I'll have Jim's latest pump in the gear program shortly after I find some time to take a few photos of it for a review. If anyone is in the market for a bitch'n pump for their inflatable, the K-pump K-40 is it. One handle that controls two pumps in one. One for high volume that'll push a lot of air quickly to 1.5 lbs (using a 4" x 18" cylinder) and a secondary pump (2.5" x 18") that's used with the turn of the handle that'll top off your boat to 8 lbs, if needed. The old description 2 in 1 is definitely applicable given the smaller pump is mounted inside the larger cylinder. Adapters included will allow it to function with most any valve which includes the old military valve as the K-40 uses a check valve. Some gadgets are silly, some are pretty cool. If you're on the water frequently with an inflatable Water Master or pontoon boat, this is definitely cool. I'll have it added to K-pumps offerings in the gear program shortly, but regardless it's available now if anyone wants to test it out for a bit. Chris
I've been looking at upgrading to a better pump and was intrigued by the K-series pumps. Their web site lists Skookum Products in Woodinville as the only Washington dealer. I left a couple messages with them but they must be out field testing their boats and I have yet to hear back. So I called the K-pump guys directly and spoke at length with the company's owner/designer Jim who apologized profusely that his web site is grossly out of date and doesn't show all their Washington dealers. With his help I was able to not only locate a dealer who does keep regular hours (Avid Angler in Lake Forest Park) but also to determine which model would be best suited to inflating my pontoon, SFC and float tube (the K-100). If/when I end up buying one, I'll post a review. K
NICE pump, it really moves some air! I recently picked one up off ebay for about 45% of retail :thumb: . I'll try to do a comparison to the WM foot pump for a complete fill and a top-off after using a LVM on a Kodiak sometime next week.
BSI recommends 2.5lbs-3lbs for WMs. Inflation to 2lbs with a LVM110 takes about 1 minute per chamber. It took ~30 strokes with the K-40 high pressure stage to get to 3 lbs on each of the 2 chambers. The high pressure stage is still very easy to pump at 3 lbs. A Kwik Check gauge is highly recommended. A deflated boat took about 6:30 to fully inflate to 3lbs. ~120 strokes for the rear chamber and about 60 strokes on the front chamber with the high volume stage inflated to about 1.5 lbs (and it started getting difficult to pump). Practice would probably help. I couldn't maintain a good seal on the valve(s) until the first (rear) chamber was about half full. Then about ~50 - 60 strokes with the high pressure stage on each chamber got to 3 lbs. In contrast the the standard WM foot pump takes on average 12-15 minutes to inflate to about just over 2 lbs. It gets quite difficult to pump much above 2 lbs, and an uneven, gravelly surface under the footpump just makes it harder. If the road is close by, the K-40 is a terrific pump. But K-pumps are heavy; especially the K-40 and K-400. IMHO, if I were going to a lake at any distance from the car and had to carry the boat on my back, I'd probably use the foot pump to save a pound. Topping off with the foot pump after using the LVM isn't very practical. And if you have a 12v battery for the pump, you probably don't need to be too concerned about the weight of the K-40.
I had a K-40 mysteriously crack in the main housing - called the company to ask if it could be repaired, and they immediately replaced it with a new pump, for free. A GREAT PUMP and GREAT CUSTOMER SERVICE
Avid angler in Lake Forest Park also carries them. No one brought the second function of a K-pump, fire starter. Soon as you get a little fire going get the k-pump down in the base and start pumping! roaring fire will result in seconds
