[Paddlewise] Foot Pumps

Dear List,

I've been very interested in the recent discussions about foot pumps
including their advantages and disadvantages (thanks to all who posted).
One criticism was that foot pumps have a relatively low discharge rate,
especially compared to the typical hand pump.

It seems to me that the discharge of a pump is influenced by the pump size
and stroke length.  I expect that relatively large pumps can find a home in
most cockpits, so the problem must have to do with stroke.

Certainly, the typical hand pump has a long stroke that would be hard to
duplicate with your foot travel.  Is this then the limitation?  Could a
foot pump be made to have a higher volumetric output by having some sort of
linkage that would amplify the stroke that could be accomplished by foot
motion?

Any opinions??

Bill Leonhardt
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