Stopped fighting the tide for better dredge cuts

I used to try and force a straight cut line no matter what, even when the tide was pulling hard. On a job in Mobile Bay last fall, I was fighting a 3 knot current for hours, burning fuel and making a mess. My old boss told me to just go with the flow, literally. Now I set my cut line at a slight angle to the current, letting it help push the material into the suction head. It feels wrong at first, like you're not doing it right, but the cut is cleaner and the pump doesn't work as hard. I save about 15% on fuel on a bad tide day now. Anyone else try working with the current instead of against it?

2 comments

2 Comments

tessa_clark748d ago

My buddy who runs a workboat up in Seattle said the same thing. He was fighting a cross-current trying to keep a perfect line for a survey and just wore himself out. Letting the boat drift a bit with the flow made the whole job smoother.

zara_kelly278d ago

I read a sailing blog where a guy in the Florida Keys talked about this. He said trying to hold a rigid course against a three-knot current just burns fuel and strains the engine. He found that if he let the boat angle off by ten degrees and used the current to his side, he actually reached his mark faster with way less effort. It's like working with the water instead of telling it no.