So, Ive decided to sell my 54 170B, as I want a lighter, more float/ski friendly airplane. Can't afford a cub, so my question is...what's the best option for $40,000 tops? I'm leaning towards a 7GCBC or maybe even a Taylorcraft, though I do worry about the tcraft's lack of useful load. Always thought that I would upgrade the 170, but two kids later thats just not going to happen. Any advice would be great. cheers!

I had a T-Cart with O-200 on Edo 1320's for a lotta years. Seriously underfloated, and with only 100 HP you learned to fly that airplane with the pad of one finger to feel the step. But, boy oh boy, that airplane teaches a guy how to fly floats at gross weight. And, once up and moving, it was a 100 MPH airplane at 5 GPH. 20 MPG is not too bad. All in all a fun airplane.

Gump

Got a buyer on the 170 already? How's it equipped?

Sell the kids

Kidding. I like the Highlander.

Sell the kids...

Not kidding. Mine are 32 and 40 and still costing as much as the airplane.

Gump

The highlander or rans look good. Can a good one be found for 40k?

What about a stinson? Too heavy & costly? Pacer? 150 hp C-150 taildragger?

Of course the real answer is you should just buy a maule! Hey, the maule folks have been awfully quiet lately.

Hey Brymus
You mentioned a Citabria, I like them as well. My question is; will a Citabria be a suitable plane to fly your mission: (useful load and cargo area w/ skis or floats)? I'm curious as well but from a big tire, land based perspective. Pros/cons anyone?
Thanks for the info guys, I'm still learning.

GroundLooper wrote:............What about a stinson? Too heavy & costly? Pacer? 150 hp C-150 taildragger?.......

C150/150's can be short on useful load, anyone considering one needs to take a close look at the weight & balance info before buying.
Early 150's come in at around 1000# stock, converting to t/w gear & the Lycoming engine adds weight. Far as I know, the straight-tail 150's (59-63) do not get a higher gross weight with the 150-horse conversion like the later models do with some of the STC's-- it stays at 1500#, so if you end up with an empty weight of 1100-1150 you pretty much have a single-seat airplane.
My 1964 D model started out at 1032# stock (1600# gross), but after being converted to t/w gear,LR tanks, & 150-horse engine it weighed about 1271 (1760# gross) by the time I got it. Over the course of a year and a half, I trimmed it down to 1227 which is still too heavy but better with a 533# useful load. Now if I could just lose that same 44 pounds.....

Eric

Agree with Gump on 1320's being too little float for t cart.... the bauman 1500's are the ticket

Hard to beat a Tcart on floats...learned to fly in one many moons ago, first one with 85 hp. and 1320's

MY TWO CENTS

I'm very new to airplane ownership still, but it seems to me that for $40K you could either get a very very nice Stinson, or a more mediocre one with money to spare to upgrade the engine.

~Justine

I think Justine has a good suggestion on the Stinson. A very versitile airplane, with most in your price range. Easier to get in and out than a tandem (especially for float docking), with room to haul more bodies-stuff and maybe more docile ground handling capabilities, than the Pacer-Maule types. Steve

GroundLooper wrote:Of course the real answer is you should just buy a maule! Hey, the maule folks have been awfully quiet lately.

Maule. You can lead an horse to water but you can't make him drink.

Maule insurance is at least 1.4X higher than most other comparable airplanes.

I love my Maule BUT! If I could afford a Cessna 206 with 1000hr, a Kodiak, or Caravan I would be flying one.

The point and the question involved: "as I want a lighter, more float/ski friendly airplane" than a Cessna 170.

Neither a Stinson nor a Maule meet that criteria very well, in my opinion. Both are about the same size. The Maules definitely perform better than a 170, though, as do some of the Stinsons with big motors. Question is, realistically, what's going to be the QUALITY of a Maule for that price?

The Citabrias are nice airplanes, but with very little useful load on floats. Then again, that's true of most Super Cubs as well. Good news is there are a lot of them out there, and the performance is good. Not sure you're going to find a primo one for that price though.

Also, Is your $40 K limit on price inclusive of floats, or are you talking basic airplane price only in the $40 K figure? I think for that price, you're probably looking at a 90 hp Champ or something of that ilk, or an airplane that is pretty long in the tooth if it's a Citabria.. If the $40 K figure is just for the plane, you're going to have $55 K into it by the time you get it equipped with floats and skis, or close to it.

There is a PA-11 with floats and skis advertised in Barnstormers in the Fairbanks area-North Pole. Dunno the condition, and he's been asking $54 K, with everything, but it's been posted for quite a while also.

You can get a REALLY nice 90 hp Champ for $40, as in brand new fabric, new spars, overhauled engine, etc. There's one here a mechanic is rebuilding at the moment. I'm sure he'd take a bit less than $40 K, and you'd have a new airplane. And, choose your trim color

MTV

MTV

To build on what MTV says, if you can get an Aeronca Champ with a O-290-D2B or even better a O-320...

^^^^Yikes!! That was awesome, but at the same time a little puckering. A little too much settling after rotation and you drag a float on the grass and it all goes sideways with a quickness.... I like the ghost-ride trailer concept.

To the OP: I think going lighter than the 170 is a good move. I wouldn't mind doing that myself. My approach though, will definitely be toward the amateur-homebuilt arena, along the lines of the Rans S7, Just Highlander, Kitfox Series 7 etc. The toughest concession will be the gigantic load carrying capability (volume-wise, not necessarily weight) of the 170 with its rear seats removed.

So, Zane, just how much beer do you need to carry??? Oh, wait--I forgot--you're the coffee guy, with the monster coffee maker...

MTV

Talk about puckering.

i think taylorcraft and pacers are about all that really fits your criteria. you might get really lucky and find a citabira or even a scout but one on that price range likely has issues. the champs with the bigger engines have overheating problems so watch out for ones with high time engines and no cowl flap mod.

Well, you know my vote. I love my Highlander and though I've not experienced it (yet....soon), the guys with floats on the Highlander have given very good reports. I have 110 hrs on mine so far and it has exceeded all expectations.

Problem is it also exceeds your budget - I don't know for sure but I think it would be tough to get one for $40k.

fwiw

k