pump for float tube

[cat_man]

I posted this on the float tube board but thought I would ask it here as well:


Ok, I've got a question about pumps for float tubes. I will be acquiring a Fish Cat 4 this week, but I do not have a pump yet to pump it up, and I'm trying to find a decent one that will last but not break the bank. I looked at Wal-Mart tonight, and they have 3 different pumps, all by a brand called Ozark Trail. They have a two-way hand pump for 9.92, a 12V DC inflate/deflate one that plugs into the car cigarette lighter for 13.42, and a high-volume electric (A/C) one for 19.82. All are within my price range, but I'm not sure if I should get the hand one or the car one. I don't want one or the other to end up taking 3 hours to pump up my tube.

Thanks for any advice you can give.

Kevin
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[TubeDude]

[cool][size 1][#0000ff]Most of us Outcast craft owners have found that the two way pumps are quick and easy...and do not require electricity.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]The pic below shows the two we use. The bigger Stearns two way tickets at about $20, and is designed for inflating the large river rafts, etc. It airs up my Super Fat Cat in just a couple of minutes, without a lot of sweat. The smaller one is available at Wally World for about $6. TubeBabe gets her tube aired up with it just about as fast as I do with the larger one. Plus, it is small enough to take out with you and stow behind your seat, in case you develop a slow leak or need to top off your air if the craft shrinks a little from cold water after the initial fillup.[/#0000ff]

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[#0000ff]The electric pumps you hook up to your car lighter socket work well too. You just need to be sure you don't leave them running unattended and overfill your air chambers.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Most of the air pumps come with adaptors which will fit the openings on the FC4, so you just pick the right one and let 'er rip...figuratively speaking of course.[/#0000ff] [/size]
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[DKStroutfitter]

Electric pumps will not fill your tube all the way up. You will have to top it off with a hand pump to get full of air. So why buy both? Just get a two way hand pump. I have found that if you lube the inside O ring of the hand pump with a light coating of oil or grease, it will work better and last longer.
Be careful with how much air you put in your tube. I filled my toon to the max pressure a few years ago and used it all morning. When I got back to shore and pulled the toon to dry land to dry off, the hot sun over inflated the bladders and the seems ripped open on one of the bladders. So if you fill your tube to the max pressure, be sure to deflate it a little when you get it out of the water.
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[tubeN2]

Way to go on the FC4 and welcome to the other Cat family.

I will 3rd the motion on the 2way pump. It is quick and easy to inflate just about any craft out there. It is a great asset to the FC4 since there are 2 chambers to fill instead of 1 like the SFC.[cool]
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[utwalleye]

I will 4th the motion on the 2 way pumps, it only takes a couple of minutes to fill my tube from being all the way flat. TubeDude showed me that so I got me one. if your tube is the one you have in your icon, no problem 5 minutes tops if that. thats the same tube I have, color also. later chuck
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[Libertized]

I 5th the motion for the large 2-way hand pump! You can get a good one at Sportsmans Warehouse for $12. Fills my tube in less than a minute, and has multiple adapters for just about any valve type. Why mess with electricity and wires when it isn't necessary at all?

[Hellsangler69]

I guess I just cheap , I give mine mouth to tube inflation . Didn't take that long either but I didn't time it either . Welcome to the Fishcat crowd .
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[kastmaster]

Cat_man,

I second the vote on getting a two-way pump for your float tube. It works great and is pretty compact. Let me take one step further. I use a foot pump that came with my Achilles inflatable, does a great job on inflating my dinghy and my float tube and in a very short amount of time. The pump is made of Hypalon rubber, the same material that my dinghy is made of, and is built to last for a long time. It doesn't have any O-rings, and have virtually no maintenance, and puts out volumes of air. Granted this is out of your price range (my guess, $60-$100, new), but Ebay may have some on auction from other mfrs. like Avon, Zodiac, etc., in your price and is worth every penny of it. If you have any questions, you can PM me and I can even take a picture of it if you like.
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[cat_man]

Thanks everyone for the great advice! I went ahead and bought the two-way hand pump at Wal-Mart for less than 10 bucks. The brand is Ozark Trail. I'm gonna get my tube today so we'll see how it works out!

I've been on BTF for I think almost 2 years now, and I've learned so much from everyone here. This is what makes BFT so great!! Thanks again.
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