Can anyone advise on the best rechargeable air pumps for float tubes? The pump I use will pump up my tube to about 80% then I have to use the hand pump for the rest. If anyone can tell me of a pump that will do the job properly,ta very much.

Neil.

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I am thankful for laughter, except when milk comes out of my nose.

Dear Neil ,

Over the 25 years I have been involved in the use , design and manufacture of float tubes I have come to detest and abhor the use of any kind of pump .
I have seen , for instance , too many folks who went off , and had a chat ' whilst the car battery connected compressor ran for far too long and blew their tube to perdition.

The last known fatality with a tube on this side of the Atlantic involved a South African who unfortunately inflated his tube at sea level and then took it 6,000 feet up in the Drakensberg . It blew , dragged him down and killed him .

Tubes float on correct hard mouth blown inflation and not on pressure. Watch out for temperatures and pressures at high altitude - blow by mouth alone it is almost foolproof even if it does make you slightly dizzy ( I say this 15 downstream of a heart attack , by the way ! )

Please take extreme care and don't go for an apparently easy solution - I have few enough potential customers left without needing to lose one to an automatic air pump ( £22 from Halfords )

Enough said

Steve Parton

So steve , what would your advice be to someone planning on using a floatube(shakes expedition) on a wee mountain lough. Inflate when you get there and not beforehand? Might be planning this when the weather heats up a little and would appreciate your advice. Will be using my lungs as you probably guessed, thats if i can find them after the ascent.

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Fortis Sub Forte Fatiscet. The brave yield only to the brave.


www.rinnshannon.com

Member of the S.S.F.D 2010

From obvoius reasons, that were stated before, do not use a compressor. What i use (but for pontoon) is a small cheap blower which is used for blowing things for the beach. Those things operate with rotating rotor and pressure they reach is small and once they are there, they simply can not put any more air in. Compressors on the other hand like piston ones shall not stop as they can go way over bursting capacity of your tube.I use one which i connect to a cigaret lighter in a car for blowing up my pontoon boat. The pressure it reaches is so low i must always do some pumping as well, but it sure saves a lot of physical. The only downside is, that it is noisy.

Of course you must test it to see if it does not put too much pressure in your tube/pontoon anyway.

BlueOne

Sorry I'm not Steve but if you don't mind I'd like to contribute.

One of my favourite waters is Watendlath in the lake district, I don't know how high up this is but I wouldn't like to walk it.

I always inflate my tube 24 hrs before fishing and leave it in the garage, just as a peace of mind excercise that I'm not going afloat with a leaky tube. Prior to setting off fishing I deflate to about 70% pressure, and that leaves me with just 30% to add by mouth once I get there.

I don't know how far you are planning to hike with your tube but the expedition carries easy enough ruck sack style.

Matty

Thanks for that Matty. sounds like good advice. Its not that high of a mountain so excessive altitude and pressure fluctuations wouldn't be a huge factor i'd say. Better to be on the safe side.

__________________
Fortis Sub Forte Fatiscet. The brave yield only to the brave.


www.rinnshannon.com

Member of the S.S.F.D 2010

I always fill from the compressed air at a service station on the road to my fishing location.
But I never fill the tube to capacity on a compressed airhose, I just concentrate on getting the big proportion of the required volume of air into it, and bring it to 75% full, and a very bendy, squishy form, then I stuff it back into the car for the final part of the journey.
The convenience of merely having to "finish it off" at the waterside is very useful.

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Norm

Float Tube Fishing 30+ years
Float Tubing Info Resource