All good information guys thanks!

I had thought about pontoon style floats but I thought I would explore a floating hull concept for a couple of reasons. First, since the plane is small (1/2A) I wanted to keep both the extra weight as well as frontal profile to a minimum. (I suspect the difference between the addition of a pod and wingtip floats vs. pontoon type floats though would be minimal if done correctly.) Second this plane has no landing gear but rather its designed to skid in on the grass on its belly. A floating hull concept would be a natural extension of this.

Plus its just cool.

Thanks for the info on degrees right and up thrust. That will be a good place to start.

Other thoughts?