12V vs. 120V Inflator on Boat
 

Our new pontoon will have a 12V outlet, and I'm trying to decide if I should buy a 12V inflator or an invertor and use the inflator 120V I already have. I don't think I'll have anything else 120V that I'll need to use, and I'm not familiar enough with these battery systems to know which would be better.

Thanks!

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If your talking about inflating tubes and such, I have had a cheap Coleman rechargeable that works great! I have had it going on 4 or 5 years now and it even stays out at the island over the winter. Charges right up in the spring without issue and the battery lasts a long time. I think I paid less than $30.00 for it too!! If it died tomorrow I would buy another in a heartbeat. I also carry a plastic hand pump in case I had to top off for pressure but so far the Coleman has worked just fine. It also works great for deflating!!

I think messing with an inverter would be a pain.

Edited to add, this is very similar to the one I have except mine is green and has a separate charger (older version of this maybe??)...http://smile.amazon.com/Coleman-Rech...n+air+inflator

Edited to add, looks like they have a 12 volt version too! http://www.amazon.com/Coleman-200001...CGB31NXEPD83CF

Dan

Buying an inverter to 120v might cost more than just getting a 12v inflator. I have an inverter built into my battery jumper, and have never used it.

For the number of times and things you'd use it for, probably not worth it, stick to a 12 volt.

I have a 12 volt ...
 

I have a 12 volt compressor, and use it to inflate pool chairs that we use off the boat when we are anchoring. I just put my battery switch on one battery, plug in the compressor, and blow up the two chairs. Also an air mattress on occasion. Doesn't take all that long, and I have even forgot to switch the battery switch back to both, and didn't even notice when I cranked up the engine.

12 v is, for me, the way to go. Ours has a long power cable, allowing me to get well away from the helm area while inflating.

I know no one asked but, I love those little "power packs" that do it all. jump the boat,compressor,charge phones, strong lighting & more.

That is the type I have, comes in real handy at times.
Bought a cheap one at Harbor Freight for, I think it was $70.
Most used, has actually been for jumping other boaters or cars, but works great. Waiting for my own batt. to actually need it.

But the battery compressors don't produce the volume of air necessary to inflate tubes, right?

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Works ok on mine, just take a few minutes.

Inflating a towable is a long process with the 12v
Small tubes and chairs are not too bad but anything larger will take some time

I have something like this and it works great.

https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/s...Ku5tD&usqp=CAE

The main items I'll be filling, by the way, would be a Big Mable and Airhead's learn-to-ski thing. They just take up too much space to keep them inflated all the time.

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An inflator like the one shown above, should meet your needs. Tire pumps will not generate the volume you need for to fill floats quickly. A tire pump will also wear out very quickly when used for this type of work.

I have had both the hook-up and self contained versions and they work about the same.

Also, I've used one that uses 120 volts and that was the fastest but I would not use it for on-board/on-demand use. You would need to carry an extra piece of gear to provide the correct voltage. There will be a loss of power due to the conversion process and it's one more thing to break. An inverter and real compressor would be more applicable if you intended to launch a squadron of floatables or do some heavy work, but a bit of over-kill for the typical recreational user.

Good luck, have fun!

This. A blower type moves a lot of air, under low pressure, and will fill a towable, air mattress or the like in no time.

Those 12v all-in-one units with the compressor, radio, usb charger and inverter are really handy and have a lot of benefit but they take forever to just blow up a tire.

Big Lots
 

Picked up a 120v/12v inflator last fall at half price, $15. Best $15 I ever spent! Not only inflate all the toys and tubes, I also use it to inflate air mattresses and occasionally used it in the shop as a drier.

Agreed. However, I've had several cheap jump boxes that just didn't have the "OOMPH" needed when the car was dead and temps were below zero, or the bilge pump ran down the batteries after several days of rain. I now have a commercial one that includes an inverter so I can run a few 110V items (e.g. I can recharge the battery for my drill) when necessary. It lives on the boat in the summer, car in winter.

I bought one of these this summer. I use it all the time and jump started a 20' box truck with it a few weeks ago:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00GT2FUB2

Yup, those things work great! I bought one for all my toys and vehicles.

Dan

That's exactly what I already have, in 120V--it works perfectly, so I'll probably just buy the 12V version to keep on the boat. I'd buy the rechargeable in a heartbeat IF it could also be used in 12V mode, but the power cord on those only charge the unit, not power it.

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