The most common types of hand pump are a single chamber (double action) pump and double chamber (triple action) pump. As the names suggest a single chamber pump has just the one chamber and usually has two different settings: the first will express air on both the up and down stroke of the pump action. This gets a higher volume of air into your board in a shorter space of time. The second setting will express air on just the down stroke, this makes getting your board up to pressure a lot easier as your body weight can be used on the down stroke. A double chamber pump has two chambers that sit next to each other. One chamber is usually larger in volume than the other. When you start using a double chamber pump, both chambers will be utilised to supply a larger volume of air more quickly. As resistant builds up with the pressure in the board you will isolate and use just the smaller chamber. This is essentially "dropping a gear" making pumping at a higher pressure easier.  


Double Chamber 

Single Chamber 



Here is a guide on how to use a paddle board pump:

  1. Begin by attaching the hose to the pump. Make sure that the hose is properly connected to the pump and there are no leaks.

  2. Next, locate the valve on your paddle board. This is usually located near the center of the board and is used to inflate and deflate the board.

  3. Once you have located the valve, attach the hose to the valve. Most valves will have a threaded opening that the hose can be screwed onto.

  4. Begin pumping the air into the paddle board. It is generally recommended to inflate the board to a pressure of between 15 and 20 PSI. The Max pressure of your board will be listed around the board valve.

  5. Once the board has reached the desired pressure, remove the hose from the valve and replace the valve cap.

  6. If you need to deflate the board, simply remove the valve cap then push the valve down to open the valve. By turning the valve a 1/4 turn, the valve will remain open.

Here is a handy video from Red Paddle Co to walk you through the Titan II pump.