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  • Floats

    Does anyone know if there is a Bearhawk flying with amphibs? Looking hard at Clamar or Montana but would really like more info. It sounded like the yellow one that was on a thread here last month is not currently flying? Thanks
    Matt

  • #2
    The ones I know of — other than the one you mentioned — are on straight floats. I’d like to see one on amphibs in operation.
    Christopher Owens
    Bearhawk 4-Place Scratch Built, Plans 991
    Bearhawk Patrol Scratch Built, Plans P313
    Germantown, Wisconsin, USA

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    • #3
      Clamar makes a very nice float and the owner is very responsive. He has mounted the floats on 3 of the 4 Bearhawks flying with floats. So he knows the plane. Mark

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      • #4
        So we took the plunge and ordered Clamar 2500 amphibs. Now the issue is mounting them here in Brazil. My question is: I can mount them at the hangar where it is based; however it is 1200 feet with obstacles at both ends. Ok for wheels, but not going to do a first TO with amphib floats out of there. My options are to mount it completely on the floats, then put it back on wheels and fly it to another larger airport and quickly re-mount the floats (I can't do large projects at the big airport). However, the other idea I had today was to take the wings off, haul the plane to our water hangar and mount it all there. That is our main base with all the tools, hardware, etc (and only 2 minutes from my house!). How difficult is it to remove the wings and would it be better to do my first TO / Landing with an amphib on water or land? I've got about 150 hours in the Bearhawk (land) and do multiple flights a week in our Murphy Rebel on floats so I think I'm comfortable on floats, just have never flown an amphib aircraft before.

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        • #5
          Just stay light and giver off your 1500’. Your not going to have any issue

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          • #6
            Zenair floats look pretty good too! I'm thinking about building these for my Bearhawk. I still have a few years to decide though.

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            • #7
              Originally posted by SteveF View Post
              Zenair floats look pretty good too! I'm thinking about building these for my Bearhawk. I still have a few years to decide though.
              Would they be big enough? Are you thinking LSA?

              My understanding is putting a 2500lb plane on 2500 floats results in an unusable float plane.

              Float displacement vs aircraft weight is a very crucial comparison. As a general rule, if you have a choice and there is not a huge weight penalty go with a displacement a lot larger than your gross weight; not the same and never smaller.
              Last edited by Battson; 03-28-2018, 11:01 PM.

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              • #8
                Originally posted by Battson View Post

                Would they be big enough? Are you thinking LSA?

                My understanding is putting a 2500lb plane on 2500 floats results in an unusable float plane.
                Good to know. I'll have to research it. I've got several years before I get to that point. Planning to build a B-model 4-place.
                Just looked at the Bearhawk gross weight numbers and it is 2700 lbs on floats, 2500 lbs on wheels. Hmmmm...maybe EDO 2870 would be a better candidate? Those are just straight floats though.
                Baumann 2750 maybe?
                Last edited by SteveF; 03-28-2018, 11:49 PM.

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                • #9
                  Clamar in Ontario has experience installing its composite floats on 4 place Bearhawks. Mark

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                  • SteveF
                    SteveF commented
                    Editing a comment
                    I looked at Clamar floats. They have the 2500, which might be underfloated for the 4-place BH, and the 3500. No prices anywhere which usually means really really expensive. My rule of thumb is, "if you have to ask how much, you probably can't afford it".

                  • Chris In Milwaukee
                    Chris In Milwaukee commented
                    Editing a comment
                    The Clamar 2500s are the right size for the Bearhawk. They’re in the US $33-35K range. When I talked to Clare about the 3500s, well, I had to retrain myself how to breath. They’re close to US$55K.

                • #10
                  So here's a question which may or may not have been answered before - if the 4-place is certified for 2700lb on floats (presumably to allow for all the extra weight and structure), why can it not be certified for the same weight on wheels? Is the G more limited on floats?

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                  • #11
                    The support structure of floats is stronger than the wheeled landing gear. On wheels, takeoff weight can be 2700 lbs, but landing weight must be 2500 lbs or less. The story is that the landing gear is a sacrificial structure that will give way before the attach points and related. It's such that the gear will take the brunt of the damage, minimizing damage to the rest of the airframe. When on floats, that sacrificial structure is gone.
                    Christopher Owens
                    Bearhawk 4-Place Scratch Built, Plans 991
                    Bearhawk Patrol Scratch Built, Plans P313
                    Germantown, Wisconsin, USA

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                    • PaulSA
                      PaulSA commented
                      Editing a comment
                      That makes sense. Is it written somewhere that the max TO weight is 2700lb on wheels? I am building in a jurisdiction which doesn't allow "discretionary" declaration of weights. In other words, in the US, as the aircraft manufacturer, you could use the logic above to declare those weights - I can't.....

                  • #12
                    In flight, floats generate enough lift for themselves plus some. On landing, most of the added weight of the floats is already on the water so for at least 200 lbs of your 2700 lbs gross weight, the load is not traveling through the aircraft's structure.

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                    • #13

                      Montana 2800 series looks like it might work well, and they sell them as a kit too! They have amphibian and straight floats. I don't have any data on how well they perform relative to EDO, Clamar, PK, Baumann, Wipline, Aerocet, Aqua, etc.

                      2800 Series Amphib Floats - aircraft floats feature 7 watertight compartments | Murphy Yukon, Dream Tundra, Bearhawk, aircraft to 3000 lbs. gross weight 

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                      • #14
                        Aqua's are very well thought of by Maule pilots, they are very well built, less likely to sustain damage which is one of the complaints I hear about Buamann, and unlike EDO they have flat tops. They use a different numbering convention which I can't remember the details of but Aqua 2400s are more than adequate for a Bearhawk. That was what I had planned on using when I was still in Alaska.

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                        • #15
                          Pulled the trigger on Clamar amphibs. Will have over $50,000 spent by the time they get to Brazil. But, you can't import used products here so they had to be new and we decided amphibs were a necessity for what we want to do. Had a pilot / AP friend go up and look them over before shipment and he said they were a "work of art", too nice to be banging them around here in the Amazon. Should arrive in about 6 weeks.
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