AMA Plans Service Showcase J-3 Cub — 2012/05
The J-3 Cub is as striking on floats as it is on wheels
Fred Reese only needed a little push to build the Piper J-3 Cub floatplane. Wanting to construct one for many years, he took the plunge after seeing George Wilson’s Model Builder article about floats for the Sig Piper J-3 Cub. George’s floats, however, were scaled down and would not keep Fred’s model afloat. He successfully rebuilt them using strips of Styrofoam.
The J-3 Cub featured a 44-inch wingspan, with 280 square inches of wing area. Weight was critical for this model; Fred felt that 33 ounces with floats was the maximum. The four-channel radio setup with a 225 mAh battery pack weighed 11 ounces.
Constructed from balsa, the model was covered in yellow MonoKote or EconoKote with matching trim over the window areas and along the edges of the covering. Black MonoKote was used to trim the side stripe and numbers. The Cub logo on the rudder was hand-painted, using Pactra Enamel for plastic models.
Floats and conversion
Converting from rubber wheels to floats takes a matter of minutes. The floats were built with:
- 1/4-inch by 2-inch balsa tops
- 1/16-inch balsa bulkheads, sides, and bottoms
- Styrofoam strips used in reconstruction where necessary
They were covered with K&B fiberglass cloth and resin, then primed and painted silver. Fred made a working, steerable float rudder, but he did not use it because it tended to pick up weeds and algae during takeoff.
Fred recommended waterproofing the radio if flying from water. He noted that the Cub flew fast and the control response was good. “There is always something special about a Piper Cub, no matter how large or small it is,” he said.
More information and plans
This model was featured in a construction article in the April 1983 Model Aviation (MA). AMA members can access the magazine’s digital archives on MA’s website to read more about it.
The Piper J-3 Cub floatplane is AMA Plans Service listing 403, available for $19, plus shipping and handling. See page 151 or go to www.modelaircraft.org/plans.aspx for ordering information.
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
