Features of the Outdoor Master Cachalot Electric Pump

The Cachalot is in the middle of the Outdoor Master range between the popular Shark 2 and compact Dolphin. The Shark 2 is designed with active cooling and can inflate a lot of boards in a row. The Dolphin is small, compact and inexpensive, and on the slow side. Many people don’t need the ability to inflate 3 or more paddle boards in a row. A couple may only need 2 boards. That is where the Cachalot comes in. It has all the speed and power of the Shark 2 but without the active cooling so it can only inflate 2 boards in a row.

What is a Cachalot?

I will admit I had no idea what a Cachalot until having a conversation with a guy from Outdoor Master while writing this review. Cachalot is another name for a Sperm Whale. Now that you know that you can see the pump is trying to be shaped like a whale. It is not “Catch A Lot” I was thinking they were going after a rectangular crab pot that catches a lot. I was way off on that guess.

Price

The Outdoor Master Cachalot Pump retails for below $100 on the Outdoor Master website. You can get it for 10% off with our discount code OMBLOG20. It also sells on Amazon.

Max Pressure

The Cachalot can inflate paddleboards up to 20 PSI. This is enough for almost every paddleboard made. Most inflatable SUPs are designed for 15 to 18 PSI pressure.

Inflate up 2 boards

The Cachalot does not have an internal cooling fan like the Shark 2 and Whale. It is good for inflating a maximum of 2 boards in a row. According to the manual it needs to cool down for 10 minutes after running for 30 minutes. You might be able to squeak 3 in if they are smaller boards and it isn’t a really hot day.

Size and weight

The Cachalot measures in at 14.17 x 7.17 x 7.13 and weighs 4 lbs. It has a rectangular shape. As we found out above. This pump is trying to imitate the shape of a Whale. The pump does seem large for a basic 2 stage pump. My thoughts are that they went larger so that the pump can dissipate heat faster than it would with a more compact size and shape.

Digital display

The pump has a very easy to use interface with a digital pressure gauge. It’s easy to read in any light condition from bright sunlight to after dark. It shows both the target pressure and current pressure at the same time. It can display both PSI and Bar. It can inflate up to 20 PSI in 0.5 PSI increments. To use you set the Pressure with the +/- buttons and hit the power and let it go. It automatically shuts off when it reaches the desired pressure.

Fast inflation and deflation

It pumps fast thanks to a 2 stage pump. It has both a high volume pump and a high pressure pump. It automatically switches around 1.3 psi into the high pressure stage.

The pump is quiet during the low pressure stage. It gets louder during the high pressure stage which is most of the inflation time. Every paddleboard pump we have tried has been equally loud once they go into the high pressure mode.

The pump has a deflation function as well as inflation. Move the hose to the deflate nozzle and it will suck the air out of your board.

12 volt power cord

This pump runs off of a 12 volt power source such as the 12 volt outlet in your car. The cord is 10 feet long so you can easily reach the board from your car.

Inflation valves

It comes with a variety of valves that cover almost every paddleboard made. This includes an H3/Halkey-Roberts, Pinch, Boston, 805, and C7 valve. It also includes a few different thickness gaskets to make all these adapters work. A new feature of the Shark 2 is that the adapters are connected to the end of the inflation hose instead of in a separate bag. This way you don’t need to keep track of a little bag of parts with the pump.

You can use this electric air pump on more than just inflatable paddleboards and kayaks. It can be used for almost any inflatable boat, inflatable watercraft, towing tube, inflatable dinghy, or other high pressure inflatables.

How well does it work

This is one of the best paddleboard accessories you can get. I have been extremely pleased with the performance of all the Outdoor Master pumps we have tried so far. They have all worked reliably from the start. None have had any issues where they only work with certain power supplies or they don’t worth with certain brands H3 valves. I can’t say this for every brand of pump we have tried. The Cachalot continues this trend. It does everything that Outdoor Master says it will do.

Inflation times

Inflation times almost as fast as hand pumping. I have tried out the Shark 2 on a variety of boards now.

• 10’6″ x 32″ All Around Board – 14 psi – 7 minutes 51 seconds
• 12’6″ x 30″ Touring Board – 15 psi – 9 minutes 23 seconds
• 12’6″ x 30″ Touring Board – 20 psi – 13 minutes 49 second

The Cachalot is about a minute faster than our Shark inflating the 10’6″ All Around board. It was slightly slower getting to 20 psi. Overall it’s about average for an electric paddle board pump.

As with all electric pumps. You can inflate faster by hand. It’s sure nice being able to relax and do other things instead of wearing yourself out pumping before you even get on the water.

Below is a table of the time it takes all the pumps we tested to inflate a 10’6″ All Around Board and a 12’6″ Touring Board

What we liked about the Chachalot

The pump is very straight forward and easy to use. It comes with instructions but most people could figure it out without them. After plugging it in, you press the +/- buttons to set the target pressure. After this, you push the power button to start it. Then it pumps until the desired psi is achieved and it stops. Nothing to it. It handles switching from low to high pressure on its own.

It can inflate 2 boards in a row. We pumped up our 10’6″ board immediately after inflating our 12’6″ touring board to 20 psi. It did both without skipping a beat and didn’t feel overly warm. I have zero concerns that it will have issues inflating 2 boards in a row on hot days.

Deflating with the pump worked very well. You have to unscrew the hose and screw it into the deflate port. Turn it on and let it suck the air out. This made deflating quick and easy compared to sucking out air with a hand pump or rolling the board to squeeze the air out. You will notice a change of tone when the pressure hits zero and you start sucking a vacuum into your SUP. Turn off the pump and disconnect the hose at that point.

What could be improved about the Cachalot

The inflate and deflate labeling on the pump are hard to read. I almost need to remove my glasses and hold the pump up to my face to read them. I’m sure I will remember which is which after a while. It wouldn’t hurt if they mold the labels in a little more pronounced way. This is my biggest irritation with this pump and it’s not really much of a problem.

The pump does not come with a carrying or storage bag or have built in cord storage. Some other pumps such as the Nixy Ventus and iRocker pump have built in places to store the 12 volt cord. This helps reduce the clutter at home and in your car a lot. This is a feature any new pump design should include. A carrying bag is nice for having a way to keep the air hose organized.

The pump is on the large size – The Cachalot is not one of the more compact electric paddle board pumps out there. It is similar in overall size and weight to the Shark even though it doesn’t have the active cooling inside of it. The iRocker pump which is the fastest pump we have tried is a similar design 2 stage pump and it’s several inches smaller in every dimension.

OutdoorMaster Discount Code

Use the Coupon Code OMBLOG20 for 10% off at OutdoorMaster.com. Check Amazon Price.

Verdict

The Cachalot is a great pump for anyone who only needs to inflate 1 or 2 boards in a row. It has all the speed and reliability that Outdoor Master pumps are known for. If you want a fast, easy to use electric paddleboard pump, check out the Outdoor Master Cachalot.