Best Practices for Rafting-Up!

Key Tips:

• You may not know your immediate neighbor. If that’s the case, always ask permission first, before coming alongside.

• Turn your engine(s) and generator off once rafted up, They can be noisy and smelly, especially when a few boats are together. Not to mention, the sound can drown out conversation.

• Arrive at the raft-up with your batteries fully charged.

• Don’t drown out the good time with a stereo that’s too loud. Always consider others.

• Be sure to use appropriate language, especially when families with kids are rafted up.

When it comes to planning a successful raft-up, you can never be too prepared! Before the big day arrives, make sure you know who's coming and how heavy their boats are. The heaviest boat should set the anchor and serve as host - they need to have an effective anchor that will hold everyone in place. Then all other boats should arrive in order of weight from heaviest to lightest so that no one is left out or forgotten about.

Once your location has been chosen for your raft-up, scout it out thoroughly before actually anchoring down. Make sure there is enough depth for all of the boats involved (and add 3-4 feet extra just in case). Also ensure there's plenty of room for each boat to swing 360 degrees without getting too close together or tangled up with any other vessels nearby! Finally, consider scope when setting your anchor – allow at least 7:1 ratio between length of rode and depth (e.g., 56 feet if 8 ft deep).

As soon as boats arrive at the site they should have their fenders and lines in place so that when two or more vessels come together there are no surprises! The lead boat should be positioned first with its stern aligned against the host vessel's stern - this will make it easier for people to move from one boat onto another using swim platforms rather than climbing over gunwales or handrails.

Once all necessary safety precautions have been taken such as making sure all lines are rated properly for even bigger vessels, additional boats can start arriving alongside each other starting with an opposite side approach if there is more than two in attendance; leaving the lead boat still situated right in center. Spring lines can then be used adjust positions relative to what was established by host vessel's stern alignment earlier on while allowing everyone onboard plenty of room without any crowding issues arising out of nowhere!

To sum things up: raft-ups require some forethought but once done correctly everybody involved gets a chance enjoy spending time together out on open waters without ever having worry about potential accidents occurring due bad planning beforehand - which makes them worth doing every single time!