Lake LA-4-200 Buccaneer

Overview

The Lake LA-4-200 Buccaneer is a four-seat single-engine amphibian built around an integral boat hull rather than floats. A 200 hp Lycoming IO-360-A1B sits as a pusher on a pylon above the fuselage, keeping the constant-speed propeller clear of water spray, while retractable tricycle gear lets the airplane operate from paved runways and open water alike. Type-certificated under CAR 3 on FAA TCDS 1A13 (the base LA-4 in 1960, this 200 hp variant added in 1970), it cruises around 109 KTAS, though owners typically report closer to 105 knots in practice. Standard fuel is 40 gallons, extendable to about 55 with optional wingtip-float tanks; useful load runs near 1,135 lb against a 2,690 lb gross, and the service ceiling is 14,700 ft.

Because the gear tucks away and the boat hull replaces external floats, the Lake is cleaner and faster on wheels than a comparable floatplane, without the drag floats impose in the air, though it is a genuinely different machine to master on the water. It never boasts of impressive cruise numbers; its whole appeal is self-contained water access in a retractable, four-seat package. Variable operating cost lands near $137 per hour, with fuel around 9.5 gph plus reserves for the engine and an airframe-maintenance line lifted above a landplane’s to account for corrosion and the hydraulic gear. This airplane suits the buyer who genuinely wants to land on both lakes and runways in the same trip, values the compactness of an integral hull over raw payload, and will accept the training, insurance, and upkeep burden that any amphibian demands.

Key Features for GA Buyers

• Integral-hull amphibian: The boat hull is the fuselage, and the retractable tricycle gear makes it a true amphibian that works from land or water without float rigging.
• Pusher powertrain: The 200 hp fuel-injected Lycoming IO-360-A1B mounts high on a pylon as a pusher, protecting the constant-speed prop from spray; TBO is 2,000 hours.
• Clean water performance: Vs1 is 45 knots and Vso 39 knots, climb runs about 1,200 fpm, and Vne is 134 knots, giving usable margins for an amphibian.
• Practical range options: Standard 40-gallon fuel covers typical missions, and optional wingtip-float tanks raise capacity to roughly 55 gallons for longer legs.
• Active owner support: Lake Aircraft is a small niche operation whose assets passed to Revo Inc after long-time owner Armand Rivard died in 2018, and the Lake Amphibian Flyers Club keeps a real, if modest, community and parts channel alive.

Trade-offs

• Insurance is harder and costlier: As an amphibian, it is more expensive to insure than a landplane single, and harder to place, with underwriters commonly requiring a seaplane rating, type-specific dual, and minimum seaplane time before they will write a policy.
• Corrosion and hull integrity: The hull and structure demand ongoing attention, particularly in salt water, and inspection and upkeep add cost a landplane owner never faces.
• Complex hydraulic gear: The retractable gear is hydraulic and mechanically involved, adding maintenance and a failure surface absent from fixed-gear water flyers.
• Gear discipline on water: Landing gear-down on water is the classic amphibian accident, so a confirmed water-configuration habit and recurrent training are not optional.
• Ratings required: Expect both complex (retractable gear, constant-speed prop, flaps) and seaplane endorsements; the 45-knot clean stall makes it technically MOSAIC sport-pilot eligible, but the seaplane and complex proficiency it truly requires make that a footnote.

See Also

• Lake LA-250 Renegade – the larger, more powerful six-seat sibling on the same type certificate. Compare
• de Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver – the classic float bush hauler; far more payload and ruggedness on floats, at a much higher acquisition and operating cost. Compare
• ICON A5 – the two-seat sport-pilot amphibian at the small, simple end of the water-flying scale. Compare
• Cessna 180 Skywagon – the classic four-seat taildragger that floats well; simpler and better supported, without the retractable amphibian capability. Compare