Carrying an Inflatable Boat on the Roof

Looking for some advice here. I have an inflatable raft (Hydro-Force Mirovia Pro from Costco). It's about 130" long. I'm trying to find a way to transport it fully inflated. I have a tonneau cover that got scratched up pretty bad when I tried putting the boat on top of it last time so I'd like to avoid trying that again. I was thinking of getting a Warrior Platform Roof Rack (I have a DCSB) and throwing it on top of the cab (strapped down of course). Not sure if that would leave far too much of the boat hanging off. I'm estimating it would leave about 35" of the boat hanging off the front and 35" off the back of the cab. You guys think this is a good idea? I'd never drive it too far (15 or so miles max). I really don't want to deflate and inflate every time as it takes forever. Any other suggestions as to what you'd do? Thanks

 

Drove this 2 and a half hours at 70 mph after taking it off the Missouri River.



Yakima rack on the cab and a 2x4 across the topper. Hillbilly AF

 

Haha love it!

 

What kind of pump do you use for inflation? My inflatable kayak only takes a few minutes. It might be better to get a more robust pump instead of a rack.

Just my 2¢.

 

I use the one that came with the boat. It's a good sized pump, but there's A LOT to fill up. I've checked in to trying to find a good electric pump, but the only ones that'll work well are fairly pricey. Thanks for your input!

 

I might, in the end, just go with this pump that supposedly works well:

Seamax Blue Portable 12V Electric Air Pump 1 - 8.5 Psi for Inflatable Boat, Inflatable Kayak and More (No Battery)

https://www.amazon.com/Portable-Electric-Pump-Inflatable-Battery/dp/B006RCH1F2. (They're selling me on the pump by using a Tacoma in the photo)

 

If you're going to buy a compressor, buy one that will air up tires also. That one you posted has a max pressure of 8.5 lbs.

 

Unfortunately you cannot use a high flow air compressor for an inflatable so I'd have to get one like I posted that's low pressure. High flow puts too much pressure on the seams

 

Really? You can't just stop airing it up when if feels about right? You can't air it up at the gas station?

 

Also don’t forget if u leave ur boat on top of ur truck on a hot day u might come out to u a big pile of shredded vinyl lol

 

A tire pump needs high pressure. A boat pump needs high volume.

 

Hmmm. I guess you're right. I don't know anything about rafts. I just thought if you're gonna have a compressor, have one that will serve double duty.

"The raft can be inflated by using a foot pump, hand pump, or any other low-pressure pump. HIGHPRESSURE DEVICES SUCH AS A SERVICE STATION COMPRESSOR SHOULD NOT BE USED!"

 

If I was you and wanted to do what you described, I would buy a

$91 viair 88p portable compressor kit (12V, 120 psi, forup to 33" tires)

viair 88p compressor and inflate and deflate the raft when needed. You will not need to mess with the cover. Do a little research on portable air compressors and you will be able to judge for yourself.

 

Don’t buy that, there’s better options with viair air compressors.

 

he’s trying to inflate a big balloon to like 3-4 psi not a little balloon to 32

Viair or any other tire pump is a no go for inflatable boats lol

OP it’s ok to let your boat hang off the front and back of your truck just make sure it’s inflated enough to be rigid at road speeds lol
get a cheap 12v air mattress inflator at Walmart to blow the boat up and a decent hand/foot pump to top it off.

 

Yeah, low pressure high volume for boat and high pressure low volume for tires.

I don't have a PSI gauge for my kayak, but I guess it is around 5 PSI when fully inflated. It is just a single seat kayak, so I can use a double action hand pump that fills each section with 20-25 strokes. A raft will be larger and more pumping.

I have a small 12v compressor for tires in my truck. It would take forever to fill the kayak with that.

This is under inflated and needs 2-3 more PSI.

 

The google says this works for inflating boats etc. Under $20. Made by Sevylor.

You could inflate it part way and still put it under the bed cover then pull it out near the water and top it off.

 

This is the way to go. I have one and it fills up a queen size air bed in less than 3 minutes . I have the battery one, too, but haven't used it since I got the 12 volt pump. It comes with adapters for small inflatables. You can also hook it up backwards to deflate quickly and completely.

 

Good tips everyone thank you

 

I've had pretty good luck with the Wal-Marche 12V inflators and then hand pump to top it off.

NRS River Supply has the best 12V and Manual pumps in my opinion.

https://www.nrs.com/category/4679/rafting/electric-pumps