Wheels or floats... Such a conundrum...

[Chris in Milwaukee]

So, I got an insurance quote on a Bearhawk on floats and I nearly soiled myself. Hoping it's an experimental anomaly, I just asked my agent to quote a Maule seaplane for me. I expect that it won't be cheap, but I'm hoping for a better quote than what I got on the Bearhawk (for reference, one was $10K!). I hope to hear back in a couple of days. I'm sure it won't be cheap, especially with what I hope to be a fresh SES by the end of the season.

How many of you all fly floats and can't imagine life without it? I hate that the insurance companies dictate what I can fly, but that's the reality of it all. Float insurance is a lot of avgas! Self insuring really isn't an option for me, though.

I'd continue to fly on wheels, regardless. It sure would be choice to be able to pull up to the lake cabin on floaters, though. But I've got limits...

[flyusn99]

Chris,
I fly an M-5-235 on floats and wheels in ALASKA and my annual insurance for $105k hull is only $2583.
Of course it depends on your hours, ratings and if you are enrolled in recurrent or safety training like FAA WINGS but still I'd think you'd have much better rates than that. I'd call Falcon Insurance or BWI and have them quote you and see what they turn up. Sounds like the number you got was significantly higher than I would have expected.

James

[Chris in Milwaukee]

I got the quotes back today that I was waiting for. For a $160K M-7-260 on floats, numbers range from $5600-6650. The low end is for straight floats, the high end for amphibs.

This for a guy with 300TT, 100 tailwheel, and 75 Maule hours, and only 2 hours on a floating Citabria. Hopefully get my SES wrapped up this year.

So I'm optimistic

[DeltaRomeo]

So is this shopping pattern indicative of an impending upgrade?

[Chris in Milwaukee]

I'd like to say it would be in an ideal world, but money talks. Right now it's saying, "You suck"

I'm pondering other ways to get into seaplane-dom without having to sell one of my children. Those kids better watch their backs, though.

[TomD]

Kids are more expensive than airplanes. Just a thought.

[Chris in Milwaukee]

Coming a little closer to reality, insurance agent quoted *my* plane with floats today. $75K hull was $3185-3534 with $8500 in-motion deductible. That's a number I can get behind. But a seaplane prop and some straight floats on it, I think it would be a good flatlander seaplane.

Time to finish up that SES and find some Aquas or Baumanns!