For a lot of visitors to the recent Miami Boat Show, the most memorable display on Collins Avenue wasn't a yacht but an airplane on top of yacht. A number of things about this rig drew spectators' attention, not the least of which was the single-engine aircraft's bright-yellow paint job. Then there was the fact that the plane's wings folded back alongside its fuselage, making it practical to carry it aboard the relatively small (at least for carrying a fixed-wing aircraft) Tricon Argos G92

The combo certainly got my attention, especially since it was moored right outside my hotel window. So I did a little research, and things got even more interesting. The airplane is a Glasair Sportsman 2 + 2 with optional floats that contain landing gear so it can land basically anywhere. It's apparently a real workhorse. According to the company website (www.glasairaviation.com), "with 2 pilots and full fuel, the Sportsman will not only haul over 300 pounds of gear, cargo, or extra passengers, it will easily handle all of the bulky stuff you never thought you’d take with you in your airplane: two sets of golf clubs, snow skis, nine-foot fishing rods and reels, folding tables, chairs, aluminum-frame backpacks, all kinds of camping, hiking and scuba gear." And apparently, even with all this stuff packed aboard, you can fly 600 miles in four hours and still have a half-hour fuel reserve.

 

Something else I found very attractive about this plane is its light weight: just 1,350 pounds empty. That means that most boats will be able to lift the Sportsman aboard with a conventional davit, after installing a lifting bridle on the aircraft. And it's likely no reinforcement will be necessary on your aft deck, although you should obviously check with your boat's manufacturer to be sure.

 

But I've saved the best aspect of the Sportsman for last: You build it yourself from a kit. And according to the company it's a pretty simple process that you can do without a lot of special tools, in as little as two weeks. Check out the brochure on line for pricing.

And by the way, I also got aboard the Argos. It was almost as cool!

The photos you see here are courtesy of our favorite photographer, Jim Raycroft.