Suction dredging
The patented submersible cutter pump dredges up to 1,180 yd³ of sludge per hour and discharges up to 1 mile away — further with a booster pump. It works even where trash and vegetation are present.
Capabilities
For environmental dredging, raking, piling — and more
From dry ground to 20 ft depth. The all-in-one Watermaster is a cutter suction dredger, backhoe dredger, amphibious excavator, aquatic weed harvester, and piling machine in a single unit — mobilizing and operating without extra machinery or personnel.
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Unrestricted mobility and safe operation in challenging locations where no other machine can work.
1
Transport
The compact Watermaster travels easily as a complete unit on a standard trailer.
2
Self-launch
Unload autonomously using the four stabilizers and the excavator arm, then walk into the water without crane assistance.
3
Self-propel
Cruise to remote locations at speeds up to 4.6 mph — no tugboat needed.
4
Self-anchor
Anchor independently on four stabilizers for a steady work position, without cables that block water traffic.
Do everything
Quickly interchangeable heavy-duty attachments let one machine handle every shallow water task.
Backhoe dredging
Choose a 160-gallon toothed bucket, a 265-gallon bucket for soft soils, or a clamshell. Handles roughly 52–78 yd³ of solids per hour depending on soil type.
Raking
A 9 ft rake removes rooted invasive vegetation such as hippo grass, floating growth such as water hyacinth, and urban trash and debris.
Pile driving
Drive piles from the water side with a piling bucket for wooden piles or a vibratory driver for piles and sheet metal. The FOPS-certified cabin keeps operators safe.
Field documentation
Amphibious dredging operations recorded for the Byram River flood mitigation alternatives analysis — a restoration-based approach that restores channel conveyance without modifying existing bridge structures.
1Working beneath a historic arch
The amphibious dredger operates inside a narrow channel under a stone bridge arch — clearing sediment at a constriction without touching or altering the historic structure.
2Self-launch from the bank
The machine walks itself off the trailer and into the water on its own stabilizers and excavator arm, so no crane, barge, or in-water staging platform is required.
3Urban waterway mobilization
Set up directly beside a street-level river corridor. Work stays in the channel rather than on the roadway, keeping traffic, commerce, and emergency access moving.
4Steep-bank reservoir access
Anchored on four stabilizers on a raw earth bank, the dredger reaches remote reservoirs and impoundments where conventional dredging plant cannot be launched.
5Road transport as one unit
The complete machine travels on a standard lowboy trailer, allowing rapid mobilization between sites within a watershed programme.
6Beneficial reuse placement
Dredged material is pumped and sprayed into a receiving cell for salt marsh construction — turning sediment from a disposal burden into restored intertidal habitat.
Technical specs
Engine
- Caterpillar C7.1 turbocharged 6-cylinder diesel
- Flywheel power at 2100 rpm: 225 hp / 275 hp
- Fuel tank capacity 317 gallons
- 24 V electric system, 2 × 180 Ah batteries
Hydraulics
- Axial piston pump for dredging and propeller, max 5,000 psi
- Axial piston pump for digging and stabilizers, max 3,335 psi
Excavator
- Swinging angle 180°
- Break-out force from bucket cylinder 18,660 lbf
- Digging force from arm cylinder 10,565 lbf
- Lifting capacity at max reach 5,510 lbf
Hull
- One-piece hull with 7 watertight compartments
- Corrosion-resistant paint inside and out
- Protective skid bars on bottom
- Mast and signal lights for dredging and navigation
Anchoring
- Independent anchoring without assisting vessels or wire cables
- Two front stabilizers, max depth 16.4 ft
- Two rear tilting stabilizers, max depth 22 ft
Transport dimensions
- Length without boom 36.1 ft, with boom 55.8 ft
- Width 10.8 ft, height 10.3 ft
- Transport weight approx. 24.3 US tons
- Certified ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 3449