Does anyone know a thing about channel dredging?

Long shot, but perhaps someone does this stuff here. We are looking at a place in Florida that has a dock which is about 100-150 feet from last channel marker. Water is deep in the channel (about 6-8 feet) but from the last marker to the dock itself depth drops to 1-2 feet making the dock unusable. I understand that there are companies that specialise in dredging channels and all that. Assuming the bottom is soft, what can one expect the cost of dredging 100-150 feet channel to the dock may be? I am guessing there is no way to do it yourself.

 

Where in Florida? I worked building docks for several companies in So. Fl. (including my own) and you need a barge with a crane and a clam shell bucket to dredge. Find your nearest dock company and if they don't do it they undoubtedly will know a company that does. Just wait until you behold the aroma that eminates from the muck off the bottom of those canals. Good luck and happy hunting.

 

You can do it with a decent trash pump, but the permitting may not allow you to. I know several people who have done it that way. BTW 2' is plenty of water for alot of boats.

 

Seek Jimmy Hoffa....

 

He's in the Meadowlands.

 

They haven't found him.

I say is in Florida mud...

 

This is near Fanning Bayou, Panama City. My current sailboat draws 4'6" so it will not get very far.

 

Start here...

https://www.yellowpages.com/panama-...a City, FL ,Great Lakes Dredge & Dock. More

 

Thanks, I will call them on Monday. If you had to point a finger in the sky and guess - what would dredging about 150 feet from 2 to 6 feet channel may cost? 1K, 5K, 50K?

 

I can guesstimate dock building and service but honestly don't know jack about dredging costs. Sorry.

 

Go to dredgeamerica.com for a guesstimate. They state that their starting price is $75K. That's the first thing that came up in a simple Google search of dredging costs.

 

for $75K I would buy a f@cking shovel and some diving gear.

 

It can’t be cheap - it’s not something they can just knock out in an afternoon. You’ve got the barge , crane, 2-3 man crew minimum . I’d be shocked if it was less than $20k

 

Being that you're messing with a waterway I bet there's some serious permits involved.

 

Be prepared for obtaining permits through the local water management district, Coast Guard, Army Corps, DEP and the County/City you are in. Army Corps will drag their ass on issuing the permit and DEP will want a soil analysis done for the material to be dredged out. If it is contaminated, then you will spend a good chunk of money taking it to a special landfill that is certified for contaminated soils. You will also need to provide a before and after survey to the permitting agencies.

About 8 years ago, we were the engineers of record for a canal dredging project for a mobile home park (Apollo Beach, FL) that we consult for and it turned into a huge nightmare with both permitting delays and contractor issues (equipment issues, timeline issues and trying to change order to death). Fortunately the client had an acre of space that they were using purely as trailer storage so that we could designate as a dumping area for dredged soils and save on hauling fees.

Construction costs have gone through the roof in the last couple years, so even the dredging costs from 8 years ago won't be accurate anymore, but I can provide that tomorrow.

FYI, you will spend a big chunk on mobilization costs for the contractor just because of the equipment. Usually that could be split with neighbors it they want to get the waterway dredged to their dock as well.

 

You can move some plain dirt pretty fast with a 4" gold dredge.

In case you go the diy route

 

Sounds like it might be cheaper to build a long dock out to the deeper water

 

Or trade boats.

 

just the Army Corp of Eng. Other than that... no City or County Bldg dept in FL has any jurisdiction in navigable waterways. Amazed the heck out of me because Ive seen some dock company work thats beyond questionable. My chief just shrugged his shoulders when I presented him with the explosion of dock houses in my area.