Why most navies favored floatplanes over flying boats

Why did most navies use floatplanes rather than flying boats on cruisers?

Floatplanes were easier adaptations of conventional aircraft, while flying boats demanded a more complex purpose-built hull despite their potential advantages.

A navy could often adapt a conventional aircraft by replacing its landing gear with floats and suitable bracing. A flying boat required the fuselage itself to work as a hull, adding structural and hydrodynamic design problems. That made the floatplane the easier procurement route for many services. Three-float arrangements offered some flying-boat-like stability without requiring a complete boat-hull aircraft.