Carrying an Inflatable Boat on the Roof

A new Toyota option for the TRD Sport. Hook up a port to the Taco heater/AC box for inflating rafts. Close off all the vents and port the air to the raft.

 

awesome setup ! That looks like fun

 

I have the hand pump that's actually quite good... It just takes quite a bit of work to inflate all the way. I may just try and remove the solid floor, let a bit of air out, and then put it in the bed. Buy an electric pump to get it almost full and then top it off by hand. I just used it a lot less than I wanted to last year because it was a bit of work to put in the floor boards, inflate, etc. and I just wanted to use it after work with my small kids (juggling small kids and trying to inflate and all that is a tough job!)

 

The cheap inflators you guys are posting are fine for a pool toy, but not what OP is asking for.
I got tired of inflating and deflating my inflatable(plus setting up the engine) so I bought a small trailer.
I bought mine from Harbour freight 15 yrs ago or so for $250 I believe. They no longer offer it, but Northern Tool has this...
https://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200612542_200612542

I used my inflatable down at my parents beach place. I would hit the bay pretty much every day on vacation so this was my best option. I would inflate the boat in NY and drive it down to VA on the trailer, then install the motor when I got down there and keep it ready to go.
The trailer finally fell apart 2 yrs ago from so many dunkings in the salt water for a cheap chinese trailer, but I got my $ worth from it.

 

I have no real experience with inflatables so the cheap ass electric inflator was just a suggestion and probably better than a hand pump. I’ve seen an inflatable jack that uses the exhaust from the vehicle to provide the lifting force. Don’t know if it would cause problems with an inflatable boat. Again just thinking out load.

 

For inflating at home, I always used my air compressor. When it got to about 90% full, I switched to my foot pump with a gauge.

Speaking of which, your manual pump may not be that great....the one I have has 2 ways to hook it up. 1 way is super high volume, but not very high pressure, the 2nd way is more pressure. I can inflate my 11' inflatable in 15 mins by myself.

 

I have an NRS wonder pump manual pump. I'm also buying the NRS Blast electric pump with alligator clips for the truck battery next week.

 

My raft is 14' long with 25" tubes. At the house, I just use a small shop vac to inflate/ deflate.

 

I’m really intrigued by those single person rafts. Looks like so much fun. If they make a shop vac that runs on less than 400 watts it could be plugged into the outlet in the bed of a trd sport truck.

 

For inflating at home, I always used my air compressor. When it got to about 90% full, I switched to my foot pump with a gauge.

Speaking of which, your manual pump may not be that great....the one I have has 2 ways to hook it up. 1 way is super high volume, but not very high pressure, the 2nd way is more pressure. I can inflate my 11' inflatable in 15 mins by myself

 

With the shop vac, it takes 3-5 minutes for mine. The NRS Blast takes about 5 minutes. Money well spent.

 

People I know personally have inflated their rafts by hooking it up to up the exhaust. For real.

 

This looks like a pretty sweet setup:

 

I love it! I am actually leaning towards trying to find a small cheap trailer. Looked at the HF ones and found out they don't sell it anymore, but a few people are selling their used ones locally. I liked that it folded up too, but the two used ones had diamond plating/wood platforms so not sure if they could still fold. I think I'm going to go with the small trailer option just so I have it for other things as well.

 

This campground looks very familiar. Tom's Cove on Chincoteague?

 

That picture is taken in the Maddox Campground on Chincoteague. We have since moved the trailer over to Tom's Cove campground last summer. It's not nearly as nice as Maddox, but Maddox was sold to a new company that is horrible.

 

Yep, I grew up on the island just down the street from the Maddoxs'. I spent 6 years managing Woody's right at the entrance. The KOA will be nice and they are adding a little water park there also.

 

I am a big fan of Woody's.

Not a fan of the new campground at all. We were lied to so many times by them before finally leaving. Basically we were kicked out, because they could make more $ off day renters then seasonal, but didn't technically make us leave. They just kept changing the rules of the place monthly instill most of the seasonals left.
I'm also not a fan of a waterpark.

 

Do you still live there, or have you moved out to the mainland?
I miss the non commercialized island I grew up visiting. I started going there in 90', and my parents have had a permanent trailer there since about 00'.

 

I've got this one...works great. Can be used for blow low volume (boats, mattresses) and high pressure for tires. Keep it handy in the rig and uses the universal battery system and you can't beat the price.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Ryobi-1...on-Inflator-Deflator-Tool-Only-P731/203060297