After my Bearhawk is built and flying I plan to build a belly pod for it. I have never seen a pod in person so I'm trying to figure out how they attach to the airframe so I can install the tabs or whatever during the build. I found some pics on SC.org and it looks like there is tabs which stainless steel straps attach to; is this the standard method? Rather than tabs I could weld some threaded bushings into the longerons so I don't have tabs poking out of the belly. I plan to install float fittings too so there will be some tabs poking out but I don't want them all over the belly of the plane if I can help it.

Install the float fittings and tabs between the landing gear mounts. Or mount plates just under the fabric. The attached picture are of mounting plates for water rudder pulley mount...could do something similar...wouldn't have unsightly metal tabs hanging under the fuselage.

Bob has a drawing for bolt on float fittings in the 2001 newsletter. It shows different tube sizes that the plans and I assume he meant for those tubes to be up sized. I think a similar method would work for the belly pod. I'm gathering a list of questions for Bob and will call him in a few weeks.

Did you receive the Bearhawk book that came with the plans? In it Bob indicates which tubes have the increased wall thickness and adding a tube over the top of the front cargo door. Std build has a sheet metal former there. Also consider the M4-7 lower cargo door reinforcement. Another thing to consider is to increase the wall thickness of the leading edge stabilizer tube...to the same size called out in the plans at the front attach tube...look at the plans...you'll see what I'm talking about. I've installed the float mounts on my Bearhawk.. If I had a do over....I'd buy the front gear mount from Ak Airframes for the PA18 gear or PA22/20 stc'd PA18 gear mounts. They look like this....

No, the plans are pre Bearhawk book. I called Bob and he said where I have the 1995-2001 Beartracks then I didn't really need the book. I do have the tube over the front cargo door and this was build from the VR3 tubing kit so some of the tubes are thicker walled for floats. My H-stab is already enroute from TX so I'm not going to make any changes to it. I'll look into the Maule cargo door reinforcement, hope I can find a pic of it. For the float fitting I was just going to make an extra set of rear gear leg attach fittings.

I think the older Beartracks are on Eric Newton's web site. Rob Taylor has some good pictures of the Maule on floats reinforcement plate. It's basically a steel plate from the front of the cargo door to the aft end under the sill plate with lightening hole added. Zero point four oh...I think. I'm adding a removable tube...centered in the cargo door opening....once it on the 2960.... To be rebuilt and shortened 18" making them 2870's