By Henry “Matt” Johnson, EAA 1118798

This piece originally ran in the March 2026 issue of EAA Sport Aviation magazine.

I have been following the Seawind saga since my first demo flight in 1993. Not having the time to devote to such a project, I did not get involved again with Seawinds until I purchased a finished airplane in 2015. I had this Seawind for six years until it was lost in a hangar fire. Unfortunately, Seawind is out of business and quit selling kits more than 15 years ago. Fortunately, there are still incomplete kits available, which gave me the opportunity to both build and design a Seawind with all the features that I wanted in the new N695MD. A total of about 9,000 hours were used to complete this airplane over three years.

Based in Montana, I wanted an engine with additional power to aid water takeoffs at our 3,000-foot altitude. Ly-Con built me a 388-hp version of the Lycoming IO-580 coupled with an appropriate four-bladed MT propeller. Some of the additional unique features of this airplane included custom yokes that better fit the cockpit and allowed for one-handed control of the aircraft on takeoff. These were designed, 3D printed out of plastic for fit, and then machined out of aluminum by Retallack Technologies. Engineers from OTTO Engineering helped me choose and then supplied the custom aerospace switches I used within the yokes.

I did away with the original fiberglass cowling in lieu of a much lighter carbon fiber cowling that we built for ease of removal during service. I wanted 360-degree control of the airplane in the water without the engine running. For this I incorporated a Rim Drive Technology thruster into the water rudder. This unique motor is used on underwater submersibles and is capable of 50 pounds of thrust with a weight of less than 8 pounds and easily moves the Seawind in all directions through the water at up to 3 mph. It is coupled to the air rudder when deployed and thus steered by a combination of the rudder pedals and reversing the thruster motor. A video of the thruster can be seen via the link at EAA.org/Extras.

The panel is full Garmin glass and was supplied by Aerotronics. I bent and built custom aluminum circuit breaker panels so they could be moved to the floor, allowing more space for avionics in the panel. The airplane has a three-axis Garmin autopilot, angle of attack system by Alpha Systems, a FlareAssist radar altimeter for glassy water landings, a gear warning system, airbag seat belts, and an escape hatch. Exterior cameras were installed to monitor the engine and propeller in flight as well as from each wing to further confirm the landing gear positions. A primary goal of this build was to improve the safety of this airplane, and all these features were added with that in mind.

The custom interior has a sports car feel, complements the paint work, and was done out of leather by Shanon Watson of Westslope Interiors. Earlier Seawind owners complained of the lack of braking, so I worked with Beringer Aero to incorporate its brakes and wheels into the first Seawind installation.

Six months of this project were devoted to final body and paint work that was completed in pieces within my shop. I was fortunate to meet and befriend a new Montana neighbor named Jim Straube of Straube’s Aircraft Painting Services. Jim sprayed while I cleaned, taped, and sanded what became a show quality paint job. All the striping was laid out by hand, painted, and sealed under many coats of clear, leaving a completely smooth finish.

I performed all the initial test flights for 40 hours as well as following the EAA Flight Test Manual and test cards. Other than minor programming issues with electronics, the airplane flew as it should with no surprises. Having flown a Seawind for several years before building one gave me much time to think about what I would want in the ultimate Seawind. It being an experimental aircraft allowed me the flexibility of using my imagination to build and test new ideas. Attending AirVenture exposed me to other aircraft, technology, and vendors where these ideas could be discussed and cultivated into reality. Building was every bit as much fun as flying this airplane. Incorporating the latest technology and materials into a kit from the 1990s was one of my favorite parts of building the airplane.

During the 20-plus years since I had first flown in a Seawind, I owned a company that designed and built road construction machinery. I credit the experience and the knowledge gained from my coworkers as the basis for building the Seawind. Thanks to all the other Seawind builders and pilots as well as vendors whom I consulted with throughout this project. Their experiences, both negative and positive, helped shape many of the final build decisions. To everyone’s credit, it was awesome to be recognized at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2025.

Attention — Aircraft Builders and Restorers

We would love to share your story with your fellow EAA members in the pages of EAA Sport Aviation magazine, even if it’s a project that’s been completed for a while. Readers consistently rate the “What Our Members are Building/Restoring” section of the magazine as one of their favorites, so don’t miss the chance to show off your handiwork and inspire your peers to start or complete projects of their own. Learn more ->