I recently had a set of EDO 3500 amphibs installed on my 185 with a new I0550 port/ polished, LEEDS exhaust TONS of power. This is the most water loving %$!!(* AIRCRAFT I'VE EVER FLOWN ON FLOATS. (Norseman included!!) It comes up on the step pretty quickly then will not accelerate like it should with that much power. cant find the sweet spot, burns up lake as it struggles to get thru 50, finally about 70 breaks water and gives you a kick in the rear.I think its a float to plane incidence issue as it feels like the plane is holding the floats down.(ie pull up slightly and the heels start to drag)Have the EDO drawings but my AME says there is not much info re rigging. Does anyone know what the recommended fore and aft flying wire lengths should be? We have it boxed evenly but it may be wrong! A friend has a very similar 185 on 2790s. It goes from submarine to airborne in the time it takes to tell it.
Thanks!!

maybob wrote:I recently had a set of EDO 3500 amphibs installed on my 185 with a new I0550 port/ polished, LEEDS exhaust TONS of power. This is the most water loving %$!!(* AIRCRAFT I'VE EVER FLOWN ON FLOATS. (Norseman included!!) It comes up on the step pretty quickly then will not accelerate like it should with that much power. cant find the sweet spot, burns up lake as it struggles to get thru 50, finally about 70 breaks water and gives you a kick in the rear.I think its a float to plane incidence issue as it feels like the plane is holding the floats down.(ie pull up slightly and the heels start to drag)Have the EDO drawings but my AME says there is not much info re rigging. Does anyone know what the recommended fore and aft flying wire lengths should be? We have it boxed evenly but it may be wrong! A friend has a very similar 185 on 2790s. It goes from submarine to airborne in the time it takes to tell it.
Thanks!!

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Good Guys, Lots of Knowledge, they can help you!

Contact EDO floats at Kenmore Air Harbor in Bothell, WA.

I haven't flown a 185 on 3500s, but I have flown 206s on those floats, and they are great performing floats.

I'd guess somebody may have gotten creative with rigging for another airplane, maybe? I'd have a hard time believing those floats won't perform on a 185. They are heavy, but......

Where is your CG in the loading you're flying it still? Is it way forward?

I'd call EDO (Kenmore) and see what they have to say. Call with measurements.

If that doesn't work, send me a PM and I'll get you JJ Frey's phone number. He'll be able to answer your questions....he flew the flight test on the 206 on these floats.

MTV

First thing that comes to mind is flaps. I haven't flown your type of aircraft but, it seems your relative angle of attack is not enough. With the power you have, more flaps maybe the solution.

Do you have a longitudinal and lateral photograph of the installation? You may have the wrong size struts? If it is "boxed" and the wires are even that shouldn't affect the rotation on the water.

Would like to know what you find regardless? I have about 250 hours on floats and do my own rigging.

Kenmore, "JJ", WipAire have been very helpful to me too.

Put an angle finder on the floats zero it then put it on the bottom on the wing near the butt rib. What's that angle?

I had a 185 with an IO-550 on 3500s - loved them on the water- not so much in the air - weight & cross section area, but in rough water they were great and hatch compartments were perfect for carrying jerry cans - 30 gals aside let us cross the Canadian arctic. I was told they were designed to go out to the gulf oil rigs. I wasn't ready to spend the $$$$ on aerocet 3500s. The POH lists 885' for take off run on 2790 amphibs. I recorded my own runs and as an example took 1500' at 3,000' elevation - lightly loaded, light wind. And 1,800' at 4,000' elevation.

For perspective, I was once told by a little bird that the Aerocet 3500 float plugs were pulled from a set of EDO 3500 floats.......

These floats are great performers, although really large for a 185.

MTV

Awhile back I had a 68' 185(turbo normalized520) on edo3500 amphibs . It was a pig . Not sure if it was because I was always coming off a 6200ft msl lake or I just sucked at flying .I went with the 3500's cause I figured being over floated would be a good thing always operating at higher elevation lakes .Maybe not the right assumption ? Always wished there was enough water around hear to have straights. Amphibs sure do suck the life out of an engine on departure. I think I remember getting around 115 kts in cruise unless I flew around with it pinned .