Quick guide to raft-up

Quick guide: how to raft-up

Rafting up refers to tying more than one boat side-by-side on a single anchor or mooring.

1. Pull the boats alongside each other. Each boat need fenders out. One boat needs to be anchored or otherwise secured beforehand. In general, the bigger boat should be the one anchored, and the anchor/securing point should be toward the center of the raft.
2. Tie bow and stern together first.
3. Use a spring line (running from a point nearly to the bow of one boat to the stern of another) to adjust the two boats forward/back so that the masts are not aligned. Very important: waves/rocking boats can damage colliding masts if you skip this step. If you're staying awhile, use two springlines that cross in an X, to better secure the two boats.
4. It's possible to raft up more than two boats using the same principles.
5. If rafting to a dock, the larger boat should be in toward the dock, in general. When using this communal way of securing boats, be prepared that you will have people walking over your boat to get to shore. Live with it or go anchor by yourself!