Air temp and changing inflation pressure

[alanfox55]

How is air temp and changing air pressure in a high quality PCV boat dealt with? I can understand having to adjust to great changes in air temp but let's say 20 degrees. Say you inflate to full pressure at 80 degrees in the shade then you put in at a lake where the water is relatively warm and the day ends up being 100 degrees and sunny. Is the increase in pressure engineered into the construction of the boat so you don't have to worry about it? Do you carry a pressure gauge and air pump so you can constantly adjust to changing temp? I doubt if it's the latter but I don't know. So how is changing air pressure in a PCV boat dealt with. Thanks.

 

[lncoop]

Re: Air temp and changing inflation pressure

In my case it's the latter. I never hit the water without my trusty K Pump and Kwik Check Gauge. If the tubes need topping off or dumped I top em off or dump em until the PSI reading is acceptable. Don't know of another good way to do it other than run softer tubes, which is sometimes a valid approach.

 

[alanfox55]

Re: Air temp and changing inflation pressure

Thanks for your reply. I did plan on taking my pump,patch kit and gauge with me. I did call the manufacturer and they said the boat can handle the increase in pressure but I think I might just adjust the pressure anyway just to be on the safe side.

 

[ssobol]

Re: Air temp and changing inflation pressure

Thanks for your reply. I did plan on taking my pump,patch kit and gauge with me. I did call the manufacturer and they said the boat can handle the increase in pressure but I think I might just adjust the pressure anyway just to be on the safe side.

When the boat is off the water you have to watch the temp and the tube pressure. If you leave the boat on the beach (or trailer) in the sun the tubes and get pretty warm and the pressure will go up, so you might want to let some air out if it is going to sit there for awhile. On the other hand if you tow the boat on a trailer you need to pump it up a bit, because the air flow around the boat will cool it off and drop the pressure.

In my experience, once the boat is on the water, the temperature in the tubes stays pretty constant. The temp of the water does not change that much over the course of a day and water maintains the tubes at a fairly constant temperature.

If you pump the boat up on the beach and then put it in colder water you will have to adjust the pressure once the water cools the air in the tubes. I usually pump up the boat to the proper pressure before I launch it and then check it again 15 to 20 minutes after launching and adjust the pressure if needed. After that I don't have to mess with it again.

 

[Sea Rider]

Re: Air temp and changing inflation pressure

At sea level you need to increase, decrease air pressure according to exterior temp & water temp where you'll be boating. Most manufacturers recommend working pressures up to 3.5. Inflate sib to 3.0 psi on a non warm surface. Take your foot/hand pump along & gauge and top it back after sib rests for some minutes on water for pressure to stabilize. At late afternoon probably will need to top it again. Dark color fabrics inflates more with sun specially in summer, much less light color fabrics.

Happy Boating