Advice on good quality, efficient dinghy pump?

What adapter do you have on the old pump?

If it only needs a straight tube of correct diameter go smaller and expand with tape.
 
ShinyShoe said:
What adapter do you have on the old pump?
Click to expand...

The hose connects to the pump by a screw fitting. These seem to be standard Bravo items.
At the other end of the hose is a rubber adaptor that is a push fit into the Achilles valve fitting.
To reuse this adaptor on a different pump the hose would have be the same diameter.
Alternatively, this pump would have to come with an adaptor that fits into the Achilles valve.
 
Yeah it was the 'achilles' valve end I was thinking..

It's probably to unique to Achilles. If it's push fit -- there will be something close increase OD if need be using a few wraps of insulating tape.
 
BabaYaga said:
Thank you all for your suggestions.
It seems I could either try one of the larger Bravo foot pumps, as those mentioned by pvb and prv (rubber feet would be nice) or switch over to one of those double acting piston pumps. I might be a bit concerned about getting the right adaptor in the latter case (the dinghy is a an Achilles, not sold in Europe in recent years...)
Will have to consider this for a while. Thanks again for the replies.
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I've got two of the Bravo two stage 12V electric pumps, one on my yacht here and one in Spain. I wouldn't be without them.
If youve got an airdeck, they are the best thing since sliced bread, just plug in and stand back, no more wheezing and sweating! We can have our 3.1m airdeck inflated and in the water in less than 5 minutes.
They come with a box of adapters, but it's easy enough to make an adapter for any valve, even a few turns of gaffer tape around some polythene piping is enough.
 
I have a 4 x D cell powered 6V airbed pump from Tesco Model HT-418. Its pretty good at getting the inflatable most of the way there and then I use the hand pump (one of the yellow high capacity ones from Aldi or most camping type outdoor shops) to do the last bit. I dunno if its up to a big inflatable but it does my 2.9m one just fine.
 
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BlueChip said:
I've got two of the Bravo two stage 12V electric pumps, one on my yacht here and one in Spain. I wouldn't be without them.
If youve got an airdeck, they are the best thing since sliced bread, just plug in and stand back, no more wheezing and sweating! We can have our 3.1m airdeck inflated and in the water in less than 5 minutes.
They come with a box of adapters, but it's easy enough to make an adapter for any valve, even a few turns of gaffer tape around some polythene piping is enough.
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Alfie168 said:
I have a 4 x D cell powered 6V airbed pump from Tesco Model HT-418. Its pretty good at getting the inflatable most of the way there and then I use the hand pump (one of the yellow high capacity ones from Aldi or most camping type outdoor shops) to do the last bit. I dunno if its up to a big inflatable but it does my 2.9m one just fine.
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Thanks for your suggestions, but as I hinted way back in post #1 going electric is not what I am aiming for. Would be overkill for my modest dinghy and besides I'm usually in no hurry and don't mind the exercise.
But right now using my foot pump is like riding a bike with an almost flat tyre.
 
I have two of the Bravo 1 types, 4-5litres, foot pump.
The older one is refurbished by me, the newer one modified after purchase and before first service. For fast inflation (if required) we use two, one for each chamber at same time, but takes 2 people.
What I think's wrong with Bravo as sold is:
The spring inside is carbon steel with no corrosion protection, so it rusts away. After a season or so, the pump rattles with the rust flakes inside.
The nut and bolt that hold the two stainless straps round each side of the bellows (holds the cloth part to the upper and lower flap) are zinc electroplated and so rust out in 1 season. I replaced with stainless.
I have yet to find a stainless spring for inside.
The circlip that holds the valve flaps in place (one valve allows expiration the other inspiration) are blued carbon steel and rust away rapidly. Replaced with 316 stainless.
The delivery hose is too short. The new one has its supplied hose, the old one has a new hose I made to suit, but essentially the same stuff but longer. I had trouble reaching the seat chamber (Avon Redcrest) from outside the dinghy, so an extra 500mm hose length was a solution.
In designing such devices I find that designers forget that we live and play in a marine environment. A dinghy pump is likely to get seawater on it, but even if not, it lives near the sea! There is no excuse for using unprotected carbon steel in any marine device. Zinc electroplating is not protection in that environment, and really stainless is required. Finding a stainless spring though is challenging!
 
To anyone looking for a double action hand pump, but having lower back poblems (or wanting to postpone them), check out the pumps that can be either manually switched or will automatically switch to single action over a certain pressure. These pumps start as push-pull to quickly get a lot of air into the inflatable, but when the pressure gets higher, will become push-only so you don't have to pull up as hard.
I use the foot pump for the dinghy but use the automatic switchover hand pumps for inflating surf kites and compared to ordinary double-action pumps it really makes the last strokes much easier and no more sore back after pumping up a large kite.
Like this: https://www.force4.co.uk/bravo-4-double-action-pump-2x2000cc.html
 
MM5AHO said:
What I think's wrong with Bravo as sold is:
The spring inside is carbon steel with no corrosion protection, so it rusts away. After a season or so, the pump rattles with the rust flakes inside.
The nut and bolt that hold the two stainless straps round each side of the bellows (holds the cloth part to the upper and lower flap) are zinc electroplated and so rust out in 1 season. I replaced with stainless.
I have yet to find a stainless spring for inside.
The circlip that holds the valve flaps in place (one valve allows expiration the other inspiration) are blued carbon steel and rust away rapidly. Replaced with 316 stainless.
The delivery hose is too short. The new one has its supplied hose, the old one has a new hose I made to suit, but essentially the same stuff but longer. I had trouble reaching the seat chamber (Avon Redcrest) from outside the dinghy, so an extra 500mm hose length was a solution.
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Thank you, well summed up. I can only add that the spring is not very well attached to the base and top plates. This means it can easily be somewhat dislodged, thereby pinching the cloth when the pump is stroked, eventually causing a hole.
Lots of room for improvement!
 
A part of me wants to use a piano-lid hinge I was given, and some bits of ply, and try making my own really BIG foot-pump.

I would not attempt to create high pressure, but large volumes at fairly low-pressure - so that in about twenty-five stokes, the Avon would be more or less pumped up, just needing about as many strokes with the original foot-pump to reach the pressure required. Who knows, I might find my creation is up to the job of full-pressure filling.

I reckon the small hinge on conventional footpumps, weakens the design; and a significant percentage of the bellows' volume doesn't get transferred - so the smaller the volume, the less efficient the pump. Not trying to market the idea, but I'd like to test it.

I've never taken a pump apart - I wonder what sort of spring is used?
 
dancrane said:
A part of me wants to use a piano-lid hinge I was given, and some bits of ply, and try making my own really BIG foot-pump.

I would not attempt to create high pressure, but large volumes at fairly low-pressure - so that in about twenty-five stokes, the Avon would be more or less pumped up, just needing about as many strokes with the original foot-pump to reach the pressure required. Who knows, I might find my creation is up to the job of full-pressure filling.

I reckon the small hinge on conventional footpumps, weakens the design; and a significant percentage of the bellows' volume doesn't get transferred - so the smaller the volume, the less efficient the pump. Not trying to market the idea, but I'd like to test it.

I've never taken a pump apart - I wonder what sort of spring is used?
Click to expand...
I suspect that the reason the size is limited in foot bellows is that when in the open position the fabric area will be quite large. As one closes the top towards the bottom the fabric wil bell outwards and the air will go into the space thus formed. The pump would ,therefore, be highly ineficient. . In addition , for use on a boat in area such as a side deck there would be little use.
for the hinge you would not need a piano hinge, webbing would be better
in the end you would be better off getting a length of soil pipe and making a vertical pump-- or forking out a tenner and buying a Colemam et alia as suggested in numerous parts of this thread
there has been suggestions of " high pressure" pumps. The instructions that came with my Avon when i bought it 51 years ago said working pressure max 3 psi. That has stood me in good steed & i suspect similar models are no different. Some modern types may vary though

but Dan-- before you worry about bellows you need to dump that Osprey and get a cruiser first?
 
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Thanks, you're right, I don't have time to mess about with pump-projects.

Back in the eighties, somebody tried to sell a pump that just used engine exhaust to fill the inflatable chamber, whatever it was.

I doubt I've heard a thing about it for thirty years...I wonder if it was universally declined for the risk of asphyxiation?
 
dancrane said:
Back in the eighties, somebody tried to sell a pump that just used engine exhaust to fill the inflatable chamber, whatever it was.

I doubt I've heard a thing about it for thirty years...I wonder if it was universally declined for the risk of asphyxiation?
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Wonder whether you're thinking of the exhaust-driven inflatable jack system? If so, you can still buy them, useful for off-road use - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Noryb-Tonne-Exhaust-Lifting-Offroad/dp/B00VEV2IXQ/

But who remembers the tyre pump which you screwed into the engine in place of a spark plug?
 
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