9 Great Electric & Manual Air Pumps for Inflatable Boats & Kayaks

best-electric-manual-pumps

Most inflatable boats & kayaks include a pump in their packaging upon purchase.

But, let’s face it. Yes, they can get the job done, but most of these pumps are not as powerful or effective in inflating your inflatables.

So if you’re thinking of upgrading your pump to one with higher performance, look no further. I have researched 9 of the best electric and manual pumps available in 2024, along with some great tips about inflating your boats, dinghies, and kayaks.

Types of Inflatable Boat Pumps

As you may already know, there are two types of pumps you can use for pumping air into your inflatables.

  1. Electric Pumps
  2. Manual Pumps

Both of these pumps have their own advantages and disadvantages. But to give you an idea about their features and uses, let us discuss each type further.

Electric Pumps

An electric pump alleviates the inconvenience and strain of inflating your boats and kayaks. They are relatively easy to use: Plug it in, turn it on, and watch as it easily inflates your boat. Electric pumps save you energy and time in blowing up your inflatables.

However, there are also downsides to using this efficient little tool.

For starters, an electric pump will need a power source. Most of them need a wall outlet, but some can be powered by cigarette lighters or even car batteries. Some of them even feature a rechargeable battery. This being the case, you cannot be assured that there will always be an available power source for your electric pump.

Next, cheaper electric pumps cannot inflate your inflatable boats and kayaks to their 100% capacity. This is due to its lack of the required pressure power. You may find yourself having to top the chambers up with air from a manual pump in the end.

However, you can use a 2-stage pump as an alternative. These nifty little tools have a higher pressure output, which can conveniently pump air into your boat up to 15-20 PSI.

Nevertheless, 2-stage pumps are more expensive, with an initial starting price of $100.

Manual Pump

Manual pumps are further divided into two (2) categories.

  1. Foot Pump
  2. Hand Pump

A foot pump, as the name suggests, has to be pumped using your foot. This kind of manual pump is what usually comes with your purchased inflatable boat. You can buy foot pumps at any retailer basically.

Meanwhile, hand pumps require you to pump using your arms. For many manual pump users, hand pumps are the preferred tool over foot pumps. This is because foot pumps usually take more time to inflate because of the limited air output they can produce. Hence, we will be focusing more on hand pumps in this article.

Hand pumps have a lot of advantages over electric pumps:

  • In general, they are far more affordable than electric pumps.
  • You won’t need to worry about a power source, as they solely rely on mechanical energy – or in simple terms, your energy. However, this can also be a disadvantage: hand pumps are user-friendly, but they can be tiring and strenuous to work with. Especially if you will have to pump air into big inflatables, like kayaks and boats.
  • They are pretty dependable.
  • Hand pumps alone can inflate your boat up to the proper pressure required.

They do take more time to pump air into your SIB, but they can get the job done effectively.

High-volume vs high-pressure pumping

You may have heard the terms high-volume and high-pressure being thrown around but do not know exactly what they mean.

What is the difference between high-volume and high-pressure inflation?

When we talk about high-volume pumping, we refer to the volume of air being moved from the pump. High-volume pumps move a lot of air quickly but cannot inflate to high pressure.

Vice-versa, high-pressure pumps do not move air as quickly. They force their air into the inflatable to a much higher pressure, which is vital for SUPs and drop stitched air floors.

When you need to inflate a boat, you can first use a high-volume pump to get a lot of air into the tubes quickly. High volume pumps may not produce enough pressure to fully inflate an inflatable boat or drop stitch chamber, though. You have to top it off with a manual pump or a high-pressure electric pump.

Best Electric Air Pumps for Your Inflatables in 2024

Here is a list of the top electric air pumps you can get at the moment (2024). If you go out onto the water often, getting an electric pump is a really good idea, as it makes setting up easier.

PumpDescriptionPressureDetails
1.Outdoormaster Whale Pump Battery-powered
The OutdoorMaster Whale
A powerful electric pump that runs on 6000 mAh batteries for ultra portability.
0 - 16 PSIDetails
2.Nixy Ventus Electric PumpFor 4+ SUPs
Nixy Ventus
Feature-packed electric pump for inflating up to 10 SUPs.
0 - 20 PSIDetails
3.Outdoormaster Dolphin Sup PumpSmallest
The Dolphin by OutdoorMaster
Super small, yet powerful little pump for iSUPs.
0-20 PSIDetails
4.Outdoormaster High Pressure Air Pump The SharkThe Shark by OutdoorMaster
Well-priced universal electric pump for inflating up to 3 SUPs in a row.
0 - 20 PSIDetails
5.Btp Two Stage Electric Turbo PumpBTP Turbo Pump
Strong and fast, but is now becoming dated.
0 - 14.5 PSIDetails
6.Seamax Double Stage Electric Air PumpSeamax Electric Pump
Nice features, but not as dependable.
0 - 20 PSIDetails
7.Sevylor SUP & Water Sport PumpSevylor Water Sport Pump
The budget friendly electric pump.
0 - 15 PSIDetails

I have experience with all of these pumps, so here is a review of each.

OutdoorMaster Whale Pump

Outdoormaster Whale Pump

The Outdoormaster Whale pump is a battery-powered pump that can inflate your boat, kayak, or SUP to 16 PSI.

This is definitely my favorite electric pump of 2024. The freedom of not having to inflate your SUP/boat in the parking lot is not to be understated.

Many people have been asking for a strong, battery-powered pump. What’s more, it has a storage compartment to keep everything tidy, which I find very useful.

The pump has a 6000 mAh battery pack that you can charge via a wall outlet. It packs enough juice to inflate 2 SUPs to 16 PSI, or 3 of them to 12 PSI. The latter is the working pressure of many beginner paddleboards.

You can also power the pump from a car 12V socket if you forget to charge it.

Here is a list of the features of the Whale:

  • Dual-stage pumping to 16 PSI
  • 6000 mAh battery pack
  • Can be connected to a 12V DC car connector.
  • Deflation feature to suck the air out of your inflatable quickly
  • LCD display
  • LED light which can be turned on and off with a button
  • Auto shut-off feature turns the pump off at the target pressure.
  • 6 nozzles in the package

The Whale pump is a 2 stage pump. It starts pumping with the 1st stage compressor at 350L/min, and switches to the 2nd stage compressor at around 1 PSI, pumping at 70L/min from thereon.

I love this pump for the convenience it provides, but there is a tradeoff. It is the most expensive pump on this list, so make sure you use the coupon below.

Outdoormaster Whale Pump

OutdoorMaster Whale

review rating stars

Get out of the parking lot!

Battery-powered

If you are looking for a portable electric pump that you can take anywhere, you need the Whale. Its 6000 mAh battery is powerful enough to pump 3 SUPs to 12 PSI right on the beach.

The Whale is the cheapest direct from Outdoormaster.com with this unique 20% coupon code they gave us!

Special 20% off coupon at checkout!
OM20TOM

Nixy Ventus Electric Pump

Nixy Ventus Pump

The Nixy Ventus is a universal electric pump released in 2021. This pump also has an active cooling system, meaning it has a fan that vents the hot air out the bottom of the pump.

The Ventus has an efficient cooling system, so you can inflate 10 SUPs in a row without having to let the pump cool. Here is a real live test I conducted with the pump to see how many it could actually inflate, you might want to read it if you are considering this pump.

The Nixy Ventus pump is packed full of features not found with other brands:

  • 20 PSI max pressure
  • Active cooling to keep from overheating
  • Deflation feature, it is so comfortable
  • LCD display
  • Auto shutoff when it reaches the target pressure you set
  • 3 ways to power the pump (12V DC socket, 12V car battery, Nixy rechargeable battery pack)
  • 7 nozzles for every type of inflatable out there
  • Handy carry pack so you don’t lose any of its accessories
Nixy Ventus Electric Pump

Nixy Ventus Electric Pump

review rating stars

Inflates 10 iSUPs in a row!

Great choice

The Nixy Ventus is a high-quality universal pump that comes with various nozzles, so you can inflate boats, kayaks, SUPs, pool toys, etc. It uses active cooling technology to inflate 10 (or even more) SUPs in succession. No other pump can do that.

Check today’s price on:

Outdoormaster Dolphin Pump

The Outdoormaster Dolphin SUP Pump is the smallest electric pump on the inflatables market.

Outdoormaster Dolphin Sup Pump

OutdoorMaster Dolphin specifications

If you don’t have much space in your trunk, you will love the Dolphin electric pump. It is very small when put next to other pumps, you can probably just keep it packed in the carry bag of your inflatable boat.

Despite its size, it is a powerful little pump capable of inflating a SUP to 20 PSI. It inflates at the same speed as larger pumps, which is awesome.

Due to its small size, it doesn’t have some of the advanced features bigger pumps do, such as active cooling and deflation. It does have automatic shut-off though, you set your target pressure on the LCD display.

  • Dual stage electric pump inflating at big-pump speeds: stage 1 @ 350LPM, stage 2 @ 70LPM
  • Max PSI: 20
  • Auto shutoff: yes
  • Digital display: yes
  • Nozzles: 5
  • Size: 10.23″ X 6.29″ X 5.11″
  • Weight: 3.6 lbs
  • Powering: 12V cigar lighter
  • Warranty: 1 year

As with most Outdoormaster pumps, the Dolphin is CE certified as well.

Outdoormaster Dolphin Sup Pump

OutdoorMaster Dolphin

review rating stars

Small, but powerful

Portable

If you are looking for a small, portable iSUP pump that doesn’t cost an arm and a leg, the Dolphin from OutdoorMaster is your best bet. If you are looking for a portable electric pump that you can take anywhere, you need the Whale. Its 6000 mAh battery is powerful enough to pump 3 SUPs to 12 PSI right on the beach.

The Whale is the cheapest direct from Outdoormaster.com with this unique 20% coupon code they gave us!

Special 20% off coupon code at checkout!
OM20TOM

OutdoorMaster The Shark Pump

Outdoormaster High Pressure Air Pump The Shark

The Outdoormaster Shark II is a popular universal electric pump you can use to inflate your boat, kayak, SUP, or anything inflatable up to 20 PSI.

It has active cooling, so you can use it to pump 2-3 standup paddleboards in a row, which would not be possible with electric pumps that do not have a cooling system. They would overheat and shut off.

There are caveats though:

  • The temperature for optimal use is under 80° F. Higher temps cause faster overheating, so take this into consideration on a hot day at the beach. Keeping the pump out of direct sunlight helps in keeping it cooler.
  • Pumping above 13-15 PSI will also cause faster overheating, but you generally don’t need to go higher.

In practice, I’ve found that this is one of the best electric pumps to inflate 2-3 SUPs in a row with ease. On hot days, the 3rd one overheats the pump by the end. You need to top it off by hand or let the pump cool down a bit before it can start again. But that is still good, not many families have more than 3 SUPs.

Besides the cooling system, the pump boasts every feature you can expect from a top-tier electric pump:

  • Dual-stage pumping to 20 PSI
  • Active cooling to prevent overheating
  • Deflation feature sucks all the air out of your inflatable
  • LCD display
  • Auto shut-off when the target pressure is reached.
  • It runs at 12 amps, so it can be connected to a 12V DC car connector.
  • 4 nozzles in the package (C7, H3, Boston valve, Pinch valve)

The pump operates in 2 stages. The initial stage is less noisy and it rapidly pumps air into your inflatable up to 1.2 PSI. After this, the second stage of inflation starts and continues until it reaches the target PSI you set in advance.

The Shark II pump is a high-quality product at a very good price with the coupon code below, which is why I gave it the esteemed title of 2024‘s Best Electric Pump.

Outdoormaster High Pressure Air Pump The Shark

OutdoorMaster Shark

review rating stars

Great features at a good price

Best electric pump

If you don’t need to inflate more than 3 SUPs at a time, this pump is a terrific choice. It simply works. The pump has a 1-year warranty for peace of mind as well.

It is the cheapest direct from the manufacturer with this unique 20% coupon code they gave us!

That is the biggest discount I’ve seen on this pump, saving you money!

Special 20% coupon code at checkout!
OM20TOM

Sea Eagle BTP Mano Turbo Pump

Btp Two Stage Electric Turbo Pump

One of the older 2 stage electric pumps on the market is the Bravo Turbo Pump.

This model is specifically designed to meet the needs of high-air volume inflatable boats and kayaks. It has high-pressure inflation of up to 14.5 PSI, which is just a little under the standard 15 PSI of SUPs.

The pump draws power from a 12V battery at max 20 amps. You need to connect it to a car’s battery using the alligator clamp included in the package. You also have the option to purchase a 12V battery pack instead. You cannot use it with a car’s power outlet (cigarette lighter), because those are rated for 10-15 amps.

Aside from its effectiveness as an electric pump, it is rather well known for its flexibility and compatibility. With the inclusion of some common adapters, it can accommodate several valve types.

The pump has two stages of operation as well:

  • In the first stage, it features a high turbine blower that rapidly blows air into your inflatable watercraft until there is significant resistance.
  • After this, the second stage begins with a high-pressure piston kicking in, filling the inflatable up to the required PSI value.

You will not have to worry about overinflation as it has an auto-shutoff feature, which automatically stops the pump when it reaches the target PSI level. The dial is not digital, which means less can go wrong.

How long will it take to pump up your inflatables with this electric pump?

  • A SUP takes about 5-6 minutes
  • A kayak takes about 4 minutes
  • An inflatable boat takes about 8 minutes

This pump deflates as well.

The only negative is the HR valve adapter it comes with, which breaks easily. It pops off at higher pressure, but if you hold it in place, it ends up splitting. Getting a replacement valve fixes this problem though.

Btp Two Stage Electric Turbo Pump

BTP 2 Stage Turbo Pump

review rating stars

Quick pump, but getting dated

This is another good choice for an electric pump. It is dependable and gets the job done. However, it is due for a redesign.

Check today’s prices on:

Seamax Double Stage Electric Air Pump

9 Great Electric & Manual Air Pumps for Inflatable Boats & Kayaks 1

The Seamax Double Stage Electric Air Pump is another OK pump.

This used to be my pump of choice, but it failed me after 2 seasons. While it worked, it was good though.

It is constructed with marine-grade ABS and nylon materials, which can prevent saltwater oxidation that can result in corrosion.

This pump has a high-pressure inflation range of 20 PSI. It can easily inflate a regular-sized watercraft in no more than 5 minutes.

Its official specs say that its 1st stage max speed is 350L/min, and the 2nd stage max speed is 70L/min. These are maximum speeds, meaning that inflation slows as the tube gets more and more air into it. Regardless, I don’t have any problems with its speed.

This pump has a deflation feature as well, so you don’t need to go around the boat pushing all the air out of it. The pump sucks the air out.

It also features a digital pressure gauge that shows the pumping progress of the machine. It also has an automatic shutoff feature that ceases the operation after reaching the desired PSI level.

It is also programmed to shut off after 20 minutes of operation as a safety feature.

By default, the Seamax Electric Pump is only compatible with Halkey-Roberts and Bravo valves. However, the package includes 5 universal adapters, which allows it to work well with other types of valves.

I bought this pump on Amazon.

Sevylor SUP & Water Sport Pump

Sevylor Water Sport Pump

The Sevylor SUP and Water Sport Pump is a high-performance electric pump, with a reasonable price tag. It is not as dependable as the other pumps on this list though.

It has a pressure output range of up to 15 PSI, but in practice, I found it had difficulty going above 10 PSI, so I had to top off the SUP by hand.

It handled low PSI inflatable boat inflation fine though, took about 8 minutes to fill an Intex Excursion.

It comes with 2 air hoses, one for low pressure and the other for high pressure. Why do they just not provide 1 hose like all other pumps? I do not know…

To operate, it has to be connected to the cigarette lighter outlet of your vehicle.

The Sevylor electric pump hose has an H3 connector, but includes adapters that are compatible with Double Lock, Mini Double Lock, Boston, and Pinch valves. This makes it compatible with most inflatable watercraft.

Another convenient feature it is equipped with is the option to input values of PSI, KPA, or bar on the LCD pressure gauge.

It also has an automatic shutoff feature that enables the machine to shut down upon reaching the desired pressure level.

You can buy this pump on Amazon as well.

Best Manual Air Pumps for your Inflatable Boat

These are the best manual pumps you can get in 2024. They can be used to inflate a boat, SUP, or a kayak. All of them have adapters for different valves, so you’ll be ready to go out of the box.

PumpDescriptionPressureDetails
1.Nrs Super 2 Hp PumpBest manual pump
NRS Super 2 HP Pump
Durable double action pump, inflates to 25 PSI. Hands down, the best choice.
0 - 25 PSIDetails
2.k-pump-miniGood to have
K-Pump Mini
Good pump to keep in your boat in case you need to top off.
0 - 9 PSIDetails
3.k-pump-220K-Pump 220
A dependable and strong hand pump.
0 - 25 PSIDetails
4.Ae Double Action Pump With GaugeAdvanced Elements
Budget-friendly double action manual pump.
0 - 12 PSIDetails

Here are my reviews of these manual pumps.

NRS Super 2 HP Pump

This NRS Super 2 HP Pump is a durable high performing manual hand pump, which features a polypropylene housing and an aluminum shaft.

This is my hand pump of choice, it really has everything!

It is a must-have upgrade of the foot pumps inflatables come with, as it will inflate your boat, kayak, or SUP in 1/3 of the time. No joke!

It is convertible to a double action pump, which means it can pump in the air on both up and down motions by pushing the AIR MAX button. Normally, it can push out 1.4 liters per stroke. But when converted to its double-action mode, it can push out up to 3.8 liters per double stroke.

However, you’ll want to turn the double-action mode off when you get to higher pressures, because pulling upwards becomes difficult.

This nifty tool has a built-in pressure gauge that informs you of the pressure level, eliminating the need to guess how much pressure is still required. The pressure gauge is important to have on this pump, as it can inflate up to 25 PSI!

In terms of compatibility, it has adapters for both Leafield C7 & D7 valve, Halkey-Roberts New Short / Summit 2 and H3 valves.

Nrs Super 2 Hp Pump

NRS Super 2 HP Pump

review rating stars

Strong and dependable, my top pick

Best manual pump

The redesigned NRS Super Pump is hands down, the best manual pump you can buy in 2024. It can inflate to 25 psi and has a double chamber design for faster inflation.

K-Pump Mini

k-pump-mini

The K-Pump Mini is a compact hand pump, which is meant to be kept in your boat out on the water.

It is both compact and portable, making it convenient to bring anywhere. Thanks to its small size, you can carry it with you in your boat on longer trips, in case you need to top it off.

Trust me. If you do inflatable boating, you need one in your raft, just in case.

This is a high-volume pump, it does not have the high-pressure conversion that the bigger K-Pumps have. Despite this, the K-Pump Mini can pump up to a very respectable 9 psi.

k-pump-mini

K-Pump Mini

review rating stars

Good to have in your boat

If you’re going out further or on a longer boat/kayak trip, you should always have a K-Pump Mini in your boat.

Check today’s prices on:

Save 10% with this discount code at checkout on OutdoorPlay.com:
AV10

Regardless, if you need to reach high pressure, you will need either the bigger K-Pump 220 or one of the pumps below.

K-Pump K220 HP SUP & Kayak Pump

k-pump-220

The K-Pump K220 Air Pump is another great manual air pump. It is made by K-Pump, the maker of the Mini.

It is constructed with marine-grade ABS, giving it a durable exterior that can last a long time.

It weighs around 3 lbs and is 33 inches long, 11 inches larger than its predecessor, the K-20.

The K-Pump K220 has a unique two-stage design consisting of high-volume and high-pressure modes. The modes are interchangeable by a simple twist of the wrist.

It works like two-stage pumps do: In the high volume mode, the pump allows quick inflating of the inflatable watercraft up to 9 PSI. Afterward, you can make use of the high-pressure mode to reach up to 25(!) PSI.

This manual hand pump includes an adapter for Leafield valves and an additional adapter for Halkey-Roberts valves, making it compatible with most inflatable watercraft on the market.

The K-Pump K220 is more expensive (check the price here) than the NRS Super Pump, but it is very dependable and won’t let you down.

Advanced Elements Double Action Kayak Pump with Gauge

Ae Double Action Pump With Gauge

This pump is manufactured by Advanced Elements, a maker of awesome inflatable kayaks.

It is a powerful manual pump that can push out 2 liters per stroke; this is 4 times the amount of what a normal foot pump can produce.

It is also known as a “double-action” pump because of its ability to continuously pump air on both the push-down and the pull-up of the handle.

It has a peak pressure of 12 PSI, which is more than enough to effectively inflate any inflatable watercraft.

This model comes with 4 universal valve adapters, which makes it compatible with various types of valves.

It is also equipped with a long hose that is 5 ft in length, so you can comfortably pump air in your inflatables at a considerable distance.

This is an inexpensive pump, check the current price here.

4 Tips for Inflating your Inflatable Watercrafts

  1. Read our article on how to correctly inflate your SIB and this other one on how to inflate a kayak.
  2. When inflating your inflatable boat, do not fully inflate the first chamber to its 100% capacity. Instead, fill it up to its 90% and move on to the next chamber; fill it up to its 100%, and then top up the first chamber to its 100% as well. This can help prevent damage to the connecting fabric of the tubes.
  3. High temperatures from direct sunlight can cause the air in the tubes to warm up, which leads to an increase in pressure. As a precaution, learn when to vent out some air off your boat if you are using your boat in hot areas or during hot weather conditions; this can protect your boat from overinflation.
  4. Putting an inflated watercraft on the water can sometimes lower the air pressure in the tubes; this is due to the difference in temperature of the air and water – water usually has a lower temperature. In this case, a manual hand pump can be handy to top off some air into your chambers.

Pro Tip: Most people just opt to get either an electric pump or a manual pump; however, it is wise to have both types of pumps. This can give you flexibility in dealing with various inflation issues you might encounter. Right now, I own a Shark electric pump, an NRS Super Pump 2, and a K-Pump Mini.

Are you new to the world of inflatable boats? Then my Getting Started Guide is for you. You’ll find tips, tricks, and how-to articles to start off right.

3 thoughts on “9 Great Electric & Manual Air Pumps for Inflatable Boats & Kayaks”

  1. #1 pump (The Shark) moves a lot of air. Love the two pumping stages. One for general inflation and then switch to a 2nd mode for topping off my inflatable. In my case, 3-4 pounds is rock hard. Also, the built in air pressure gauge is accurate and very useful. One final note, the pump comes with several attachments to accommodate different valve manufacturers. I definitely would recommend this product!

  2. I’m looking for a 110v 2 stage electric pump that I can plug directly into my sailboat to inflate both my dinghy and my SUP’s.

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Scroll to Top