RE: best floatplane
I converted a Midwest SkySquire that I had retired. It's a ball to fly off water and a new life for an otherwise dormant plane. I built Great Planes floats for it, modified the original swept back main landing gear wire to serve as front supports for the floats, added rear wire struts and used the original nose wheel steering to drive the water rudder. As previously stated, you can convert just about any plane for float flying.