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[BilgeRat]

Mel,
I'm with you on fiberglass! Years ago, I worked in a marina, so there was a lot of 'glass work. Many a night, sleep was hard to come by because of my itching arms...

 

[ajetmech]

When I worked at McDonnell Douglas ((Long Beach, CA) Flight Test Division one of our flight test pilots was building a Seawinds plane. This was back in the early 90's.

 

[CrimsonEclipse]

Sea plane pilot here.

Composite is the best idea to hit Sea Planes since.... ever.
Especially in salt water conditions.

I like the idea of the Icon but an abundance of caution is required.
They are catering to the weekend warrior which can increase the amount of "Gotchya" situations.

There are an abundance of hazards to landing on water. You can get a license in 5 hours including checkride (assuming you already have a Private, Commercial, or ATP license)

Winds, waves, current (none of which seem to go in the same direction), CHANGES in all three in minimal distance, debris and unseen hazards, wildlife (yes, including whales), boats, ships (sailing ships, cruise ships can be taller than you might think), and don't get me started on novice pilots flying into marginal weather and/or hazardous terrain.

We were cautioned about flying too low in certain areas because the humpback whale can breach out of the water unexpectedly.
At least it would be a unique death.