Searey amphibian

iflyforfun

iflyforfun

Pre-takeoff checklist
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iflyforfun
Anyone own or have direct experience with a Searey? Wondering if the hull is really pretty tight. Can you leave it in the water a week at a time or is it land, pump on and out of the water. With the main gear mounted above the waterline, it looks like the only thru hull hole may be the tail wheel / tiller.
 
No searay experience, but I do fly amphibs, and even my conventional Edo amphib can sit in the water for a while easily, they seem to take on the brunt of water in take off and landing.
 
You should have asked me that two hours ago when the neighborhood searey owner was here. I'll ask her tomorrow.
 
flyingron said:
You should have asked me that two hours ago when the neighborhood searey owner was here. I'll ask her tomorrow.
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Hey Ron. I've been thinking about a Searey as a possible airplane to buy or even build but haven't actually flown one as of yet. They just look like they would be an absolute blast. Would you be willing to hook me up with your Searey friend?
 
SkyDog58 said:
Hey Ron. I've been thinking about a Searey as a possible airplane to buy or even build but haven't actually flown one as of yet. They just look like they would be an absolute blast. Would you be willing to hook me up with your Searey friend?
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PM me your email address and I'll send it a long to her. She'll be back over today.
 
SkyDog58 said:
The SeaMax also looks good. What about it did you like better?
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It's cleaner, faster (no gear sticking out in the breeze), a little more space inside. It gets off the ground/water quicker than the Searay. Better glide ratio. No exterior cloth.
Also, the fit and finish seemed better than the Searay, but I only have 1 example of each to compare.
 
Shepherd said:
It's cleaner, faster (no gear sticking out in the breeze), a little more space inside. It gets off the ground/water quicker than the Searay. Better glide ratio. No exterior cloth.
Also, the fit and finish seemed better than the Searay, but I only have 1 example of each to compare.
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Yeah but - I can find a used Searey C-hull for a lot less than a Seamax. Searey factory is in the same state as me and I think the Seamax is made in Brazil IIRC. I'm planning on getting a Searey to have for my general purpose low and slow farting around airplane. When I retire I plan on adding a go-fast IFR interceptor to the fleet - but that's a ways off yet.

I haven't flown a Seamax but have flown it's cousin the Super Petrel down at their factory in Brazil. The Petrel was pretty good except it lacked the sliding canopy of the Searey. I'm getting ready to head down to Brazil on vacation in a few days. Maybe I can find a Seamax to try out while I'm down there.
 
This is an old thread, but I figured my opinion still might be relevant for those looking at these light flying boats. Airplanes are like tools in your toolbox. They each do a couple things really well, but there isn't one that does it all. And of course, there's the matter-of-opinion part of the equation.

I have flown the factory Searey LSAs (not the homebuilt version) all over the country. They are the reliable, docile and have probably the lowest operating cost of any amphibian. With a 914 engine, the Searey outperforms its peers in all areas except cruise speed. It is a draggy airplane and you can't expect much better than about 95 mph at a reasonable power setting. That's about the only downfall.

You can fly open cockpit at any speed with the dual sliding canopies and it's a tail dragger so you can actually beach it. Outside the pages of a glossy sales brochure, you can only beach tricycles on very hard packed surfaces. Tricycle gear is great at airports, but just isn't very practical for a "go anywhere" airplane. With a Searey taildragger, you'll have no problem taxiing up on the beach at that remote island, sandbar, or muddy campsite. The wheels and tires are also much larger than that found on most LSAs so it does great for land landings off airport on unimproved surfaces.

The Seamax is a good design, and not a bad airplane, but last I checked (in 2016), there were only 6 Seamaxes registered in the US. The US distributor for parts was also in a legal dispute with the parent company leaving Seamax owners without a way to get parts and support. There are over 400 Seareys in the US and over 600 worldwide. The Super Petrel has a reputation for and history of structural failures - I would avoid that one altogether.

Seareys are not sexy airplanes, but are very rugged, capable and practical little seaplanes.
 
kevino said:
This is an old thread, but I figured my opinion still might be relevant for those looking at these light flying boats. Airplanes are like tools in your toolbox. They each do a couple things really well, but there isn't one that does it all. And of course, there's the matter-of-opinion part of the equation.

I have flown the factory Searey LSAs (not the homebuilt version) all over the country. They are the reliable, docile and have probably the lowest operating cost of any amphibian. With a 914 engine, the Searey outperforms its peers in all areas except cruise speed. It is a draggy airplane and you can't expect much better than about 95 mph at a reasonable power setting. That's about the only downfall.

You can fly open cockpit at any speed with the dual sliding canopies and it's a tail dragger so you can actually beach it. Outside the pages of a glossy sales brochure, you can only beach tricycles on very hard packed surfaces. Tricycle gear is great at airports, but just isn't very practical for a "go anywhere" airplane. With a Searey taildragger, you'll have no problem taxiing up on the beach at that remote island, sandbar, or muddy campsite. The wheels and tires are also much larger than that found on most LSAs so it does great for land landings off airport on unimproved surfaces.

The Seamax is a good design, and not a bad airplane, but last I checked (in 2016), there were only 6 Seamaxes registered in the US. The US distributor for parts was also in a legal dispute with the parent company leaving Seamax owners without a way to get parts and support. There are over 400 Seareys in the US and over 600 worldwide. The Super Petrel has a reputation for and history of structural failures - I would avoid that one altogether.

Seareys are not sexy airplanes, but are very rugged, capable and practical little seaplanes.
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I think it is humorous that you finish that nice write up with "Seareys are not sexy airplanes ...". You just spent 3 paragraphs explaining how the Searey is the definition of sexy. Then again, I'm a form follows function kinda guy so taxi-out tail dragger with large big wheels, a large installed base and open/closed canopy sounds pretty sexy.

My "mission" is a 40 mile over water flight with water landings on either end. Problem is that there is nowhere to taxi out at one end, so would need to leave tied up like a boat for a week at a time. Don't know if that is practical. Still in day-dream mode, but if I buy the land I'm looking at it seems to be perfect for the mission. I can get most of what I want/need on the island, but the Searey would facilitate a quick trip into town when necessary and keep me in the air regularly.
 
kevino said:
This is an old thread, but I figured my opinion still might be relevant for those looking at these light flying boats. Airplanes are like tools in your toolbox. They each do a couple things really well, but there isn't one that does it all. And of course, there's the matter-of-opinion part of the equation.

I have flown the factory Searey LSAs (not the homebuilt version) all over the country. They are the reliable, docile and have probably the lowest operating cost of any amphibian. With a 914 engine, the Searey outperforms its peers in all areas except cruise speed. It is a draggy airplane and you can't expect much better than about 95 mph at a reasonable power setting. That's about the only downfall.

You can fly open cockpit at any speed with the dual sliding canopies and it's a tail dragger so you can actually beach it. Outside the pages of a glossy sales brochure, you can only beach tricycles on very hard packed surfaces. Tricycle gear is great at airports, but just isn't very practical for a "go anywhere" airplane. With a Searey taildragger, you'll have no problem taxiing up on the beach at that remote island, sandbar, or muddy campsite. The wheels and tires are also much larger than that found on most LSAs so it does great for land landings off airport on unimproved surfaces.

The Seamax is a good design, and not a bad airplane, but last I checked (in 2016), there were only 6 Seamaxes registered in the US. The US distributor for parts was also in a legal dispute with the parent company leaving Seamax owners without a way to get parts and support. There are over 400 Seareys in the US and over 600 worldwide. The Super Petrel has a reputation for and history of structural failures - I would avoid that one altogether.

Seareys are not sexy airplanes, but are very rugged, capable and practical little seaplanes.
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How is this an old thread?

Besides that oddity, I enjoyed your write up.
 
Coming from a boating background, but not knowing where you're intending on leaving it for a week... Is bottom growth/fouling going to be a concern?

Around here there are periods of time when a week in the water is enough to pickup some drag. Not a big deal when it means your cruise speed goes from 23kt to 22kt, but might be a big deal when it slows/extends your takeoff distance and adds weight/drag in the air.

Just a thought that may or may not be relevant to your situation.
 
SaltH2OHokie said:
Coming from a boating background, but not knowing where you're intending on leaving it for a week... Is bottom growth/fouling going to be a concern?

Around here there are periods of time when a week in the water is enough to pickup some drag. Not a big deal when it means your cruise speed goes from 23kt to 22kt, but might be a big deal when it slows/extends your takeoff distance and adds weight/drag in the air.

Just a thought that may or may not be relevant to your situation.
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On that front, if at all possible ramp or beach the plane vs dock, docking is great for loading stuff, but seaplanes are much safer and better equipped to be beached or ramped.
 
iflyforfun said:
Any feedback Ron ... inquiring minds?
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She says if you keep your hull in good shape it will stay afloat indefinitely. It tends to settle tail first if it does leak, so if you're not in too deep water the cockpit stays dry. I guess you could put a bilge pump in (like my wooden boat).
 
James331 said:
On that front, if at all possible ramp or beach the plane vs dock, docking is great for loading stuff, but seaplanes are much safer and better equipped to be beached or ramped.
Click to expand...

I was looking at a place that had a nice beach to roll up onto which is what got me thinking about the Searey. Of course, I've now found somewhere much more to my liking at half the price but it has 10 ft cliff facing the water and no where to beach within quite a distance.

SaltH2OHokie said:
Coming from a boating background, but not knowing where you're intending on leaving it for a week... Is bottom growth/fouling going to be a concern?

Around here there are periods of time when a week in the water is enough to pickup some drag. Not a big deal when it means your cruise speed goes from 23kt to 22kt, but might be a big deal when it slows/extends your takeoff distance and adds weight/drag in the air.

Just a thought that may or may not be relevant to your situation.
Click to expand...

For me, bottom growth will not really be an issue in the short term ... salt corrosion is a much bigger concern since I'll be operating almost exclusively out of salt water.

All in all, still day dreaming but don't know if it is practical.
 
flyingron said:
She says if you keep your hull in good shape it will stay afloat indefinitely. It tends to settle tail first if it does leak, so if you're not in too deep water the cockpit stays dry. I guess you could put a bilge pump in (like my wooden boat).
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Thanks for the feedback ... that's what it looked like which is what prompted the question.
 
iflyforfun said:
I was looking at a place that had a nice beach to roll up onto which is what got me thinking about the Searey. Of course, I've now found somewhere much more to my liking at half the price but it has 10 ft cliff facing the water and no where to beach within quite a distance.



For me, bottom growth will not really be an issue in the short term ... salt corrosion is a much bigger concern since I'll be operating almost exclusively out of salt water.

All in all, still day dreaming but don't know if it is practical.
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Perhaps rigging up a wooden ramp you could ramp on, or tweaking a boat lift?
 
James331 said:
Perhaps rigging up a wooden ramp you could ramp on, or tweaking a boat lift?
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A ramp won't work as it is about a 3m cliff. I've been giving some thought to the boat lift idea. Some of the local fisherman do that to get their boats out of the water. I'm probably at least a few years away at best, but it really would make to/from MUCH simpler so I'll continue to ponder. At least it seems that leaving it in the water for a week isn't a deal killer.
 
Not sure I'd want any rollers on the sides of the hull(s), the keel is where you want the load, easy enough to build a floating ramp out of wood, and with the water you'll push up onto the wooden ramp, it'll be plenty slick enough that you won't even need rollers, with a Tailwheel amphib you also have the wheel method if your ramps slope is right.

Kinda like this

274P1010291_zps6mokh1hv.jpg


I'd HIGHLY recommend you get this book if you're serious about this, lots and lots of info and pictures about ramping, docking, long/short term, design, etc
https://www.amazon.com/Seaplane-Operations-Techniques-Floatplanes-Amphibians/dp/1560275235
 
I had a Scout on floats that I kept tied up to a dock for the first three summers I had it. It had leaky floats then, too. It's just like any boat, you can't go away and forget about it for a month, but if you check on it every few days and pump it out, docks work fine. I agree that a slip where you can beach it is better, but many float planes are based from docks. I agree that the saltwater exposure is more of a concern. Get a bird with as few steel parts as possible.
 
If you have access to electricity, one of the air bladder/ballast boat lifts can usually be had with salt-water components for less than $5K. Otherwise, they have the jetski-style drive-ons that can usually be purchased in double or twiple-jet ski configurations that would work, as long as it's long enough to get the hull out of the water (10-12') or so. Kind of like this:
Twin%20HD%20PWC%20Dock%20with%20Well%20Covers.jpg
 
iflyforfun said:
Of course, I've now found somewhere much more to my liking at half the price but it has 10 ft cliff facing the water and no where to beach within quite a distance.
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What do your (potential) neighbors do with their boats? They have a dock? Moor off shore? Lift?
 
The Searey doesn't really have a single keel. It has two ribs on the bottom of the fiberglass tub.

I stand corrected as to what happened when the Searey took on water. The reason it sank tail first is that the sponsons held the wing up while the tail settled.
 
iflyforfun said:
I was looking at a place that had a nice beach to roll up onto which is what got me thinking about the Searey. Of course, I've now found somewhere much more to my liking at half the price but it has 10 ft cliff facing the water and no where to beach within quite a distance.



For me, bottom growth will not really be an issue in the short term ... salt corrosion is a much bigger concern since I'll be operating almost exclusively out of salt water.

All in all, still day dreaming but don't know if it is practical.
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That salt water will be an issue for you. I'm guessing you've never owned a boat that's kept in a salt water environment. The whole tail wheel mechanism in the Searey will be bathed in a salt acid bath - not good !

It's more than just a tail wheel back there too. There's this long spring like you have on your garage door that assists in retraction. It is extremely sensitive to and impacted by corrosion.

If it were me I'd want the aircraft out of the water asap. Then I would hit it with fresh water followed by some soap than more fresh water. That's about the only way you're going to avoid significant corrosion damage. You're still going to get some even if you do that but at least you'll be able to extend the life of your tail feathers.
 
My neighbor had his Republic Seabee up on blocks in his front yard (yeah, redneck pilots, at least his porch furniture didn't used to be his living room furniture) after he spent a week in the Florida Keys with it. Doesn't take long for the salt to ruin the wheel bearings.
 
Capt. Geoffrey Thorpe said:
What do your (potential) neighbors do with their boats? They have a dock? Moor off shore? Lift?
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My "neighbors" use banca boats that they often carry by hand up the cliff, but quite a few leave them in the water or have some home rigged floating bamboo lift.
 
Art VanDelay said:
That salt water will be an issue for you. I'm guessing you've never owned a boat that's kept in a salt water environment. The whole tail wheel mechanism in the Searey will be bathed in a salt acid bath - not good !

It's more than just a tail wheel back there too. There's this long spring like you have on your garage door that assists in retraction. It is extremely sensitive to and impacted by corrosion.

If it were me I'd want the aircraft out of the water asap. Then I would hit it with fresh water followed by some soap than more fresh water. That's about the only way you're going to avoid significant corrosion damage. You're still going to get some even if you do that but at least you'll be able to extend the life of your tail feathers.
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Yeah, this is the part that really worries me.
 
iflyforfun said:
Yeah, this is the part that really worries me.
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Out on the west coast where I grew up the amphib operators try to get their airplanes out of the water at the end of each mission or day and hose them down with plenty of fresh water. Only the pure float plane owners habitually leave them in the water for any length of time - but they too are doubtless spending a lot on maintenance in that environment.
 
GRG55 said:
Out on the west coast where I grew up the amphib operators try to get their airplanes out of the water at the end of each mission or day and hose them down with plenty of fresh water. Only the pure float plane owners habitually leave them in the water for any length of time - but they too are doubtless spending a lot on maintenance in that environment.
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Even freshwater operations can drive maintenance costs up compared to a similar landplane. It's a cost of having fun and/or needing a float plane.
 
kevino said:
The Super Petrel has a reputation for and history of structural failures - I would avoid that one altogether.
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I'd like to hear more about the Super Petrel reputation for failures. My understanding is that it is a very solid airplane with better structural integrity than most. Of course though, I get that from a company statement that just announced their sales and assembly operation in the United States in my little hometown (Ormond Beach, FL). From reading their literature, it appears to be a very nice little (but slow) airplane. Leslie and I are seriously considering an amphib when we decide to sell the Bonanza. 5 gph on mogas would practically save me enough to pay for the thing.

http://www.news-journalonline.com/article/LK/20160224/News/605065071/DN/
(perhaps I should start a new thread about this).
 
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