- Close the drain plug at the back of the boat, do it now or you will forget 🙂 It is also easier to close when the boat is not inflated 🙂
- Get a double action stirrup pump, this will let you inflate the boat faster with colder air than a footpump. Air temperature is important if the air goes in warm it will shrink when it cools when you are out on the water and this will lower the air pressure and you will get a floppy boat.
- Consider an electric pump, even a small battery powered one can take some of the drudgery out of pumping the boat up, if the pump is weak it will not be able to get the boat up to full pressure so you will need your trusty stirrup pump 🙂
- Inflate in the following order :
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- Base of the boat (stupid lilo type (SLT) valve use the long thin adaptor with the angled end)
- Seats (SLT valve again)
- Either of the sides, these use “boston” valves and are quite simple to use and are nicer than the SLT ones.If you have never used them they are really simple, you unscrew the smaller top cap and then screw the big wheel part into the canoe and tighten. The top cap unscrews in the same direction as the bottom wheel so if you unscrew it first you don’t have to hold the bottom wheel in place 🙂
Boston valves are one way so if don’t worry if the hose comes off while inflating as no air will come out.Inflate the first side but don’t fully inflate leave it a bit below pressure.
- Inflate the other side fully then top up the first side. If you inflate one side fully before the other side you can end up with a wonky boat 🙂
- The pressure in each section should be 1.5PSI you can check it with the provided gauge, don’t over inflate your boat or you can damage it. When checking the boston valves the little needle bit has to line up with one of the six holes in the valve so just gently keep turning and prodding until it goes in. If you have over inflated it then you can use the needle on the end of the gauge to push the non return part of the valve open and let out a bit of air.
- You see that net bag at the back of the boat, your pump will fit in there perfectly 🙂
- If you are out on the water for a while it may be worth checking your air pressure during the day as it may have gone down as the air has condensed. Paddling an under inflated canoe is really hard work and you will stuggle to move along.