An Introduction to Ultralight Floats
Basically ultralight float planes are of two types – The first ones are those that have been build to be float planes and the second ones were designed, to adopt to amphibious gear and handle floats.
They also could be broken down into a center hull like structure or float similar to the lotus mono hull and the two float system.
The Mono – Float systems – These ultralight floats are designed to land and take off on a center float, and to help in cross wind conditions it’s been provided with two sponsors.
The pilot sits in his plane and above the float in a ‘Mono-Float’ system whereas in a amphibious gear he is really above the float. When the plane lands on water it floats on the center hull and could tip in one of the ways depending on the weather condition.
The land plane, a two float system has been adopted to handle floats. For ultralight floats there are a variety of styles available in the market, from several manufacturers. The Full lotus two float system for ultralight floats are available in two sizes. The main benefits this system provides are strength, durability, light weight and hence easier to ship, easier maintenance and low maintenance costs. Both straight and amphibious ultralight floats are available.
The main problem faced by the full lotus system, is the leaky or ruptured bags due to stall landings or improper inflation. Another problem is water in the bladders.
The second type of ultralight floats is the fiber glass float. Puddle Jumper is one of the largest manufacturers of ultralight fiber glass floats. They are similar in weight to full lotus structure and come pre-built, ready to install, and with amphibious gear. These floats have some advantages over the full lotus float system.
The main problem with this is the less strength and durability of the float which makes the ultralight floats to crack at the point of joining of the two halves.
The third type of float is the aluminum float. Some of the manufacturers in the market offer kits for aluminum float. It takes around 200-300 hours to build an ultralight float from kits. They are very light, aerodynamic and because they are kit build they cost much lower which is affordable for everyone.