A sportplane, the Shaw flying boat was rather different from other American flying boats in design, as well as construction. Typical was the very short fuselage of the hull, formed as a gliding airfoil, but in its bow was a three-cylinder, two-stroke, water-cooled, 90hp Johnson covered with an aluminium top. Just behind the motor was the radiator, and behind that two tandem cockpits with dual-controls, then the pusher prop operated by a long shaft and chain.
Wings were linen-covered wooden frames with two spars, the front one of which as a layer of ash between two layers of spruce. Leading edges were made of five layers, four spruce and one ash, all secured by steel wire. Wood struts had a streamlined cross-section and were made from three layers of ash and two of spruce. Only the upper wing had ailerons.
Tail section was rather compact and set at an angle to avoid trailing in the water. The lifting tailplane had an elevator in two parts, a stabilizer in three parts, and a balanced rudder. All were covered with linen. Both the lower wings and the tail section were attached to the fuselage with steel pipes, and on both sides of the fuselage a section of the lower wing was uncovered to provide a handy downward view.
Fuselage was an ash and spruce frame covered with mahogany three-ply having a center layer of linen, and the deck’s bow was covered with linen. Fuselage length was about 6 meters and had a hollow V-bottom with one step. Behind that step the bottom was flat.
All Aero 