Tag Archives: pumps for high pressure paddle boards

Product Review: AquaGlide 12V Turbo High-Pressure 1-20 PSI Electric Pump

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The increased popularity of high-pressure inflatables – and the increased pressure needed for inflatable paddle boards – has launched a quest for easy inflation. Almost daily, we field calls from people who want easier and quicker pump options, so they can spend less time on the beach, and more on the water.
A while ago, we published our popular Guide to High Pressure Inflatable Pumps. Since then, more options have become available.

Recently we received our first shipment of Aquaglide’s 12-Volt 2-Stage Turbo HP Pumps, which bills itself as capable of inflating from 1 to 20 PSI. The Turbo HP is a fairly diminutive size, measuring 12 x 5 x 6 inches and weighing in at 3 lbs 5 oz. The pump includes a 4 foot long, rugged, non-kink hose with two adaptors – an HR-style military adaptor and a screw-on adaptor.
As most of our inflatable kayaks run 1 to 6 PSI, and our inflatable paddle boards run 12 to 18 PSI, this seemed a good option. Best of all, it works off a car power point-cigarette lighter, but also includes alligator clips for direct connection to car or boat battery.
Using the AquaGlide 12V Turbo HP Pump
As our previous tests were done with a Red Paddle 18-PSI Surfer 10’0″, we opted for a Red Paddle Ride 9-8 which we had in our boat building – a pretty similar size and volume of 196 liters.

Instructions are pretty basic. First, connect the HR-adaptor to the hose end, and screw the hose onto the pump. Initially, it was tough to couple as the o-ring material is stiff. We pushed hard and were able to make the connection. Turn on the car battery (not the motor) and plug the connector into the car power point. Dial in the desired PSI – in this case we opted for 18 PSI, and hit the on button.

The initial (first) stage was fairly quiet. By one minute, the board was totally unfurled, then it jumped to Turbo mode (2nd stage) and became louder. We timed the inflation. At 3 minutes the board was at 5 PSI, 4 minutes to 7 PSI, 6 minutes to 11 PSI, 8 minutes to 14 PSI, 9 minutes to 15 PSI. At 10 minutes, 29 seconds, the motor shut off after reaching 18 PSI.

We tried to carefully twist off the hose, and it nearly blew us off. We managed to re-make the connection, and re-pumped it to 15 PSI. Through trial and error, we found that slowly twisting off the hose would lose air. If we quickly pulled off the hose – by pushing/twisting and popping off – it came off easily. So practice a little first. We did use a K-Pump quick check valve.

Original Source: AirKayaks >>

Sneak Preview: Revolutionary Titan High Pressure SUP Pump from Red Paddle Co.

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Red Paddle Co has recently announced the newest addition to the Red Air product line – the Titan High Pressure SUP pump, which cuts inflation time in half.

For years, the standard inflatable SUP pump was the Bravo HP single-action, high volume/low pressure pump, a squatter, thick-barrel single-action pump designed to put in more air volume, which in turn took more effort to reach higher pressures.
Higher pressures in an inflatable board vastly improves the board performance, by increasing rigidity (reducing flex).

In 2013, Red Paddle Co introduced the HP EZee  single-action, low volume/high pressure pump, a taller, thin-barrel single action pump designed to put in less air per stroke, thus allowing one to more easily pump to higher pressures.
As the pros and cons of each are obvious – one fills a board up more rapidly, while the other takes longer but is less of a struggle to reach 18-20 PSI – numerous paddlers opted to purchase both pumps.
In response, other manufacturers have recently expanded the slim-barrel design to a double-action pump, putting air in on the up and down stroke. While theoretically this will put air in twice as fast, in actuality it becomes a struggle on the “up” stroke.

The Red Paddle Co Titan pump is an amalgamation of the two pumps. The new Titan pump has two chambers, basically one side is a high volume/low pressure, and the other a low volume/high pressure. A unique double gear system actually combines the two chambers, so that when initially pumping, paddlers are using BOTH chambers to fill the board, allowing them to put in a whopping 4.71 liters, compared with just over 2 liters for the standard HP pump. When the pumping starts to get tough, one can switch the internal gear over to the high pressure chamber, allowing one to easily attain higher PSIs with less effort. An integrated pressure gauge allows one to monitor the process.
Another neat feature – the ergonomic angled feet allow one to step back from the pump, making it a more comfortable stance and solving the problem of the pump handle hitting your knees.
Initial tests comparing the Titan with the HP and HP EZee single action pumps showed the Titan pump decreased inflation time and number of pumps by up to 50%, dependent on the pump used. Using a 9-2 Surfstar, the Titan was able to get to 8 PSI with 35 strokes using the dual chambers, then with another 78 strokes the board was up to 18 PSI with the high pressure chamber – for a total of 2 minutes. In fact, tests measured the Titan pump air flow output at 61 mph versus 38 mph for the standard pump.
Watch a video comparison on using the

Original Source: AirKayaks >>