PK 3000 vs EDO 2870/2960 on C-180

[ScandySky]

Hi!

We just bought a 1959 C-180B and have to make a decision wether to put it on PK 3000 or EDO 2870/2960 floats. We are operating in Norway on both coastal salt water, fjords and mountain lakes. Any advantages /disadvantages with these two options?

Daniel

[sarg]

Consider the CAP 3000 as well. They worked well on our 180's on the west coast of Canada for ocean work a nice deep V for rougher water. Within reason the bigger the float the better, the EDO 2960 flew well on the 180 but I only ever flew them off lakes.

[PilotDAR]

I oversaw the conversion of a 182 to be amphibious for a Norwegian client. I selected Aerocet floats, with their salt water kit, and my client has been very happy. It operates mostly from lakes north of Bergen, but both he and I have had it in the ocean a few times. I just try to splash it back into fresh water ASAP after salt water operations. He has more than 400 hours on it in the last five years, and no problems with the floats at all.

I very much like PK floats too, but the fiberglass Aerocet is still more corrosion resistant than any aluminum float. I would avoid older floats, unless you have seen them entirely rebuilt. You want to start with zero corrosion, and excellently effective corrosion protection.

[Big Pistons Forever]

Not a big fan of CAP 3000 floats. Good in rough water but a pig to takeoff with in calm water. They are also very unforgiving in a crosswind. You need to touch down with absolutely no drift or the ride will get very exciting. I think the 180 is a bit under floated with 2870's.

I would vote for the PK's or better still the Aerocets as per Pilot DAR's advice.

[Tuk U]

I have a lot of time on the PK's and the Edo's and Caps too and I'd go for the pk they have a nice flat top for walking on and they are good in rough water, I found that when heavy the pk was a bit of a pig in flight as they are not as streamlined as the edo's or the caps they would tend to give a porpoising effect in flight until you got lighter, I used the PK 3500's on the 185 and they were more forgiving than the caps I found... and well anyone can fly edo's. caps & edos will give you a better cruise than the pk's for what it's worth though my all time fave float is the EDO 3430 for the 185 or 206

my 2 cents worth a 400 dollar single malt

[tractor driver]

IMHO,
from your original selection of choices, the Edo’s are the easiest to manage and own. As stated by a previous poster, if available, the Aerocets will be the most durable and easiest to maintain. They both fly very well on the 180. Particularly with the longer float struts on the 2870’s.

[MattW]

I fly a 59 180B on floats and I've had it equipped with both the 2960s and the CAP 3000s. I have no experience with the PKs so I can't help you there. The EDOs are a good float but their main drawback is the long tails, you can't really rotate to get off the water, you have to wait to fly off and when you're heavy that can be a long wait. The CAPs drawback is they take a bit longer to get from displacement on to step when running heavy, however once on step you can get flying quite quickly, even running heavy. The ploughing phase on the CAPs doesn't eat up distance the way spending too long on step does with the EDOs so I think the CAPs get off the water shorter. The CAPs also cruise faster than the EDOs and handle rough water better. While the v bottom on the CAPs is a bit of a handicap getting on step it does also help them to land a bit softer if you don't time your throttle inputs perfectly at landing. Running light the CAPs get on step easily and the ability to rotate for takeoff gets you flying quick.