How to set up and pack away our kayaks
There are a few electric pump options for inflating your kayak, here is a video summary:
No – compressors go to very high pressure and you can damage your kayak.
And the valve and adapters are completely different anyway.
In some cases, the compressor comes with an air-bed function, which you CAN use, but it will not fully pressurise the kayak. It is, however, very handy to get the kayak full of air and then finish the job with the hand pump. Note that for low pressure inflators, you may need the kayak valve to be in the deflate position to fill it with air, not the inflate position.
Yes, but you would want to wipe it out and let it dry once you got home.
Each kayak has folding instructions in the manual.
It’s also a great idea to pay attention to how your kayak is folded when you first get it.
Here is an example, showing how the AdvancedFrame Convertible Elite kayak is folded:
Yes, it’s fine to fold it on the fin.
The pump that is included with the kayak has a deflate function that will suck air out of the kayak, but I never use it. I have found the kayak deflates fine under it’s own weight.
The owners’ manual is located in clear plastic pouch on the inside of the duffel bag.
For most kayak models, there is also a PVC circle attached to the kayak with a QR code that you can scan to get the instruction manual.