Hello All! A few questions . . . .

. . so I might be interested in a Maule, and their float performance will be a deciding factor. I currently fly a 180 HP Aeronca Sedan, and operate off of a small lake. Shore to shore, Google Maps shows 2285'. I really need to be off of the water by about the 1300' point. I have never needed to return to the dock to drop some weight, but I have aborted a take-off and tried another technique.

The M7 that I would be looking at would be a 1984 M-7-235, on Aqua floats. Three bladed prop (not sure on make/model yet), vortex generators. Does this seem doable? I would guess that lightly loaded it would be okay, but what about a passenger load? There is a nearby seaplane base, so I could depart my small lake light on fuel but with passengers/cargo, then load enough fuel to get to where I want to go.

I know there are alot of variables. The Sedan is one heck a floatplane, and I'd hate to move on from that only to find out that the Maule may not be a step up.

I look forward to hearing peoples experience and opinions. Thank you!

I fly a 1990 M-7235 on Aqua 2400s and share a 4000 ft lake here in Alaska with two 180 Aeroncas. You are certainly correct about the Aeronca being one heck of an airplane. Depending on GW the two are roughly similar with their takeoff distance. At max GW though, the Maule is 2,750 lb. so it is much heavier. At max GW, 80 degrees and calm winds you can get airborne in 1200 feet - probably - but if you don't do everything just right you can easily extend your slide by half again as much. If T.O. distance is the only thing you are looking at then I don't think the Maule would give you enough to justify the difference in cost. That being said, it is a heck of a floatplane and is a real performer on the water. At the dock or on the weeds for loading and unloading it is superb.

Mark - AK

M5-235 on aqua 2400 floats.
with just me and light fuel- i can be off the water in 500 feet or less.
at 2750 gross weight near sea level no wind 70 degrees (worst case scenario) it takes about 1600 feet.
same scenario at 2000' elevation takes about 1700'.

but when a maule breaks the water, it will climb like a homesick angel

these distances were measured on google earth in places i operate from daily. the numbers only get shorter with cooler air, breeze, lighter, etc...
and remember these are for a short wing maule that some people say doesn't make a good float plane.... so M7 performance numbers should be quite a bit better.

I am betting you the M7 has the Macauly three blade that my M5-235C has on it.

I swapped from a two blade to three and the time to get on the step was markedly more.

Since I have 2 ft less wing than the M7 and don't know that much about Aeroncas; therefore, I cannot make a direct comparison. I would think as Mark said you should be good, and the extra ponies will stand you in good stead on hot and high lakes.

In my M5 it jumps off at max gross far better than I expected. I think the CG going towards the rear helps w/ the 2400 Aquas.

I definitely would go for the extra wing on the Maule.

TD

Thanks for the replies!

Mark- the T/O is not the only deciding factor, but it is important. I'd like to carry a bit more, and flying a little bit faster would be nice. My Sedan has the dual seaplane doors, which is nice. To access the baggage area, I need to crawl into the plane and heave baggage over the rear seat frame tubing. Really not that big of a deal, but I am envious of the Maule cargo doors.

I think it would be hard to beat the comfort of the Sedan. It's quite wide compared to Cessnas and Maules. But having a separate door for the rear seat would be nice.

Does the front passenger seat come out fairly easy? What about the rear seat?
I'm sure I have more questions, but they're not coming to me at the moment. Once again, thanks for the replies.

Front seat of the Maule? No, it doesn’t come out without a fight. The back seat snaps in and out, though, quite easily.

While I wrestle with the front seat, my IA pops it in and out in less than a minute. Guess is it in the knowing how.

If you look in the Maule flight manual in the weight and balance section, where the right front seat is located is marked as cargo area A. Gives you an idea as to where BD's head was at.

Back seat is super simple.

Having two cargo doors on the right side is extremely handy. I have wrestled large items into the back of a Cessna 180 and it was not easy.

I have seen pictures of amazing things loaded into a Maule.

TD

It takes a bit of practice to gt the front seat in and out with ease. dedicate 1/2 a day and a box o band aids and you'll have it in and out fairly easy.
there is structure in that area so don't plan on laying stuff flat on the front floor like in a cessna

Just omit the spring return for the seat and it’s probably the easiest part on the plane to remove. Only requires two easily accessed screws.

I must have the wrong tools.

Even easier if you replace the top screws at the rear support with quick pins (there’s a drawing that makes this legal). With those, and the spring removed, it’s a 30 second job.

Would love to see that drawing.

I have a fare amount of time in both aircraft. My dad put together the first 180hp conversions back in the 70s using a scout cowling. The sedan is an awesome float plane but you have to be good at step turns to really get all the performance out of it. The Maule will out perform the sedan hands down. Put the 86" two blade prop on it and there are not many machines that will out perform it. As far as float to wheel changes, install an inspection panel in the floor boards as well as one in the belly to eliminate all the monkey motions.

Mog wrote:Would love to see that drawing.

+1

mauleairinc.com has it I believe.