takes, and In time become quite adept at this mode of collecting. Inciden- 

 tally, if he does continue to dredge, he will soon have many species of shells 

 that less fortunate collectors can never get except by trading, buying, or 

 going dredging themselves. 



Boats. While it is som.etimes possible to get some very good material 

 by just throwing a dredge off from the end of a pier and dragging it in, a 

 boat of some sort is really essential. I have already suggested that a person 

 with a strong back can dredge a lot of fine material with a skiflf. My readers 

 will probably not believe it until they have the experience, but a man can 

 drag just as large a dredge and fill it just as full by rowing as one can with 

 an ordinary small motor boat. Needless to say, the rower will not be able 

 to make as many hauls as the motor boat operator. 



In choosing a dredging boat, the most important item to consider, in 

 my estimation, is seaworthiness. If one is going to dredge in the open sea 

 with a small boat, he must always remember that the wind and the sea are 

 treacherous, and if his boat swamps he is in a mighty precarious position. 

 Incidentally, in such a case the safest thing to do is to stay with the boat, 

 unless it sinks. If you are going to dredge with a skiflF or flat bottomed 

 rowboat, be sure to get one that was made for the ocean and not for some 

 quiet lake or lagoon. It should have a fairly wide beam so that you can 

 stand up, if need be, without tipping it over, the sides and stern should 

 flare a little and there should be some shear. If you have never rowed a 

 boat, learn how to do that first. Have some old "salt" show you or read 

 how to, in a book. Also, do not try to dredge everything the first day, 

 leave some for other times or your hands will look worse than hamburger, 

 even if you wear gloves — which good oarsmen never do. 



The next step above rowing a skiff is to power a skiff with an outboard 

 motor while dredging. Choosing the outboard motor presents quite a task, 

 especially if you have to keep your hobby within a narrow budget. I can 

 tell you from experience, however, that it is better to pay a little more 

 and get a good dependable (as outboard motors go) motor and then take 

 good care of it. I shall never forget the hours that I have spent trying to 

 start, taking apart, and then putting back together again the cheap little 

 outboard motor with which we started, nor shall I forget the miles that 

 I rowed when I did not get it started. 



It is rather important to match the motor and the boat; if the motor 

 is too small for the boat, you will have to help it out with the oars, while if 

 it is too big, it is likely to push the stern under the water when the power 

 is turned on. 



After trying out many different kinds of boats, I believe that the one 

 that we have used for the past three years is the best for ordinary dredging, 

 within its price field. It is an 18- foot New England dory with a "well" for 

 an outboard motor and a shive or pulley in the stern. The "well" is so 

 arranged that one person can sit behind it and tend the dredge. Forward 

 of the motor operator's seat is a hand windlass on which the line is wound. 

 We had the hull built for $100 and the motor which I am now using is a 

 10 horse power Johnson outboard which sold new for $180. Let me say 



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