How to Build your own FLOATS for Experimental Aircraft 

Well, there are aluminum-made floats that have been in service for decades. If they leak, you pump out the chamber(s), or you remove the rivet and reseal a new one into place. As for composites being easier/cheaper, I suppose they might be. But fabricating aluminum parts that are then riveted together is a tried-and-true method that has been employed for 75+ years now, so there is that.

@@embededfabrication4482 fibreglass boats are very heavy compared to aluminum

@@77Avadon77 Fiber glass is heavy as Sh!t compared to Aluminium. Carbon fibre is not cheaper. Its also ALOT more work. You need a mould. You need to vacuum bag it whcih requires breather mesh, the vacuum bag film, mould relase films, it never releases as easily as you may think etc. Its a lot more complex. You can put these together in a day if you know what your doing.

No. They wouldn't be worth having anyway. I bought the CH 750 plans and they are horrible.

@@TimDonk Can you share it here?

DVD and info here: www.homebuilthelp.com/Floats.htm Only shows construction - no rigging to plane

@@HomebuiltHELP i must buy it via paypall

How cheap is your plane? 😝

@@77Avadon77 scratch build, loosely based on an affirdaplane.

It's stronger than you think. Sure, you could put heavier skin on it...040...060? But now you might end up with a float that's too heavy. There is a compromise that needs to be made between weight and strength, especially with lighter planes.

Not up to the personal challenge ???

@@faainspector9699 Personal challenge my fat sorry stinky and crippled ass! I was taught to work smarter not necessarily harder! The old rule about measure twice and cut once is a paradigm to be used! Repetitive actions indicate a not so well thought out model: I know people who prefer to use a shovel, when a backhoe is available. I know people who prefer to use a hammer to nail nails, instead of a Pneumatic nailer. That choice is their business, as is mine to choose the pneumatic nailer and the backhoe! I prefer to work smarter not hard headed and stupid! Should that make me in your estimation to not be up to the task, hey think whatever you want, I'll have my projects done properly, they will be well made, and with that extra time that I have on my hands, I'll pour myself a glass of quality French cognac or Spanish Brandy, sit down and appreciate the quality of the work that I have just completed! Cheers from an old man who has actually taken the time to learn from others along the way.

You have totally missed the point,this is about building your own airplane with your very own hands in the knowledge that everything has been done correctly,floats have been built this way for years and many early examples are still in service.

Lotus floats are about $30k. These are About $6k

@@gusbisbal9803 Difference noted. Have you calculated the time/labour costs involved, at real world rates? The Lotus floats are warranted I presume, the home made ones I doubt are. There is also the possibility of good used floats as well. I'm all for saving money whenever possible and still get the job/performance I need/want, but just as in the case of Rotax, I'll be buying an Aeromomentum engine and spend HALF as much as I would on Rotax and when TBO time comes around, it'll cost me about HALF of the cost of rebuilding a Rotax. I understand your point, but the building design MUST be simplified better than in its current paradigm. Cheers from the Oil Patch in Central WY