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Floatplane regarded as vessel in harbour?

Posted: Tue Jul 16, 2024 9:25 am
by ellinas
Hello aviators

Quick question to the floatplane experts.

Is the floatplane regarded as a boat vessel in a harbour? I’m curious as I might be landing in a harbour like Hamilton Ontario harbour to pick someone up at the boat ramp for visiting vessels.

Thanks

Re: Floatplane regarded as vessel in harbour?

Posted: Tue Jul 16, 2024 3:51 pm
by TeePeeCreeper
You are considered a vessel while on the water.

Was this never covered while obtaining your seaplane endorsement? It most certainly should have been.

TPC

https://tc.canada.ca/en/aviation/public ... troduction

Re: Floatplane regarded as vessel in harbour?

Posted: Tue Jul 16, 2024 3:58 pm
by digits_
TeePeeCreeper wrote: Tue Jul 16, 2024 3:51 pm You are considered a vessel while on the water.

Was this never covered while obtaining your seaplane endorsement? It most certainly should have been.

TPC

https://tc.canada.ca/en/aviation/public ... troduction
You are, but that doesn't mean that every harbour would appreciate having a 40 ft wide floatplane at their dock... I think it's a really great question. I don't think many floatplane schools take you into a harbour environment... I doubt there are many commercial float guys out there that fly into boat-harbours often either. Flights usually go from a dock at their base mainly used for planes, into the middle of nowhere and back.

Re: Floatplane regarded as vessel in harbour?

Posted: Tue Jul 16, 2024 4:54 pm
by Swampdonk
You obviously haven’t flown the west coast before

Re: Floatplane regarded as vessel in harbour?

Posted: Wed Jul 17, 2024 3:44 am
by TeePeeCreeper
digits_ wrote: Tue Jul 16, 2024 3:58 pm
TeePeeCreeper wrote: Tue Jul 16, 2024 3:51 pm You are considered a vessel while on the water.

Was this never covered while obtaining your seaplane endorsement? It most certainly should have been.

TPC

https://tc.canada.ca/en/aviation/public ... troduction
I doubt there are many commercial float guys out there that fly into boat-harbours often either. Flights usually go from a dock at their base mainly used for planes, into the middle of nowhere and back.
Really Digits? I suppose you’ve never caught or flown on the AM9 /Departure Bay shed or had a charter that had one dodging boat masts…

TPC

Re: Floatplane regarded as vessel in harbour?

Posted: Wed Jul 17, 2024 6:05 am
by digits_
TeePeeCreeper wrote: Wed Jul 17, 2024 3:44 am
digits_ wrote: Tue Jul 16, 2024 3:58 pm
TeePeeCreeper wrote: Tue Jul 16, 2024 3:51 pm You are considered a vessel while on the water.

Was this never covered while obtaining your seaplane endorsement? It most certainly should have been.

TPC

https://tc.canada.ca/en/aviation/public ... troduction
I doubt there are many commercial float guys out there that fly into boat-harbours often either. Flights usually go from a dock at their base mainly used for planes, into the middle of nowhere and back.
Really Digits? I suppose you’ve never caught or flown on the AM9 /Departure Bay shed or had a charter that had one dodging boat masts…

TPC
No I haven't. I don't think a situation where there's scheduled service from a harbour really falls under the scope of the question though.

Allow me to rephrase my question: can a floatplane show up at any random harbour, that possibly hasn't seen a floatplane in years, or ever, and go 'hey, I'm a boat vessel, i'm docking here'. Would that be expected/appreciated by the harbour authorities? Or are there some (un)written rules that would make this a bad idea?

Re: Floatplane regarded as vessel in harbour?

Posted: Fri Jul 19, 2024 11:40 pm
by TeePeeCreeper
digits_ wrote: Wed Jul 17, 2024 6:05 am
TeePeeCreeper wrote: Wed Jul 17, 2024 3:44 am
digits_ wrote: Tue Jul 16, 2024 3:58 pm

I doubt there are many commercial float guys out there that fly into boat-harbours often either. Flights usually go from a dock at their base mainly used for planes, into the middle of nowhere and back.
Really Digits? I suppose you’ve never caught or flown on the AM9 /Departure Bay shed or had a charter that had one dodging boat masts…

TPC
No I haven't. I don't think a situation where there's scheduled service from a harbour really falls under the scope of the question though.

Allow me to rephrase my question: can a floatplane show up at any random harbour, that possibly hasn't seen a floatplane in years, or ever, and go 'hey, I'm a boat vessel, i'm docking here'. Would that be expected/appreciated by the harbour authorities? Or are there some (un)written rules that would make this a bad idea?
You are correct. The question wasn’t properly answered and probably never will because a lot of it comes down to being a good steward and not pissing people off. Where’s the “rule book” on common sense right? I digress…

Making a call in advance, checking in with the dock owner prior to use seems very customary to me. Gov docks are fair game unless posted otherwise but again… courtesy goes a long way when docking and deciding on how and how long you’re gonna take up space on that dock.

Years ago while flying back from the family cottage I ran into a line of Wx. Daylight was also fading…. “Let’s find a suitable lake/potential dock available from the air and we’ll sort the rest after the cleats are shored up” kinda thing.

Needless to say, I wasn’t Joe McCool with my buddies onboard that evening. After all, we had a party to attend in the big city that night and some of us were rumoured to have “hot dates” waiting for us. They were… to be disappointed!

Long story short, a very apologetic pilot stepped on a previously unknown dock where an older couple stood in bewilderment as thunder claps bellowed and a 180’ stood tied up on their dock.

A firm hand shake and a -sorry, I know your dock is private but I had no choice but to weather this out I trust you understand?

*There are two types of dock owners. The reasonable kind and the unkind* I lucked out!

- “oh why yes do I ever love freshly baked peanut butter cookies! I’m sure we all would! sorry to impose!!!”

(Needless to say, We missed the party and slept on generously provided foam mattresses)

TPC