Seawind vs Seamax I recently read about the Seamax and I compared it to my Super Seawind, N71RJ. The Seamax certainly seems like a wonderful flying machine. The more I read about it the more my heart pounded for left-seat adventures on land and on water. The first thing that comes to mind is its beauty. Like its thirty-year predecessor namely Seawinds, the Seamax all-composite airframe shows off sleek curves and contours. It has a hard-to-beat blend of form and function.
Functionally the fold-up wings mean its twenty-foot-long body can fit into a standard-size garage. That alone could save the price of a new car every four to five years. Form-wise, everyone likes to break out their cameras when approaching a composite amphibian. Furthermore, what’s not to love about the Garmin triplet avionics suite? Two G3X screens and a G5 digital backup screen. Add an autopilot and ADSB in and out and you arrive at pilot nirvana.
Au contraire, less the folding wings, the PT6-Seawind 3000 has all these things and much more. More seating, more power (5X), more range (2X), useful load (2X), and twice the rated operating ceiling of 12,000’. I think of my Seawind design as the parent and pacemaker to the Seamax. Both are no-rust all-composite amphibians, both are esthetically appealing, but Seawinds was built with a lot more airframe and engine muscle. See the chart below for comparisons.
DETAILS
| Seamax | Seawind 3000 | PT6 Seawind N71RJ | |
| Range, maximum in nautical miles | 547 | 850 | 1,000 |
| Max speed (VH) | 116 | 149 | 149 |
| Cruising speed, IAS | 100 | 149 | 149 |
| Stall speed full flaps | 39 | 51 | 45 |
| Never Exceed Speed | 134 | 173 | 173 |
| Operating ceiling | 12,000’ | 14,800’ | 24,000’ |
| Rate of climb | 980 FPM | 850 | 2500 |
| Take off distance land | 500’ | 1010 | 870 |
| Legal to fly in IMC? | No | Yes or no | Yes |
| Take off distance water | 500’ | 1600 | 1100 |
| Seats | 2 | 4 | 4 |
| Length | 19.8’ | 27.2 | 27.2 |
| Empty weight | 715 Lbs | 2600 +/- | 2769 |
| Max T.O. weight | 1320 | 3600 | 3950 |
| Useful load | 600 Lbs | 1,000 | 1,181 |
| Engine horsepower | 100 | 300 | 550 |
| Fuel capacity maximum | 26 | 110 | 145 |
| Avionics systems | 3 | 1 or more | 4 |
| Fuel type | Avgas | Avgas | Jet A or Avgas |
All things considered, both are crowd-attracting incredible flying machines that could add much joy and adventure to your life. One can take your family and vacation baggage, and another can take only a friend. One can get you coast-to-coast in a day; the other will be a multi-day excursion with twice the fuel stops. For me, I like the speed, the 270-degree view and the cargo capacity of my Seawind, N71RJ.
I feel good that I can fly a family members or friends to stay with me at a lake for a week and still have lots of cargo room to spare. It’s my flying SUV. Best of all, it is a whole lot of fun to fly my Seawind. Although I now dream of a Seamax flight, there’s just nothing like flying a Seawind-especially a PT6 powered one. See for yourself. Put yourself in the right seat-virtually at www.SuperSeawind/Videos. It’s free! Happy flying!