The trade-off for the convenience and easy portability of an inflatable SUP is the small hassle of inflation. Sure, you can inflate your board with a hand pump—but you can do it sweat-free if you go electric.
With a good hand pump, it takes about six to 10 minutes to inflate a standup paddleboard. In the same amount of time, you can set the PSI on an electric pump, plug it in and prep for the water. When you come back—tada—your board will be fully inflated. Another bonus to an electric pump is when blowing up more than one board in an outing—it saves your arms for paddling and keeps your heart rate below 180 bpm. Once you’ve used an electric pump, we bet you’ll find it’s hard to go back to the manual method.
Paddleboarders want three things in an electric pump—reliability, ease of use and speed. The three high-pressure pumps featured below offer all that in compact packages, and promise to get you on the water faster than ever before.
[This article is part of the Paddling Buyer’s Guide for The Best Paddleboard Accessories For 2021. Find all the best paddleboard gear from the top brands for all situations.]
Airhead // Velocity SUP Pump
Airhead // Velocity SUP Pump
Weight 4.2 pounds
Max pressure 15 psi
Time to Inflate 6:19
Power source 12V, car battery
Price $145 USD
airhead.com
The Airhead Velocity Pump claims to inflate paddleboards 33 percent faster than other portable pumps. However, when it came to inflating our 325-liter demo board, the three pumps all got the job done within seconds of each other. The Velocity is a single-stage pump and blows up to 310 liters per minute. It comes with alligator clips and a 10-foot cable for a direct connection to a battery. If you’re connecting to a car battery, the engine must be running for optimal power. Just dial in the desired pressure on the unit and the pump will auto-shutoff when reached. There’s a gauge to check progress. The Velocity comes with a mesh storage bag, and the locking 50-inch hose has interchangeable H-Valve, Leafield C7, SSV and mini SSV adaptors. This is the quietest pump we tested, but only by a hair. Maximum suggested run time is 20 minutes.
$145 USD | airhead.com
Bravo // High Pressure 12-Volt Pump
Bravo // High Pressure 12-Volt Pump
Weight 3.75 lbs
Max pressure 14.5 psi
Time to Inflate 5:31
Power source 12V, car battery
Price $169
seaeagle.com
The Bravo High-Pressure 12-Volt Pump is a two-stage pump. Similar to the Shark, it uses a high-capacity turbine blower to inflate up to 450 liters a minute, then switches to a high-pressure piston pump to pressurize from 1 to 14.5 PSI at 160 liters per minute. Attach to a car battery or other 12-volt battery, and dial the automatic shutoff to the desired pressure. The automatic shutoff will kick it off when done. Unique to the Bravo, if connected to a car battery you must not operate it with the vehicle’s motor running as the higher voltage output can damage the battery. The nine-foot-long battery cables and six-foot air hose offer good reach, and the package comes with eight valve adapters, including Leafield C7 and D7 valves. The pump, cables and hose fit in a zippered fabric carry case, with shoulder strap for easy carrying. This keeps everything in a tidy package and keeps sand off and out of the pump. This was the noisiest pump of the three, but only by a small margin—none are quiet.
$169 | seaeagle.com
Outdoor Master // Shark Electric SUP Pump
Outdoor Master // Shark Electric SUP Pump
Weight 3.6 pounds
Max pressure 20 psi
Time to Inflate 5:39
Power source Car accessory adapter
Price $159.99 USD
outdoormaster.com
Sleek and lightweight, Outdoor Master’s Shark launched in 2019 through a $30,000 Indiegogo campaign. This dual-stage unit pumps air at a maximum of 350 liters per minute in the first stage, and 70 liters per minute in the second stage. Just set the pressure on the digital LCD display, and the auto-function turns the pump off once reaching target pressure. The Shark is powered by a 12-volt cable plugging directly into the cigarette lighter or accessory adapter in your vehicle. The engine must be running to power the Shark. We want the Shark’s cable a bit longer as we were inflating right beside the driver’s door. If you don’t have a car , you can power the Shark using a power bank with the same accessory socket. Recommended to inflate up a max of three boards in a row. Comes with pinch, Boston, C7 and H3 valves.
$159.99 USD | outdoormaster.com
How we chose the best electric SUP pumps
We consider several factors when choosing the electric SUP pumps. From ensuring we judge the pump according to its intended purpose to making sure you’re actually able to buy it, here are the things we consider when picking the gear in each category:
- Purpose. Comparing apples to apples.
- Performance. How well does it do its job?
- Features. Sometimes we’re all about bells and whistles, sometimes not.
- Real-world testing. We put them to the test on the water.
- Price. Is it affordable? Does its performance justify its cost?
- Sales. Best-selling models are best-sellers for a reason.
- Availability. It won’t be good if you can’t buy it.
- Designer and brand interviews. We ask the people who made it why.
Let’s find you the perfect electric SUP pump
Use the Paddling Buyer’s Guide‘s reviews, specs and expert rankings to help you find the right paddleboard gear at the right price. Find all the best SUP gear from the top brands for all situations in The Best Paddleboard Accessories For 2021.