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The foot and barrel pumps, and 12 volt & 110 volt
electric inflators below can be used for all types of rafts and inflatables.
We carry Bravo, Carlson, NRS, Mastercraft, K-Pump, EZ-Pump, Wonder,
and Dyna pumps. It's probably fair to say we carry more raft inflators
than any retailer on the planet, with more than twenty varieties. We have a new pressure gauge down at the bottom of this page that should provide what many boat owners have been wanting.
Later this season we'll be posting a couple new foot pumps, as soon as we need to re-order them from Italy. So far it's been very slow this year, and merchandise is not flying out the door the way we'd like, so we are not certain exactly when we will need to place the order. This page was updated April, 2008.
Foot & Top-Off
We carry six different foot pumps ranging from $19 to $99. The GeneOne
($19, at right) is set up for older style Halkey Roberts valves but it
can be used with any valve if you change the adaptor. It has a short throw
so it doesn't puff much air on each stroke, but it does "snap" back quickly
and is large cross-sectionally. Durability is so-so although it's better
than any other foot pump in this price range and certainly superior to
what you'll find at WalMart. 2 pounds.
The Bravo II ($31) is our most popular bellows pump with it's
six liter  volume
and set of 9 valve adaptors (Halkey adaptor is $3.50 extra). This and
the Bravo 10 below have held up well in our rental department, which is
saying a lot for a footpump. Most brands rarely last a full season. The
Bravo II weighs 3 pounds.
The Bravo I ($29) is a scaled down version of the Bravo II, rated
at five liters (it seems more like four). It's built with the same materials
- stainless bellows clamps, a 1000 denier pvc bellows, reinforced hose,
abs  bellow
plates, and non-rusting internal hinges & springs. This is a good
pump to take in your inflatable kayak with its' compact size and 2-pound
weight. Like the Bravo II above it has six adaptor cones, two tapered
nipple fittings, plus the primary fitting for nine possible valve sizes.
The Bravo Ten *Greenie ($65) is unique among footpumps because
it actually has a small bellows inside the main bellows. This small
center chamber, because of the leverage of the large bellows plates, can
actually pump out a stunning 8 to 10 p.s.i., something normal foot pumps
cannot even come close to. You use the main chamber to get the boat inflated
 most
of the way and then top it off with the mini-chamber. For most boats a
regular Bravo II is probably fine, but for those that can benefit (rather
than being damaged by) from an extra p.s.i. or two, like AIRE's and Grabners,
the Ten is a more stowable alternative to the Wonder pumps (down below).
This model is the absolute top-of-the-line among 17 foot pumps in Bravo's
line. Be warned though that all this beef comes at a price - the Greenie
is 4-1/2 pounds! It has even heavier hinges and hardware than the other
three Bravos and should last a private boater a very long time indeed.
Eventually the Greenie will disappear from this page because Scoprega, the manufacturer, dropped it from their line this year. We still have plenty of stock for now, and it will be replaced by a pump that's between the Greenie and the smaller Bravo 5 below in physical size.
Please note that although the little brochure under the Bravo Ten's shrinkwrap
shows a picture of air mattress tips, these do not come with the Greenie
Ten (since the factory probably reasoned no one would buy this beefy
a pump for that purpose), just the basic bravo 10 below. This means
that if you own an Innova or other boat requiring small tapered tips for
inflating seats, etc, this may not be a good choice. The other six valve
adaptor cones do come with it.
* There are actually two different Bravo Ten's made in Italy, and the
green-plated model has the added bonus of a heavy duty internal bellows,
silicon valve flappers, and extra-strong bellows compound. The green one
is far higher in wholesale price than the grey Standard Bravo 10
that everyone else carrys,
so if you happen to notice a Bravo 10 selling in the $55 range through
other dealers it's because you're not comparing apples to apples.
We also stock the standard grey Bravo 10 for $49,
but the internal top-off chamber in it is more prone to failure than our
Greenie because of it's lighter fabric, and when it fails it will start
leaking out the top-off port as you pump. If this happens, you don't have
to throw it away, but you will have to defeat the top-off port by plugging
it. This is best accomplished by silicon-sealing in the cap off a vitamin
bottle, or something of similiar shape, into the port.
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The Bravo Five ($48, at right) is a cross between the Bravo Ten
above, in that it has a top-off chamber, and the Bravo II in size. The
top-off feature works a bit differently in that you remove a plug to  activate
it, and it puffs far less air than the Bravo Ten's top-off port. That
said, this is an excellent choice for owners of smaller AIRE kayaks -
like the Force's - or owners of other small volume i.k's than can be inflated
to higher pressures like 3 to 4 p.s.i. These are pretty unique pumps and
as far as we know we are the only ones in the U.S. that carry them. Their
hose is a bit smaller in diameter than the other three Bravos we carry
but it is still wire-wound. The small "vacuum" fitting barely
visible in the photo at right near the bottom of the bellow plate (the
piece that is angled downward at a 5:00 angle) should be thrown away since
it fits poorly. No one sucks air out of their boat with a foot pump anyway
unless they have way too much free time. 4 pounds, full adaptor set.
 Our top-of-the-line foot pump is the Sierra,
which we've sold since 1985. At $115 it's no bargain, but for rafters who want
something reliable to pack along, they don't get any beefier than this
bad boy. 3/4" marine plywood bellow plates, 840 denier black hypalon bellows,
stainless hinges, super strong spa hose, and hinge bolts that penetrate all
the way through the plywood make this pump the toughest you can buy. At
five pounds it is pretty heavy, so it may not be the best one for inflatable kayakers wanting to stow a pump behind the seat. "Normal" footpumps, like this one, the Bravo I and II, and GeneOne above won't put out more than maybe 2.8 p.s.i., so if you want to get your Lynx really firm either a Bravo 5 or the EZ Pump below might be better.
Occasionally we see a footpump - usually a Bravo or something of similiar
or lesser grade - with a small hole in the front center of the bellows.
This is caused by the bellows getting pinched in the internal spring,
and it can be prevented by not stomping the bellows plates together hard.
If you do get a hole in the bellows of any foot pump though, a drop or
two of Aquaseal (see repair section) will seal it right up.Also, should your pump hose develop a crack near the middle (instead of at the end, where you can just cut off a few inches), a section of standard 3/4" i.d. garden hose works well as a replacement.
The other small pumps we carry are the barrel style double-action units,
the EZ pump, and the tiny hand held Top-Off pump.
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Wonder ($34 ) can achieve up to 10 p.s.i. and blows on both the
"down" and the "up" stroke. This type of small barrel pump will definitely
leave you more winded than a foot pump. The overall quality of both the
newer Taiwanese versions and the Italian models is far better than the
horrible Chinese ones found at the "big box" stores, and although
this is our "basic" unit it is still one of the higher grade
mini-barrels available. Two things can cause these to break or fail though.
The first is slamming the T-handle down hard at the end of the stroke,
which can snap it. The second is lack of lubrication on the inside of
the barrel, which causes the flanged piston washers to fold over and become
permanently creased. If you take care of them they can last a long
time, but we don't accept returns on Wonder pumps if the trouble is due
to one of the conditions mentioned above.
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The Bravo 6 Deluxe ($42, both this and the Wonder pump above look
the same though the barrel on the Deluxe is 1/2" larger in diameter),
from Italy, is the second from the top-of-the-line out of six models produced
by the factory, and it is several dollars more at wholesale and one step
up from the "Super Six" carried by just about every other retailer.
The top-line barrel pump is the Wonder Military below. This one has silicon
plunger washers, a stronger handle & shaft than the standard Wonder
pump, a reinforced hose, and like a few competing models you can convert
it to single-action (blowing only on the down stroke) by pulling the plug
on the barrel cap. Again, if you see other models selling for less than
this one it's because those other models are not equivalent to the Bravo
Deluxe but rather to the basic Wonder pump above - if that. Only one other
US dealer carries this model that we are aware of and they charge more
for it. This unit should not be confused with the "Super 6" sold by NRS - this one is almost half again as expensive at wholesale level as the Super 6.
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Our own little Top-Off ($29) is an extraordinarily heavy duty
mil-spec emergency pump. It is intended only for inflatable kayakers since
the miniscule air output would be useless on a big raft, and even then
 only
for on-river topping off - not for inflating the whole boat at put-in.
These are ideal for "packing small" since they measure 9" overall,
minus the detachable hose, and weigh a scant 1.5 pounds - less than any
f the footpumps above. The entire Top-off is held together with three
bicycle spokes and can be completely disassembled. The piston is a molded
neoprene unit which cannot dry out like a leather cup. Like any barrel-style
pump these must be lubed occasionally with silicon grease or something
similiar. This pump literally cannot fail. It will last any boater the
rest of their life. All of our remaining stock on these has been disassembled,
cleaned, and re-lubed so every one works perfect.
The metal hose tip (which can be screwed directly on to the pump body)
fits a military valve; and the high-profile Leafield valves. Halkey Roberts,
lo-pro Leafield, Innova, and Boston valves will require a little adapting
with some vinyl Tygon tubing. If you have a boat with Halkey valves, we
will set this pump up with a Halkey adaptor and substitute the black hose
for a piece of clear vinyl tubing. Actual barrel dimensions are 3" X 7".
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Whitewater Design's EZ Pump ($75) is another compact unit that travels easily
down the river in it's own water resistant bag (included), and is
an ideal size for inflatable kayakers. It measures 22" overall and the barrel is 2-7/8"
by  17".
This is an extremely beefy little high pressure inflator, and it weighs
in at 3 pounds. There is a webbing crown that holds the plunger in place,
and the tip is a tapered piece of tygon tube that fits most valves, including
military, Leafield, deep & shallow Halkey's, and generic Halkey Roberts
knock-offs. This and the two immediately above are all military specification units.
K-Pumps
We haven't posted a photos of our two K-Pumps yet, but the smaller model we carry (the K200)
looks very similiar to the EZ Pump above, stretched out 7" and without the handle harness. It has a more mushroom shaped plunger grip and is the same outside diameter
as the EZ, but about 1/8" larger on the inside. If you are looking for a mongo-heavy duty pump that you can
drop out of an airplane, the EZ Pump above is unsurpassed. For most folks
the K-Pumps are an excellent option though, especially for larger rafts and big inflatable canoes like the AIRE Traveler.
The model K200 has the most effortless action of any manual pump made. This is due in part to it having no check valve, with the reasoning that almost all modern inflatables already have one-way valves for air inflation. If you need one equipped with a check valve, it's no problem - just let us know. The K200 is just a bit over 2 pounds, measures 30", and both models come with a semi-waterproof stash bag like the EZ Pump.
The new K40 is a unique telescoping two-stage pump - sort of a pump within a pump. You can lock it into a lower volume top-off position, where only the smaller internal cylinder moves in and out. This cylinder is basically the small K100 model, which we don't carry, but it's sized like the EZ Pump above. The outer sleeve, or cylinder, is a higher volume/lower pressure unit that you begin with, locking out the smaller portion so only the big part moves. You can also unlock & pump with both stages if your arms are really long, but it's a bit awkward in this mode even for lanky people. The K40 is four pounds and measures 4" in diameter (4-1/2" at the end caps) and two feet long. We'll try to get a photo posted soon.
Each K-Pump has a two-year warranty
and an extra O-ring hidden inside the front end of the main body. They
also come with a soft-tip adaptor and a small tube of teflon lubricant.
Any barrel style pump should be re-lubed once per season, or more often
if your usage is heavy.
The K-Pump K200 is $89 and the K40 is $165.
We also carry the K100 (same size as the EZ Pump above, though one pound lighter in weight) at $75.
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Carlson Barrel
Available in both 4" and 6" diameters, Carlsons are pretty much
the industry standard. We've dabbled with building barrel pumps over the
years and the one problem that keeps plaguing us is shrinking piston O-rings.
The pumps work fine for a while, and then no air output. We had to keep
manually re-stretching the O-rings.
Bob Carlson is now using a new flat polyethylene washer for the piston
edge seal instead of an o-ring. Allegedly these will not require any grease
at all - or at least won't be harmed by the lack thereof - which is a
big benefit if water gets inside. Not only does the grease congeal, but
it necessitates cleaning & re-lubing the pump. The new flat washer
should do a much better job of expelling any water that does get inside
the pump body. Bob also uses a tool similiar to a large automobile cylinder
boring/ honing tool to polish the interior of the pvc tube, and to make
sure it is a perfect circle, which it almost never is from the factory.
These extra measures combined with large output valves insure that no
barrel pump takes less effort to use than a Carlson. These pumps have
a ten year warranty.
The 4" ($195) pumps half the volume on each stroke as the 6" ($229). If you own a raft or several boats and do not use an electric
pump, get the 6". If you do have an electric pump or only
own inflatable kayaks or a tiny raft, the 4" is far easier to top off
with.
Commercial outfitters set a bad example when they take large barrel pumps
along in their rafts on the river, and we don't advise anyone to do this
for three reasons. First off a Carlson-type barrel pump in a paddle raft
is a great way to injure someone because they're not exactly cushy when
you slam one with your face. Second, with the exception of the little
Wonder/double action pumps, they are not water tight. This means if you
use one wet you will blow water inside your boat. Water is not only difficult
to remove, it can also be highly damaging if you have an inflatable that
uses bare cloth seam tape on the interior. This type of seam tape will
mildew and then delaminate, leaving you with a very leaky raft. The third
problem is that the water will mix with & congeal the pump grease,
making it hard to operate. Foot pumps are a far better bet for the river
since you can stow them in a small drybag, or you can go with something
like the EZ- or K-Pumps above, which have their own small splash proof
stow bags.
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Electric
For 12 volt inflators, we carry the economical and compact Dyna
($19) which plugs into a cigarette lighter. If you want to run it off
the battery terminals you'll need to splice in two larger alligator clamps.
Please note this pump only puts out around 1/3 p.s.i. which is not enough
to fully inflate anything beyond a cheap vinyl toy boat. You will still
need a foot or barrel pump for topping off. We should also point out that
a Dyna does not have the pressure needed to open the springs on the one-way
check valves now found on most inflatables. You must leave these valves
open while using many electric pumps, then quickly and manually close
each valve with your index finger when you have reached the point where
no more air is going in. Essentially Dyna's use tiny slot-car motors and
look cheaply made, but they do hold up very well, their output is quite
good, and they have a two year manufacturers' warranty which
is unheard for an electric pump (with the exception of the new
Dyna 110 volt unit below!). They should not be run for more than 5 -6
minutes, which is enough time to blow up one fourteen footer or at least
the main tubes of a sixteen foot raft. If you send one back to the manufacturer
that has been badly overheated don't expect them to cover it.
Our feeling about 12 volt pumps is that there really are no great
ones, but at the price Dynas are not much of a gamble. You can spend $109
on a British made LVM, and if you're a busy boater you will be lucky to
get one season out of it. LVM's were designed to be used in an emergency
on the dinghy of your sinking yacht. They weren't made to be used
over and over again despite being in every whitewater catalog published.
Metro makes a fairly reliable 12 volt but it runs about $65 and puts out
very little air. And there are lots of others, all with various problems
and price ranges, but we feel the Dyna offers by far the best value at
nineteen bucks.
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The Bravo 12 high-pressure 12-volt ($109) is for inflatable inflatable
boats owners who 
want one electric pump that can do it all. Since the Bravo 12 goes up
to 4.3 p.s.i. with variable pressure output, it has more than enough for
any inflatable on the market with the exception of some of the high-pressure
Zodiac (inflatable) floors. Since this was a new item for us in 2005,
we do not have a lengthy track record on them. We do know that the piston
diaphragm inside the orange top can go bad, because we've had a number
of calls for them (we're not stocking this part yet, but we may be able
to point you in the right direction if you call us). We import them direct
from Italy along with many other pumps on this page, and like any electric
they will get hot if you run them too long, or use extension cables or
hook to remote battery jumper points that are connected to your car's
battery terminals by light gauge cord. There is a one year warranty but
if you've overheated the unit (and we can tell by dissecting the pump)
you're out of luck. Except for the Mastercraft below no electric
unit should be run more than 10 to 12 minutes, and many manufacturers
suggest no more than five. Please read the cautions below under the Bravo
BST text.
A 3' hose and fitting assortment comes with the Bravo 12. The hose is
a piece of junk and should be replaced immediately with a length of garden
hose or something similiar. One other negative you want to be aware of
is that this pump has a pretty low output in terms of air volume,
and it is actually quite a bit slower than our cheap little Dyna inflator
above. If you have a large raft or marine inflatable over 12 or 13 feet,
do yourself a favor and get a Dyna as well to save yourself some time.
This will work best if you leave you boat's valves in the "open"
position. It will inflate faster and overheat less.
New - the Bravo BST
Note: as of this update we are out of the BST's. We are leaving the text here for now since we will be ordering from the manufacturer in Italy later this year. We will update this section when they are back in stock again and when we know what the 2008/2009 pricing will be. .
This pumper-upper is a combination unit that uses two different internal
mechanisms to inflate your boat to full pressure. We only brought in a
very small number from Italy last Fall (2005), and they won't last until
our next order. Like the regular Bravo 12 above, it utilizes a piston
assembly to bring your boats to higher pressures up to 4.3 p.s.i., but
before it switches to the piston mode, it uses a turbine that is three
times faster than the piston (450 liters per minute- but don't ask us
what that is in cubic feet!) to bring your boat 90% of the way up. It
switches over to piston mode automatically when the pressure exceeds what
the turbine can achieve, and shuts off by itself when you hit the pressure
that you've dialed in via the adjustment knob.
This one comes with a better hose than the Bravo 12 and a nice padded
carrying case that resembles a small soft cooler. If you buy one, we must
insist that you do something most of us usually don't - read the owner's
manual! It talks about several possible ways you can wreck your nice new
pump, so you need to avoid these. Some highlights are as follows:
1) Leave your car running to get the full amperage from your electical
system.
2) Connect directly to the battery if possible, not to the "idiot
proof" separate charging posts that car manufacturers seem intent
on safeguarding us with.
3) Never try to extend the pump's cables.
4) Leave your valves in the open position so the BST isn't fighting the
back pressure of the valve's spring.
Please note that except for the Bravo 12's above, we do not accept
returns on electric inflators; these items must be returned to the manufacturers
for warranty issues. Overheated Bravo's will not be replaced !
If you want something for home use, or are lucky enough to have electricity
where you boat, then a 110 volt inflator may be an option. The
industry standard is still the "Big Red" below, and we have
a great new compact, low-cost, high quality inflator from Interdynamics.
 The
Big Red Mastercraft ($209) is likely familiar to most boaters.
The long term reliability of these pumps is nothing short of stunning.
We have dropped these from six feet in our store and had merely to dissasemble
the unit partway (quite easy actually) and bend out part of the outer
casing to get it back to perfect order.Our oldest Mastercraft is going
on 20 years and still running strong, and we use the dickens out of it.
The Big Red's put out about 60 cubic feet of air per minute at 1.75 p.s.i.
(which is a bit less than the specs say but a realistic figure based on
our own tests). They draw 8.5 amps which means they will pull far too
much current to try to use through a standard automobile 12-to-110 converter.
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Last but not least is the Gusto 110 Volt inflator. Again,
we know not everyone has access to an outlet or converter, but if you do this unit is the best value for private boaters who won't be running their inflator for hours on end. It only has about 75 to 80% the cubic foot per minute output of the Big Red Mastercraft above, but it has higher output pressure. The Big Red's are generally listed as having 1.7 to 2 p.s.i., but in fact due to leakage around the halves of the casing and the handle, they rarely put out much over 1.5. The Gusto is usually shown as having about the same (1.8 p.s.i.), but they really have a biit over 2 p.s.i. - enough that you really don't need to top off much, if any.
This pump is imported rather than U.S. made like the Big Red, which is why the price is only 50% of that one. Although our personal experience with many electrical items
from China has not been good, the Gusto's have been around over two years now and are actually holding up well. We could wish for a longer warranty, but on electric inflators one year is quite respectable. As the years go on we will know more about the usable lifespan of the Gusto, but for now they seem to be well worth the money.
 Gustos have a 25' powr cord like the Big Red, and a nice 7' hose that is of good quality. There is an alleged multi-adaptor that works well for most valves, but not every one. It is somewhat difficult to push this adaptor into the Gusto's hose, and it is something better done at home rather than out in the field.
Please note that wimpy "350 watt" Walmart type 12-to-110 volt converters will either blow a fuse or burn out completely if you try to power a Gusto or Mastercraft with one. You need an RV grade converter that has high amperage output. The Gusto will draw about 900 watts through a 12 volt converter system, and over 1000 watts when you first turn it on. One year warranty. $109
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NEW! Kwik-Check Gauge
This dial gauge comes from the folks at K-pump and is the one we and our customers have been waiting for. It fits Leafield, Innova, most Halkey Roberts (and Halkey knock-off), Summit II, and also most military valves. It does not work very well with Summit I valves, which were used on the early vintage AIRE Tributary Tomcat kayaks. 
It is quite accurate though slightly hard to read due to a smallish face and narrow deliniations between the p.s.i. range (it goes up to 15 psi). It was made to go to 15 p.s.i. because some zodiac style marine inflatables use a high pressure inflatable floor. For most river runners a gauge that only went to 5 or 6 p.s.i. would be useful and more readable, but nonetheless this is the best game in town by far. One year warranty, $35
Why don't we carry the Leafield pressure gauge?
Despite the high quality of the valves from this English manufacturer, their gauge leaves a great deal to be desired. It looks good, much like a more padded version of the Kwik-check above. In fact, the heat-fin-like rubber padding is to keep the Leafield gauge from getting it's accuracy knocked off in a fall. Problem is, this gauge comes way off in accuracy right from the box. Most that we checked in our San Jose store before we moved (where we had about two dozen inflatables on display) were reading low. In many cases they were off by 2/3, reading something like 2.2 p.s.i. when the boat we were checking had more like 3.3 to 3.5 p.s.i.. This is far enough off the mark to make the Leafield gauge not only useless, but downright dangerous. And when they do fall onto a hard surface, despite the nice padding, they become even more inaccurate. We've heard of them reading too high as well, but all the ones we tried read too low. The best of them were off by a mere 20 to 25%. There's no reason to pay an extra $10 for the Leafield gauge when the Kwik-check above works so much better.
Nanometer Pressure Gauge
If you only own a standard footpump (one that does not have a top-off chamber)
you need not be concerned about overinflating your boat,  unless
it's an unreinforced vinyl one, so don't waste your money on this gauge.
The Nanometer was designed to work with the hoses and adaptor tips that come with Bravo brand pumps because this gauge is made at the same factory. The Nanometer
is utilized by putting it between the end of the pump hose and valve &
watching the pressure as you pump. In other words, what it really measures
is the force that the pump needs to counteract the pressure already in
the air chamber. There is no detent to hold open a poppet on a Halkey
or Leafield valve, so if you want a stand-alone guage that measures off
your valves directly, we can special order you a Leafield pressure
guage for $45.
Many other pumps, including 4" Carlsons, various wonder/double-action style models, our own "Top-off" mini pump, K-Pumps, EZ Pumps, as well as
Bravo 5's and Bravo 10's, are easily capable of overinflating your boat. But if you plan on trying to use this gauge with a non-Bravo brand unit please understand it will require some adapting and mickey-mousing in order to fit properly, and this is something you will have to do for yourself. With a Bravo pump, you put the "primary" hose tip into the hole in the Nanometer, and whichever Bravo adaptor sleeve you would normally use over the Nanometer's tip (the lower right part in the photo).
Bear in mind an boat inflated properly to the 2 or 3 p.s.i. range can quickly soar to 8 p.s.i. sitting in
the sun on a warm day. Since the Nanometer does not measure directly off the valve, it will not help you determine if the boat's pressure is rising beyond a safe level. And in our experience, the Leafield gauge mentioned above is so inaccurate that it may not be of much help either. The Nanometer runs $19
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101 Brookside Place,
