I didn't time it, but the manufacturer claims 8 minutes with a foot pump, which sounds about right. Maybe even a little less. That's including switching from one chamber to the next, screwing and unscrewing the caps, etc. If you have an electric pump, you could probably do it in 3-5 minutes. The foot pump is surprisingly large (about the size of a dinner plate) so each pump pushes quite a bit of air through. The biggest pain in the butt is when you first get the boat, you have to put the caps on. The plastic rings to keep them from falling out when unscrewed really have to be stretched. But once you've done that once, you shouldn't have to worry about it again.