Just a quick comment.

My NP Seawind had the CG set @ 3.54" behind the wing LE. It went totally out of control. Since the plane fairly screams "TAIL-HEAVY," I set the CG to 1" behind the wing LE (following the Great Planes instructions instead). The Seawind took off (without a water rudder) , flew beautifully and landed very smoothly. It required 3lbs of dead weight in the nose to balance it. It now weighs 11lbs with 3 lbs of useless weight. I am thinking of installing an electric motor and battery in the nose with a l-o-n-g shaft to a steerable water propeller in the tail. Might as well make the weight useful.

{The GMS .76 works great. Head straight into the wind with half-flaps, gently build up speed and gently give more and more up elevator.
If you advance the throttle too quickly, the engine will pull the nose straight into the water without warning. }

It is unfortunate that, as useless as the NP Seawind manual is, one of the few solid pieces of information (the CG point) is disasterously AND INEXCUSABLY WRONG, WRONG, WRONG! Maybe they meant 3.54 centimeters.

Even more unfortunate is their DISMAL support for this airplane.

Having said that, the plane is beautiful and built like a rock. The first flight went straight into the water and literally only shattered the canopy. Unbelievable. Any other plane I have owned would have resolved itself into its original components.

Unfortunately, NP has no Seawind canopies available after -what- 2 years? I had to fabricate a new canopy myself (ARF ARF) . I wonder if the Great Planes Seawind canopy will fit?

Pay less, get more or less less.