine is actually a 240v one, I had it at home for inflating beds... I run it on an 150w inverter... so not the most efficient, but it does the job. And its quite quick. certainly much quicker than doing it by foot.

 

[AllanJ]

Have you considered just using the foot pump? I have an Avon Redcrest (or something!) and it takes only a few minutes to inflate the thing. I had considered an electric pump (and an outboard), but find that the absence of these has not been a problem.
Just a thought.

 

[lustyd]

Just get a small dive cylinder and be careful you'd inflate the dingy in 5 seconds, and get probably 30 fills of the dingy for a fill of the cylinder which is about a pound. Compare this to £130 for a pump as above and using it 5 times

ETA - Ask in a dive shop for a "Pony" cylinder. No, I don't know why they are called that.

 

[mattnj]

i have the green one (lvm i think) was expensive, £50 in a sale, but its great worth it i reckon, pumps it up in no time, was almost impossible to pump up on the deck with a foot pump.

 

[catalac08]

+1 LVM pump is brilliant - will pump up my inflatable in about 1 min each side 2 mins total. I have tried cheaper ones that take forever.

 

[Spyro]

Aldi £5 job has been brilliant. Comes with 12v aux plug. Lots of volume and very quick to inflate but not much oomf so needs finishing off with a foot pump, I don't find this a problem. Rated at 120 watts, just enough to trip the breaker if the engine is not running. I've had mine about 4 years and it's still going strong. Tesco are now doing one in their camping section that looks the exact same for about the same price.

 

[VicMallows]

Just get a small dive cylinder

And how much do they cost?. Also am I mistaken in thinking that dive shops are often sniffy at the very least when it comes to refills if you don't have 'a certificate'

Vic

 

[mattnj]

And how much do they cost?. Also am I mistaken in thinking that dive shops are often sniffy at the very least when it comes to refills if you don't have 'a certificate'

Vic

Yep, its a silly idea, 150 for a pony + tests + refills.

 

[Stu Jackson]

Had this same issue 'cuz I broke my leg two years ago and needed help!
We opted for a 120V (USA) mains unit, since we have a large inverter on board.

As noted by many answers here, the best they can do is more quickly and easily fill up your tubes (we leave the valves closed so we don't lose any air when the pump - foot or power - is released).

We have a hi pressure air floor.

Did it just the other day. Saves tons of time and effort on the main tubes and actually filled them up hard enough to not have to use the foot pump.

The air floor needed both, but I'll probably just use the foot pump next time for the air floor.

I debated the 12V vs mains and by looking at the charts decided on the mains one.

If you go 12V just make sure your wiring can support the DC voltage and load.

 

[lustyd]

am I mistaken in thinking that dive shops are often sniffy at the very least when it comes to refills if you don't have 'a certificate'
Vic

You are mistaken indeed. I have never been asked for a certificate for refills, and there are many reasons to have a dive cylinder other than diving, for instance some airguns refill from them.

Yep, its a silly idea, 150 for a pony + tests + refills.

It's not a silly idea, it's just not YOUR idea. £150 for an electric inflator which the owner does not use due to slowness is a silly idea. £150 for a dive cylinder which will inflate in seconds and also allow you to inspect the hull and clear a fouled prop seems a reasonable value to me. On any reasonable sized yacht I would say this should be standard equipment anyway, even if the primary purpose is to go diving

 

[Kelpie]

I have had three dinghies (Redcrest, AX2, and a Seago 240) and have played around with footpumps, hand pumps, a £10 electric pump, and an LVM-type pump.

The best combination, for speed and ease of use, is the £10 pump finished off by a few strokes on a hand pump. I never use the LVM because usually I am inflating the dinghy from the car and need a cigar socket, which the cheaper pump is compatible with. I think the LVM is buried in a locker somewhere now.

Manual pumping is all very well but sometimes life's too short! Usually the cheap pump has finished its job before I've even managed to put my lifejacket on.
Incidentally that's another point against the LVM- it doesn't have an output hose so has to be held against the valve, which stops you from doing anything else at the same time.

 

[fireball]

I just got a cheap £10 pump from an Auto outlet - low pressure and we lock the valves open to pump in.
Finish off with the foot pump (on a square of carpet) to get a reasonable pressure...

Works for the inflatable canoe too ...

As it doesn't take a huge current we can utilise the cig adapter in the forepeak to inflate the tender on the foredeck ...

It's lasted er .... >5yrs so far ...

£150 for a LVM ? Can't see the point myself ...

 

[Trundlebug]

I bought a Coleman rechargeable cordless one for £20 a couple of years ago from the NEC boat show.

It's been surprisingly excellent, surpassing all expectations.

Inflates each chamber of the dinghy in just a couple of minutes, so just 3-5 pumps with the footpump afterwards to get the final pressure and it's done.

Each charge lasts for ages, it can be recharged either from 12v cigar socket or mains (both included), and best of all it's cordless, so totally portable and no leads to unwind, trip over, get snagged, pull out etc.