Dan Thomas wrote:

Aircraft floats are designed the way they are for a critical
purpose and it would be difficult indeed to come up with something
much different that might still work.

Looks like there's agreement on that.

Hokay, then, would any respectable homebuilt pontoon be capable of doubling
as some kind of canoe? Granted, we still have the problem that a canoe is
generally wide open, whereas a pontoon that's wide open is ill-advised.

Perhaps a kayak design, where a simple hole in the middle of the pontoon
could be easily covered, might work -- provided a pontoon would be
seaworthy (why do I have this nagging sense it would just tip over no
matter what you tried to do with it).

Thanks to all for responding to an idea that I agree borders on the
nonsensical. I'll skip asking wether using a prop as a canoe paddle would
eliminate the need to j-stroke. ;-)

- Scott