Changed my mind about using cutter suction dredges after a visit to Green Harbor

I always thought they were overkill for small jobs, but seeing one clear that clogged channel near the marina in just 3 days was wild. The operator showed me the cutterhead digging through compacted sand and I realized I'd been wrong. Anyone else have a shift in opinion after watching a specific setup work in person?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_ruby1mo ago

Was this just a straight sand dredge or did they punch through harder material like clay or gravel? Those cutter suction setups can be finicky about what sort of bottom they're chewing through, and seeing one work in person doesn't always tell you if it was a perfect match for that specific job or just a good operator making it look easy. Which boat were they running?

markm271mo ago

Did you ever see the video from a few years back where a cutter suction dredge hit a buried car on a river job down in Louisiana? I think about that every time someone brings up hard material issues. Anyway, to your question, I talked to one of the deckhands after and he said they were mostly chewing through sand with some gravel patches, nothing too wild. They were running the Ellicott 370 Dragon if I remember right, but the operator was definitely a seasoned guy who made it look smoother than it probably was.