JC

Gents,

I have been flying RC for about 5 yrs. (land based) and I would like to try flying off the water. The plane I want to use is my faithful 4* 60, powered buy a tower 75. The floats I have been looking at are the Sig Smooth Floats that are made for the Rascal. Tower sells them for $99.00. They are 41" long and will take up to a 10.5 lb plane but they are made for a 40 size plane. These floats look like they should work on the 4* 60 or is there something I am missing? Will these floats work on my 7.5 lb. 4* 60?

JC

jrf

My Feedback: (551)

Yes, they definately will. The most important consideration for float size is the weight of the airplane. Second is the length of the floats. Engine size has nothing to do with it.

At 41 inches long and over 2 pounds, those are big floats. They will float your 4 * like a cork.

The only obvious deviation from good float design that I see there is the water rudders. Water rudders are used only for taxiing. They should not be in the water on the take-off run. It looks like those will be. You are going to have to avoid any rudder input during take-off, or the airplane will swerve. (Or leave the water rudders off and learn to steer on the water with the air rudder. The 4 * does that well.)

Jim

JimCasey

My Feedback: (1)

Yep, you'll have a ball with it. JRF is right about the water rudder...you don't want it in the water except when you are in"displacement"(Slow taxi) mode. My personally engraved granite slab says "If your motor is running you can taxi a seaplane with the flight controls, and if your motor is not running a water rudder won't help you anyway" A water rudder that sticks down into the water at high speed will either make you too twitchy or too slow. Either make it where it protudes no more than a half-inch deeper than the bottom of the transom, or get the ones that kick up.

There are other more economical choices for floats that work as well as Sig Smooth Floats: There have been many postings in the forum listing the sources for foam-core floats. These are efficient and unsinkable at half the cost of the Sig floats. Ralph Smith is a peach of a guy and he makes wonderful floats...He posts as "Seaplane". I like to make floats, too, but it's such a PITA to ship them....It takes me longer to crate them properly than it does to cut the cores.

JC

Thanks Jim and Jim for the inputs on the Sig Smooth floats. I did some searching and found 3D kit's Foam Floats on the Horizon web page. It looks like you can mount the water rudder of your choice with these and the #40s are only $51.95, as opposed to $99.00 for the Sig's. But I think the price will probably be about the same after adding the hardware and rudder.

JC

SKYPILOT

My Feedback: (9)

My Father flys a 4-60 on floats !!

His is fitted with GP kit built floats, i beleive their the 40-41" ones........their also heavy, but they float the plane like a cork, and the plane goes straight as a string under power, and lifts off in about 50' or so, and he loves it.

His is powered by an old and kinda weak OS-61, with a 12x6 APC, and though it does'nt have steller vertical performance, it still flys great, and is very docile at all times

jrf

My Feedback: (551)

JC:

The 3D Kits floats are just the foam core. You will need to sheet them with balsa or fiberglass them. Also, they are flat bottom instead of V-bottom. Flat bottoms have more lift on the water, but they don't tract well and they tend to bounce on landing. V-bottoms track better, have a softer ride and are a better choice for most models, under most conditions.

The Ralph Smith floats are excellent (pre-sheeted foam floats) or look up Falcon floats at www.falcon-trading.com (the best RTF floats).

Jim

JC

JRF

Thanks for that info on the flat bottoms on the Foam Floats. I was also considering the Falcon floats, but I think the 33" length is too short for a 4* 60. I need something around 40". I keep going back to the Sig Smooth Floats but there seems to be an issue with the rudder. Now I'm really confused.

JC

jrf

My Feedback: (551)

You are carefully ignoring the obvious answer. Ralph Smith's "Plane Fun Floats". http://www.geocities.com/planefunfloats/

Well, OK whatever. Just get the Sig Smooth Floats and leave the rudders off. I'm sure someone in your area can show you how to steer on the water without water rudders. (Full up, full rudder and short bursts of throttle.) Low wing float planes steer just fine this way. High wings have a bit more trouble.


Jim

JC

Gents,

Thanks for all your inputs about the float selection, it just took me awhile to make a final decision based on the fact that I didn't know ship from shinola about floats, but I'm learning. Ralph Smith's Plane Fun Floats looks like the ones I'll be getting for my first attempt at flying off the water. If I have any more questions, I know where to come.

Thanks again,

JC

Wine Country Flyer

My Feedback: (5)

JC--First of all--"congratulations" on being permanently un-employed. I'll be there in about six years. And I'm goin' to spend it all, too!
I fly a four * 60 on floats, too. Just love it. I put "Sea Commander" 42 in. sport model, on mine. I used two Du-Bro landing gear mounts (14 1/2 in. width)and four nose wheel blocks with 8 wheel collars and 5/32 piano wire for spreader bars to mount mine. Front mount goes where the main wheel gear mount, back one mounts with the wing hold down bolts. I can go from wheels to floats in about five minutes. When you re-balance the plane with the floats. you will most likely need nose weight. Put it in the front of the floats held tight with epoxy. That way you won't need as much, being out in front of the prop, and when you go back to wheels there's no CG change. The "Sea Commanders" are a bit expensive @ $200, and a bit heavy the way I mounted them, four and a half pounds. But they sure do work great. I can water ski for ever, or just get up on step and go. Touch and goes ( splash & dash) are a blast. It still floats on down just like a four *. I do have mine powered with an OS 91 four stroke, so it's got plenty of power. Flies inverted just fine, but watch the air speed when inverted. Especially when ya roll it back over. Mine likes to flat spin doing that, and if you're goin' slow and low it'll be over pretty fast. The first two times it did that I was high enough. The last time it wasn't. New one is on the way !! Get yours on the water--You're goin' to Love it !!
John-The Wine Country Flyer

donkey doctor

Hello; I fly a Bingo 60 on floats, it is very similar in size to the four star 60 (Ihave one of those too), the floats are sheeted foam 38 inches long. My Bingo is over 12 years old, and there has been some crashes, so it has gained wieght over the years, but still performs very well. Saito 80 on the front, whereas my four star 60 has an OS 90 four stroke. Both planes are very similar in design and flying characteristics. MOst of the local float flyers are also scale guys, who take off, turn left, turn left turn left, then land. I enjoy throwing the plane around a lot and even turn right occasionally. I think your choice of the four star 60 is an ezcellant one and will give you years of laughs and fun.
Put some spary rails on the inside edge of the floats, and you will be able to fly from choppy water.

MormonMike

My Feedback: (2)

OK, Lets separate the "men-from-the-boys" on floats. How many of you "floaters" have designed and installed a single main float configuration for your Four Stars? Quite different and totally enjoyable. Lets hear your pros and cons please. MM

JC

Gents,

I recently received my Ralph Smith's "Plane Fun Floats" and I would have to say the craftsmanship is absolutely exquisite. Also, the man is a pleasure to deal with, "thanks again Ralph".

Wine Country, I like the idea of mounting the DuBro gear to the wing mount instead of adding another separate block but are the nylon wing bolts strong enough?

Also, I plan on using Z-Poxy resin to fiberglass just the bottoms. After that, what suggestions might you fellows have for finishing them off?

JC

seaplane

JC, thanks for the compliments, I really hope you have has much fun float flying as I do. Today my wife and I watched Kenmore Air Service Beavers and Otters take off and land in Lake Union, Seattle, Washington. Tomorrow we are going to their shop where they overhaul EDO floats and I intend to absorb as much as I can.

thanks again......Seaplane(Ralph Smith)

Wine Country Flyer

My Feedback: (5)

JC--I haven't had any problems with the nylon bolts holding the back mount. In fact, once on a rough landing, the front mount got pulled clear out and the back one only broke the nylon bolts. Had I put an extra block in the fuse for the back mount, I would have been repairing that part, too. Instead, I just had to replace the bolts there. Actually that rough landing was more like a crash. I have done some pretty hard "splash & dash" with no ill effects. Get that wonderful flying "Four * 60" out there on the water, you're goin' ta love it. Many happy flights-John

Wayne22

My Feedback: (2)

I have the Venture 60 which is kitted by Bruce Tharpe who designed the 4*40 and 4*120. The 4*60 was created after he left Sig, but the two are very, very similar.

A couple of things to keep in mind:

-make sure you can still attach the wing! It will have to fit in between the fuse and the floats, so your mounting method will make a difference. Using the rear wing mount makes a lot of sense.

-make sure you have some positive incidence of the wing relative to the top of the floats. The semi-symetrical airfoil needs some positive angle of attack to lift off the water. I have a very nice speedboat, until I found this out from a very experienced float plane flyer..........

have fun!!!!