I gave up on pumps and bail as fast or faster with a Nalgene and a sponge. I do kind of covet the pump in the pedestal along with a 12 volt battery! I suppose I could rig something similar in an non-pedestal (I have one boat with a pedestal but don't use it much, it's full of floatation so can't actually take on very much water).
I always carry two paddles, I took a piece of junk paddle as a third on one trip, seemed somewhat pointless, I really can't imagine ever losing/breaking two paddles on one trip no matter how long.
That said, maybe they can find some dealers and sucker a few newbie into buying something that looks less desirable (as a paddle) than the basic $40 Carlisle.