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Tiered of inflating kites and hearing of problems with Scorpega pumps I am planing in creating a compressed air system in my car with a pump used for air suspensions http://www.airliftcompany.com http://www.easystreetair.com/index.asp? ... ProdID=441
Has anyone assembled such a system? I believe total cost should be around $400 max.
If you need to inflate far from your car you can take a small qwick connect cilinder of 6 to 10 liters to the beach instead of pump or battery systems.
I am also curious aproximately how many liters are necessary to inflate a 16 m C kite?

This may be a little cheaper and portable! Polo...


http://cgi.ebay.ca/DKITE-ELECTRIC-TURBO ... dZViewItem

Yes.

phpbb/viewtopic.php?t=2330530&highlight=pimp+pump

$400 for a pump. I would rather spend it on fine food and drink. Or a board, kite, bar, wetsuit, plane ticket.....
16 m kite maybe 10m LE bladder avg diam 10-20cm =>100-120L (math). Plus struts so maybe 150-200L total. You would be pretty lucky to fill a kite with a 10L tank off a truck type compressor.
You only need 5-12 psi though. Don't waste money on engineering for continuous duty at 100psi. If you want high pressure maybe get dive tank and regulator, fills a bunch of kites so they say. I don't dive, so not worth it for me. search old posts.

My current pump is a SS with the upstroke washer removed. Just as fast, less pain. My all time favorite pump is a friend's 6L manual single action (old cabrinha I think). he is older and tall, and he made a custom base so no need to bend over. Single action is better because you get a rest between strokes and won't strain you back or shoulders on the upstroke.
Take it from a guy with rotator cuff and back history.

Check the pic. Pumps fast, 3 feet plus, a pump you can be proud of. Totally cheap and pulls chicks like a crusty mullet and a winning smile (if not, at least you will have $370 left over for beer etc.)
Make the base detachable if you like.

IMHO if you want to spend a lot on a pump, spend it on something that is bolted to your truck.

Carlson Designs Kiteboard Pump
http://www.pacificriversupply.com/whole.html
Hey Kiters! You don’t have to bend over and use your back while trying to inflate your kite. Because this pump is tall, the volume is twice as great per stroke and you can use your legs which makes the strokes twice as fast and twice as powerful! We figure it’s four times faster than, takes half the effort, and lasts ten times longer than an average pump for only five times the price. It has no grease so you can lay it down on the sandy beach and it will still work. Any salt water or sand inside just blows out without gumming up the lubrication (which in the average pump turns to butter in reaction to the salt locking the neoprene seal against the cylinder walls). The handle will not bend or break, the hose will not kink or split and it comes with spare o-ring and variety valve adapters. It also comes with a ten year warrantee included in the price. Welcome to our world Kiters!

We've got two Viair brand compressors behind the back seat of our Ford pickup and a 5 and 7 gallon air tank hooked in series and attached to the frame. A quick-connect air fitting in the rear bumper for the air hose.
Make sure to add an air dryer if you want to use it in the winter else the airlines will freeze. And make sure you buy the highest volume compressor they make.
We love it and so do our friends . It takes about 2 minutes to build 150 psi and we can pump up two big kites in a minute or so with the 12 gallon reservoir.
It also fills our suspension airbags and has bailed us and others out of trouble with flat tires.
I think I've got about $400 in the whole system including a couple tweaks and repairs over the last 5 years or so.
Oh yeah, If your driving around in the winter on salty roads put the pressure regulator inside somewhere instead of on the airtank or they'll rust apart in a couple years.

bob

I've thought about that too ... how many gallons/liters of air would you need and wouldn't you need to regulate the outflow - too fast would be bad, wouldn't it?

$219.00 for a big hand pump? Yikes. It it was $50, now we'd be talking.

Bob
www.kiteridersllc.com

buy the one from BST. On EBay you get it for 150 Euro or so. Pumps around 10 kites with one charge. And you can set the pressure so the tubes don't explode.

anybody knows the difference between the BST12 HP Batt and the BST12 Kite?

The specs look very similar but the 'kite' one is 50 Euro more over here...

Is it just for the kite drawing on the bag and the 3 valve adapters or are there any kite specific differences (like a better sand-proofing or something?)

Thanks