Belly Pod for Patrol

[milehighpeter]

This question may have come up in the past but being new I want to ask if anyone has put a Belly Pod (Cargo) on their Patrol? Also, is there a speed reduction when putting on VG's?

[milehighpeter]

I guess no one has [put a Belly Pod on a Bearhawk. I have one on my Super Cub and it sure hold a lot!

[m.mooney]

I’ve been looking into putting one on my Patrol. It’s certainly not going to be plug and play easy, as in using a cub or husky pod. There have been discussions here regarding a pod on the 4 place and it is generally accepted that it might not be worth it for them, based on CG, loading, etc.. The landing gear shock strut attach points move the pod further aft than ideal. Personally, I feel like the large increase in cargo volume outweighs this perceived loading limitation, at least on the Patrol. I definitely run out of room when camping for a couple of days with two of us. Maybe I should switch to whiskey, beer takes up a lot of room. Anyway, I’ve got a friend who builds these things and he seems to think it’s a viable option but it will definitely be custom and not cheap. Unfortunately, he’s maxed out busy and said it would be a long time before he can give it a go. If I can get this done, I’ll certainly fill you in.
Cheers, Mike

[Bcone1381]

If you want to fabricate one yourself, google "skin on frame kayak" or "Skin on frame canoe"  Wood stringers are lashed to bulkheads.  I would think stringers that are lashed around four bulkheads could form the shape/frame.

[milehighpeter]

Thanks for all the info.