The trade-off for the convenience and easy portability of an inflatable SUP is the small hassle of inflation. Sure, you can inflate your board by hand—but it only takes the first time pumping away for what feels like an eternity to start considering the sweat-free approach if you go electric.
With a good hand pump, it takes about 10 minutes of labor to inflate a standup paddleboard. In the same amount of time, you can set the PSI on an electric pump, plug it in and prep the rest of your gear for the water. When you come back—tada—your board will be fully inflated. Another bonus to an electric pump is when blowing up more than one board in an outing—it saves your arms for paddling and keeps your heart rate below 180 bpm. Once you’ve used an electric pump, we bet you’ll find it’s hard to go back to the manual method.
Paddleboarders want three things in an electric pump—reliability, ease of use and speed. The three high-pressure pumps featured below offer all that in compact packages, and promise to get you on the water faster than ever before.
Dress For Immersion, Not Air Temperature
- Your body loses heat much faster when immersed in cold water than it does when dry.
- Avoid cotton clothing like t-shirts and jeans; they retain water and accelerate cooling when wet. Synthetic fabrics, or wool, are generally a better choice. If the water is very cold (60° fahrenheit or less), you should wear a wetsuit or drysuit.
Best electric paddleboard pumps for 2025
Our top picks
- Outdoor Master Shark II
- Sea Gods Electric Paddleboard Pump
- Swonder Seawolf S20Li 9000 mAh Rechargeable SUP Pump
Best overall electric SUP pump
Outdoor Master Shark II
$109 | outdoormaster.com
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Why we love it
Outdoor Master’s original Shark SUP pump launched in 2019 through a $30,000 Indiegogo campaign. Since the initial success, the brand has introduced multiple updates to the Shark lineup, with the Shark II being one of the most popular electric paddleboard pumps out there.
As with our other picks for electric pumps capable of reaching high PSI, the Shark II has dual stages. The first stage pumps your board to 1 PSI to fill out the shape—this is around where a raft or inflatable kayak would stop. It then reaches up to 20 PSI in the second stage for the high-pressure rigidity desired for a SUP. Just set the pressure on the digital LCD display, and the auto-function turns the pump off once reaching the target pressure.
The Shark is powered by a 12-volt cable plugging directly into the cigarette lighter or accessory adapter in your vehicle. The Shark II features an active cooling system and can inflate three to four boards in a row without needing a break to cool off.
Reasons to buy
- Proven design with fan following
- Dual stage for high pressure reaching up to 20 PSI
- Active cooling system
- Can inflate 3-4 boards in a row without needed a break
- Budget-friendly for its class
Consider another if
- You would prefer a rechargeable battery-operated pump
- You need a longer cord to reach the accessory plug in your vehicle
Bottom line
The Shark II electric SUP pump is a widely-loved choice for inflating your board to maximum pressure and the brand has set the benchmark for this piece of gear.
Stay Clear Of All Other Vessels
- Know the “Rules of the Road” Navigation Rules that govern all boat traffic and stay out of the way of all other vessels.
- Never assume that power boaters can see you. Avoid high-traffic areas whenever possible. Proceed with caution when you can’t avoid paddling near boats. Dress for visibility.
Best plug-in or rechargeable electric paddleboard pump combo
Sea Gods Electric Paddleboard Pump
$195 | seagods.com
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Why we love it
No need to fear whether your 12V cord is long enough to reach your board with the Sea Gods rechargeable paddleboard pump. The built-in battery takes away the need to run your vehicle, and yet it is still capable of inflating a board to 16 PSI in the same time as its plugged-in competition.
The battery capacity of the Sea Gods pump is enough to get between two to four boards inflated depending on board size and pressure you are trying to achieve. If you need more power, the Sea Gods pump also has a tucked-away 12V cord.
The Sea Gods team tested a variety of setups before deciding on this to be their finished pump. Cutting off the pump at a max of 16 PSI was also a conscious choice to avoid a design that would be obnoxiously loud. Sea Gods co-founder Mandy Johnson also shared that she found higher PSI electric pumps tend to burn out components, get hot to the touch, and, risk blowing vehicle fuses. The battery pack of this rechargeable pump will get you to the PSI most paddlers will be happy with, and there’s always the barrel pump for a top-off.
Reasons to buy
- Rechargeable battery pack doesn’t require vehicle battery to operate
- 12V DC cable keeps you inflating beyond internal battery
Consider another if
- You prefer a dedicated 12V corded pump
- You want an electric pump that goes higher than 16 PSI
Bottom line
The Sea Gods rechargeable pump offers the best of both worlds, letting you cut the cord and inflate your board anywhere.
Best battery-powered SUP pump
Swonder Seawolf S20Li 9000 mAh Rechargeable SUP Pump
$199 | swonderdirect.com
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Why we love it
Cut the cord all together with the Swonder Seawolf S20Li 9000 mAh Rechargeable SUP Pump. The Seawolf is powered solely by a capable lithium-ion battery, letting you inflate your paddleboard wherever you please. So go ahead and pass the parking lot crowd, keeping your SUP in the travel bag right to the water’s edge. The battery holds a capacity of 9000 milliamp hours (mAh) to inflate a stack of boards for the whole family or your flotilla of friends. Swonder claims you could inflate 12 boards on a single charge, though the more likely application is that you and a partner could put in a workweek’s worth of days on the lake without having to remember to plug it into a wall for a recharge.
The Swonder Seawolf can reach 20 PSI, and, with its dual-cylinder motor, it can impressively inflate a board within about the same time, if not faster than the best plug-in models. The active cooling system helps the Swonder pump inflate up to 8 boards in a row, and the auto shutoff saves your battery once the board has reached your desired PSI.
Reasons to buy
- Lithium-ion battery requires no plug-in power source for inflation
- 9000 mAh capacity can inflate up to 12 boards on a full charge
- Max inflation to 20 PSI
- Dual-cylinder motor for speedy inflation
Consider another if
- A plug-in powered pump is preferred
- Looking for a lower-cost electric pump
Bottom line
The Swonder Seawolf rechargeable SUP pump does not only make for an adequate battery-powered option, it exceeds the capability of most electric pumps on the market.
Electric paddleboard pump buying advice
When looking for an electric pump to blow up a SUP, one of the first questions people ask is: Why would you need to pay $100 or more when there are electric pumps available at most outdoor stores for cheap?
Low-cost air pumps are intended for inflating air mattresses or rafts and water floats. They only have a single stage of inflation for a high flow of air at a low pressure which may reach 1 or a few PSI. This is far short of the high pressure of 10 to 20 PSI needed for well-made inflatable paddleboards. This means you’d still have to pump up the board by hand with a barrel pump for the majority of the effort.
A proper electric SUP pump has a second stage, where the outflow of air switches to low flow at high pressure. This is what sets these pumps apart from a common outdoor-goods air pump. The best available can reach 15 to 20 PSI, requiring little if any extra effort with a hand pump—though you should generally keep one stored with your board incase a top off is needed or you have a power issue.
How we chose the best electric SUP pumps
We consider several factors when choosing the electric SUP pumps. From ensuring we judge the pump according to its intended purpose to making sure you’re actually able to buy it, here are the things we consider when picking the gear in each category:
- Purpose. Comparing apples to apples.
- Performance. How well does it do its job?
- Features. Sometimes we’re all about bells and whistles, sometimes not.
- Real-world testing. We put them to the test on the water.
- Price. Is it affordable for its class? Does its performance justify its cost?
- Sales. Best-selling models are best-sellers for a reason.
- Availability. It won’t be good if you can’t buy it.
- Designer and brand interviews. We ask the people who made it why.
Feature photo: Joe Potoczak
