Fastest Manual Dinghy Pump.

[Mark-1]

Will a typical Paddleboard style hand pump (Track pump?) pump up a dinghy (high volume/low pressure) faster then a typical foot bellows?

Is there much in it?

Yes, I could try it but I want to freeload on other people's sweat.

(I own every kind of air pump known to man and it's only just occured to me that I might already have a faster way to inflate my dinghy away from power.)

 

[Mister E]

The dual action wide diameter pump that is used for inflatable boats or beds is the quickest.
Some of the paddle board pump are designed to get a higher pressure but with not as much flow.

 

[Fr J Hackett]

The one with a man wanting to get to the pub with only 15 minutes to closing time.

 

[Bodach na mara]

I have a double action pump and it is fast but using it knackers my back and it is no faster than the bellows foot pump that came with the dinghy. I also have a high-speed 12 Volt pump that is great aboard the boat. However I have two lithium batteries that came with a cordless drill. The drill itself burned out a few years ago. (Using a cordless drill to stir up antifouling is not a good idea.) What I am now wondering is how to make a mounting in a box to plug the batteries into with a socket to take the pump cable.

 

[Boathook]

I think a traditional foot pump. Not a cheap one from a beach store but a decent one designed for inflatable dinghies, something like a Bravo that a lot of chandlers stock.

 

[FairweatherDave]

I'd put a footpump last, and the SUP type double action hand pump top. However not all double action pumps are equal. I confess I use an electric pump off the car with my Avon but very happy with the SUP hand pump if I had to. The electric pump, recommended here from Force 4 over £100 ? Bravo? does save the back a bit.

 

[wonkywinch]

What I am now wondering is how to make a mounting in a box to plug the batteries into with a socket to take the pump cable.

I've seen projects that use tool batteries. The cheapest way to get the matching connector is to buy the torch from the set and cut off the battery holder and use that.

About £20-30 for the bare torch depending if it's Bosch, Dewalt or Makita etc.

 

[Ammonite]

Decent footpump. I agree with #4 about the SUP type. Better still get yourself one of these Cordless Inflator | Cordless High Volume Inflator | RYOBI 18V ONE+™ R18VI-0

Cheap too....if you already have the batteries. I also have a drill, high pressure inflator (fenders), vacuum and 12V charging station (for the 18V batteries)

 

[Ingwe]

The large twin chamber / triple action SUP pumps are now the quickest but they are between £60-£80.

 

[B27]

Some of the double-acting piston pumps are very good.
OTOH, I have one bought in a hurry in France which barely works at all.
It makes lots of wheezing noises and puts very little air where it's wanted.
The good one I have was sold for kitesurfing. The SUP ones are higher pressure lower volume than you want for a dinghy I think?

A lot of people are using dinghies which are 'a bit bigger' with 'slightly larger tubes', it's easy to double the amount of air to be pumped!

 

[Plum]

I have a double action pump and it is fast but using it knackers my back and it is no faster than the bellows foot pump that came with the dinghy. I also have a high-speed 12 Volt pump that is great aboard the boat. However I have two lithium batteries that came with a cordless drill. The drill itself burned out a few years ago. (Using a cordless drill to stir up antifouling is not a good idea.) What I am now wondering is how to make a mounting in a box to plug the batteries into with a socket to take the pump cable.

You can buy adapters for a power take-off from a drill battery, for example: Battery Adapter for Dewalt 20V Battery Dock Power Connector Convers*oa | eBay

 

[Stemar]

When I was recovering from a serious illness and just didn't have the umph to pump by hand or foot, I got an electric pump with built-in battery. Not cheap, but as a confirmed idle git, I've never regretted it. I set it pumping and get on with other stuff.

 

[SimonKNZ]

I much prefer a SUP pump for the dinghy than the bellows ones
The other thing to try is a battery-powered leaf blower. Won't inflate to full pressure but will get most of the required air in and you then finish with a normal pump

 

[Mark-1]

I much prefer a SUP pump for the dinghy than the bellows ones

Thanks!

 

[Mark-1]

I tried it this weekend.

SUP pump is *way* faster than the foot Bellows. It's not even close, night and day.

My 8yo lad started pumping with the SUP pump while I faffed with the electric pump. When I turned around the boy had completely filled one dinghy chamber. (Something he's never got close to with the footpump.)

I won't bother with the electrical pump for the dinghy in future, the SUP pump is so fast its not worth the faff.

Thanks all, there's a clear winner.

 

[mjcoon]

I gather that the SUP pump is a piston type. In which case I think we are replaying history. Blacksmiths and others who wanted an air jet used bellows because that technology was comparatively low-tech and low maintenance for the job. When steam engines came in the piston seals were a major tech challenge, hence low pressures and huge pistons were the only way to get force. Then ICE engines had piston rings and pumped oil lubrication. Whereas now resilient seals and reliable lubrication are quite cheap, at least for low-temperature use...

 

[Mudisox]

Car exhaust and a large diameter rubber tube?

 

[Plum]

Car exhaust and a large diameter rubber tube?

I would not do that. IC engine exhaust contains water vapour. How would you get the water out?

 

[Mark-1]

I would not do that. IC engine exhaust contains water vapour. How would you get the water out?

I doubt it was a serious suggestion but surely the water vapour in the exhaust is coming from the air, which is exactly where the pump is getting its air from.

EDIT:
Nope, I'm wrong.

ChatGPT says:

In an internal combustion engine (ICE), the water vapor present in the exhaust comes from two main sources: combustion of the fuel and combustion of atmospheric oxygen.

1. Water from Fuel: When hydrocarbon fuels (such as gasoline or diesel) are burned in the engine, one of the byproducts is water vapor. Hydrocarbon fuels consist of hydrogen and carbon atoms, and when they react with oxygen during combustion, they produce carbon dioxide (CO2) and water vapor (H2O) as the primary combustion products. The amount of water vapor produced from the fuel depends on the hydrogen content of the fuel.
2. Water from Air: The combustion process also consumes oxygen from the air. Since air contains moisture in the form of water vapor, some of this moisture is also present in the exhaust as water vapor. However, the amount of water vapor contributed by atmospheric oxygen is relatively small compared to the water produced from the fuel combustion.

The exact percentage of water vapor in the exhaust that comes from each source can vary depending on several factors, including the composition of the fuel, the combustion efficiency of the engine, and environmental conditions (such as humidity). In general, the majority of the water vapor in the exhaust comes from the combustion of the fuel itself, while a smaller proportion comes from atmospheric oxygen.

 

[Fr J Hackett]

I doubt it was a serious suggestion but surely the water vapour in the exhaust is coming from the air, which is exactly where the pump is getting its air from.

The water and hydrocarbons burned and unburned are coming from the combustion of the engine fuel whatever it is usually diesel, none of which are recommended to be inside the tubes of an inflatable.