This year will be our first year using inflatable toys out on the river, and
the dilemma I have is -- how to inflate them before use. So far my options
seem to be:

- Do it at the car with a cigarette adapter, and mini inflating device.

- Install a 12v. power source somewhere in the boat (drill hole/mount the
plug somewhere)

- Install a 12v. power source that hangs out somewhere in the battery
compartment under an aft seat (this way I don't have to drill any holes in
the boat)

- Find a battery operated pump, which'll prolly eat up batteries like no
tomorrow

- Use a new cleaver idea someone in the ng will come up with : )


-j

They have foot operated pumps that work well too.
http://www.overstock.com/se/PUMPT_Fo..._Air_Pump.html

They have foot operated pumps that work well too.
http://www.overstock.com/se/PUMPT_Fo..._Air_Pump.html

Foot operated are OK, but nowhere nearly as good as the pump we got when we
finally gave the old foot pump the heave-ho.
You can buy a large diameter hand pump that pumps on both the upstroke and the
downstroke. We can fill our Zodiac inflatable in about 350 strokes, a pull toy
should go up in under a minute.

Working up a sweat with the hand pump
provides a perfectly acceptable excuse to reach for a cold malt beverage. Only
a serious wimp can claim dehydration and fatigue resulting from the use of a
12-volt power pump. :-)

I would suggest mounting the 12v outlet in the boat behind the dash or in a
storage area. Mount on the back side facing down where you can just reach
under and plug it in. Saves drilling holes. That is what I did on all my
boats. Plus they are protected from water and won't hold water as they are
facing down. No substitute for a good high volume electric pump.

If you want to get real cute - you can mount the pump behind the seat and
just run the hose (may have to extend it ) and a switch to turn it on into
the storage area somewhere so you can access it easily.

--
Tony
my boats at http://t.thomas.home.mchsi.com



"Jay" wrote in message
...
This year will be our first year using inflatable toys out on the river,
and
the dilemma I have is -- how to inflate them before use. So far my
options
seem to be:

- Do it at the car with a cigarette adapter, and mini inflating device.

- Install a 12v. power source somewhere in the boat (drill hole/mount the
plug somewhere)

- Install a 12v. power source that hangs out somewhere in the battery
compartment under an aft seat (this way I don't have to drill any holes in
the boat)

- Find a battery operated pump, which'll prolly eat up batteries like no
tomorrow

- Use a new cleaver idea someone in the ng will come up with : )


-j

On Sun, 11 Apr 2004 12:43:16 -0400, "Jay" wrote:

This year will be our first year using inflatable toys out on the river, and
the dilemma I have is -- how to inflate them before use. So far my options
seem to be:

- Do it at the car with a cigarette adapter, and mini inflating device.

- Install a 12v. power source somewhere in the boat (drill hole/mount the
plug somewhere)

- Install a 12v. power source that hangs out somewhere in the battery
compartment under an aft seat (this way I don't have to drill any holes in
the boat)

- Find a battery operated pump, which'll prolly eat up batteries like no
tomorrow

- Use a new cleaver idea someone in the ng will come up with : )

Put some alligator clips on the wires for a 12V pump and just clip to your
battery long enough to blow up the tube.

John H

On the 'Poco Loco' out of Deale, MD
on the beautiful Chesapeake Bay!

"Jay" wrote in message
...
This year will be our first year using inflatable toys out on the river,
and
the dilemma I have is -- how to inflate them before use. So far my
options
seem to be:

- Do it at the car with a cigarette adapter, and mini inflating device.

- Install a 12v. power source somewhere in the boat (drill hole/mount the
plug somewhere)

- Install a 12v. power source that hangs out somewhere in the battery
compartment under an aft seat (this way I don't have to drill any holes in
the boat)

- Find a battery operated pump, which'll prolly eat up batteries like no
tomorrow

- Use a new cleaver idea someone in the ng will come up with : )


-j




I have both a cigarette lighter in the dash. Don't smoke, but great for a
spotlight. I also added a lighter receptacle at the back of the boat. I
drilled, but the boat is aluminum with a plywood piece covering the
batteries, etc. at the transom. Works for both my live bait bag and for
blowing up the toys. As to the pump, get a high volume, low pressure pump.
Wal-mart sells one that is all plastic and puts out about 2 psi and will
blow up the tube in about a minute. Is about $14.
Bill

In article , "Jay" wrote:

This year will be our first year using inflatable toys out on the river, and
the dilemma I have is -- how to inflate them before use. So far my options
seem to be:

- Do it at the car with a cigarette adapter, and mini inflating device.

- Install a 12v. power source somewhere in the boat (drill hole/mount the
plug somewhere)

- Install a 12v. power source that hangs out somewhere in the battery
compartment under an aft seat (this way I don't have to drill any holes in
the boat)

- Find a battery operated pump, which'll prolly eat up batteries like no
tomorrow

- Use a new cleaver idea someone in the ng will come up with : )

Having a 12volt outlet to plug-in accessories on a boat is a good idea and
comes in handy. Why worry about a hole if you do it right?

That said you can always use those little alligator clip-on units with a
12volt receptacle at the other end and then plug your accessories into that.
You should keep one of these in your tool box of boat goodies at the very
least for emergencies.

You can also pump up an inflatable tube and the like pretty quick with a
manually operated unit such as a foot pump.

I would go with the permanent outlet and also use it for night fishing light
sticks, handheld spotlights and other toys and tools.

"Jay" wrote in message
...
This year will be our first year using inflatable toys out on the river,
and
the dilemma I have is -- how to inflate them before use. So far my
options
seem to be:


Is the old classic foot pump totally out of the question?

I have some really large inflatable toys that I use a blower pump on just
because it would take forever with a foot pump. The blower gets them up most
of the way but I still need to finish them off with a foot or hand pump.

My ski boat has 12 volt outlets all over (four separate outlets) so I can
run anything off the ski boat. I would recommend that you do a really good
installation of at least one 12 volt outlet, they can come in quite handy
(charging cell phones, powering CD players, etc.). I would recommend wiring
it with heavy wire and a big fuse so you could operate one of those hand
held search lights if you wanted to.

For the houseboat I have a 12 volt outlet on a set of battery clips. I
just lift the lid to the generator compartment and clip onto the battery and
then plug into that.

Rod McInnis

I would agree wtih those who say install the 12v outlet. I would add, that
on my 18ft runabout, I installed the outlet on the dash (easy to drill
through, just make sure there is nothing behind what you drill into) and
wired it off an unused accessory switch. The switch was already wired to
the fuse bank, so I didn't have to worry about that, although I did have to
put a fuse in the bank. I picked up one of those all weather outlets at
West Marine that has the little rubber cover. Never had a problem with
moisture. Wiring through the switch is great becasue not all 12v
accessories have their own switch (like some of the cheaper pumps) so I can
turn the device on and off from the dash switch. As the others said, its
great for cell phone charging and spot lights. I tried all of the other
methods suggested at one time or another and this is the way to go. If you
do it right, it will look like its factory installed.

As for the pump, go with one that lets you connect the hose both to the
presure and the vacuum side of the pump. That way, when your done with the
toys you can use the pump to deflate as well. Not only does it speed up the
process, but more importantly, it sucks out every last bit of air and
really lets you fold the vinyl into a compact package for stowage. I don't
know about you, but with the size of my boat and all the crap we take
along, stowage space is at a premium.

"Jay" wrote in
:

This year will be our first year using inflatable toys out on the
river, and the dilemma I have is -- how to inflate them before use.
So far my options seem to be:

- Do it at the car with a cigarette adapter, and mini inflating
device.

- Install a 12v. power source somewhere in the boat (drill hole/mount
the
plug somewhere)

- Install a 12v. power source that hangs out somewhere in the battery
compartment under an aft seat (this way I don't have to drill any
holes in the boat)

- Find a battery operated pump, which'll prolly eat up batteries like
no
tomorrow

- Use a new cleaver idea someone in the ng will come up with : )


-j