Kayak and Canoe Inspection Checklist
Find the leak, the loose fitting and the frayed deck line ashore, not out on the water. Each part gets a tick and a note of where the damage is, so the list of repairs writes itself.
OP-11 1 page
Outdoor pursuits · OP-12
Inflatable Paddleboard and Kayak Pressure Test Record
A free printable inflatable SUP and kayak pressure test record: hold tests with the readings at each end, valve, seam and fin box checks, and every leak repaired.
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2 pages. Choose your paper size — both versions are laid out identically, so neither one gets shrunk to fit.
Print it and write on it
Fill it in type and save
The fillable versions have real form fields — open them in any PDF reader, type into them and save. Printing help.
What this sheet is for
Trace a slow leak to a valve, a seam or a chamber, with the readings to show it. The condition checks catch a cracked fin box or a frayed leash at the same time.
Who it is for
Owners of inflatable paddleboards and kayaks, and clubs or hire centres with a fleet of them.
How to use it
- Copy each craft's make, serial and maximum pressure from its label onto page one.
- Pump up to the printed pressure, note the reading and the time, leave it, then read it again on the same gauge.
- Note where it stood, because sun and cold move the gauge on their own.
- If it dropped, soap-test the valve and seams and write where the bubbles came from.
- Record each repair, and retest before the craft goes back on the water.
What is on the sheet
2 pages, in this order:
Page 1
Printed under the title: Each inflatable board or kayak listed once, then every hold test: the pressure and time when it was pumped up and when it was read again, where it stood, and whether it held. Page two is the leak hunt and the repairs.
The pressure printed on the craft is the limit. No pressures or hold times are printed. Pump to the maximum printed on the craft or next to the valve, never above it, and leave it for as long as the maker suggests. Test it in the shade if you can: sun and cold move the gauge on their own, so note where it stood before blaming a leak.
Write-on lines: Owner or club · Gauge used · Units (psi or bar)
Craft — copied from the label on each craft
Table, 3 rows: No. · Make & model · Type · Serial · Max pressure · Chambers · Valve type · Bought
Hold tests — pumped up, left, then read again on the same gauge
Also printed: Pumped up · Read again
Table, 6 rows: Date · Craft · Chamber · Pressure · Time · Pressure · Time · Drop · Where it stood · Held? · Next step
Page 2
Condition checks — a column per check; write the craft and the date at the top
Also printed: Check · Craft no. · Date · Air · Valve clean, seated and done up tight · Valve cap and its seal in place · Soap test: no bubbles (write where if any) · Seams and rail tape: no lifting or peeling · Fins, deck and fittings · Fin box: no cracks, fin locks in · Fins: not chipped, bent or warped · Deck pad and handles: not lifting · D-rings and bungees fixed and sound · Leash, pump and kit · Leash: cord, cuff and swivel sound · Pump: hose, seals and gauge working · Paddle: shaft, blade and clamp · Kayak seats and footrests clip in
Leaks found and repairs
Table, 4 rows: Date · Craft · Where · Found by · Repair done · Holds now? · By
Questions
Why is no pressure or hold time printed?
The maximum pressure is printed on each craft and differs between makes, and the maker says how long it should hold. A figure on this sheet could be too high for your board, so copy yours from the label and the instructions.
Why note where the craft stood?
Air pressure changes with temperature, so a board pumped up in the shade and read in the sun, or left out overnight, can read differently without any leak. Testing in the same place, out of the sun, keeps the readings comparable.
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