Overheard a guy at the marina say he dredges by feel alone

Some old timer at the dock last weekend said he hasn't looked at a gauge in 20 years, just feels the vibration through the controls. Made me wonder how many of us actually trust our hands over the instruments, especially when the sand gets muddy. Anyone else ever run a job mostly by gut feel?

2 comments

2 Comments

lunakim1mo ago

Feels the vibration and knows exactly when the bottom changes, that's real skill right there.

caleb_thomas931mo ago

Wait, is running a dredger really that deep though? I mean, yeah, feeling the vibration is a neat party trick, but you're still moving a ton of sand and muck around. One wrong guess based on a "feeling" and you could jam up your cutterhead or tear up your hull. I've seen guys brag about their gut instincts and then watch them spend three hours digging themselves out of a hole they made because they ignored the depth finder. It's like saying you can drive across the country blindfolded because you can feel the road through the steering wheel. These guys are out there on expensive machines, not playing a video game.