Anchorage

Phasma

Phasma2128
Sep 17, 2016
689
West Michigan
Boat Info
2003 360 Sundancer
Engines
Mercruiser 8.1s Horizon
While on a cruise with more than 1 boat. If you are on the hook for the night is it better to anchor separately or raft off together. I’ve been watching a YouTube channel called C-Shels. They are anchoring separately but it seems like it would be safer to raft off together. Any seasoned input?
 
We often go on cruises with other members of our club and usually we anchor in a well protected area. Most of the time we anchor out and either dinghy over to the other group or get them to pick us up in a dinghy if we didn't take ours along.

The biggest reason we anchor out is that the height of our rub rail is about 6"-12" higher than the other boats. That makes hanging fenders a bit of a challenge to make sure nobody gets rubbed wrong. (bad pun, sorry!)

If there was just one other boat we'd raft up together. It's easier to keep track of what's going on with the fenders when there's only one other boat.

It's interesting that if the weather is bad, we usually end up with everyone on our boat for the evening because there's enough room in the salon to hold everyone.
 
I admit that I am a conservative where risk is concerned. I don't usually raft up at all, and I never raft up over night. We are in an area with a lot of small boat and tourist traffic and even a small wake can bang boats around, even with large fenders between them.

As to the overnight question, never. Because of the CO risk. Several of the folks we travel with have gas boats and the being tied to a CO source that close to our boat just doesn't seem wise to me. This works well because they don't want to raft up to me either because my generator is diesel and their wives don't want to smell diesel exhaust all night.
 
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For us it depends on the boat. If we match up with the other boat size wise, I have no issue with it provided we are well protected, there is just one anchor deployed and the company is enjoyable. We don't run generators at night so that is not an issue with us as our systems are 12v and we don't need AC power overnight.
 
We raft up for the day all the time in the summer, but if spending the night on the hook I’d rather not be rafted up.
 
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Here is one of our favorite places to overnight. About 10 feet of water and very protected from the north, east and west. It is open on the SE and we seldom have winds from that direction in the summer. Two similar sized boats, on a good anchor are quite safe under these conditions. We have also been there in a heavy thunderstorm or two and don't feel the need to check the anchor at night as the holding ground is superb. I would not raft here, however, in foul weather as it could become complicated in a storm.
 
For me, it depends on the anchorage (and the company). If its just me and my boat-buddy, we usually raft up which makes it easier to swap lies.
 
That's what I'm talking about !!! You the Man Craig !!!!!!!
 
I pick a nice calm protected spot and fire the
Harbor Freight generator up on the swim platform.

While you are there, don't forget to dump your Blackwater tank. Also make sure you crank your stereo up full blast.
 
Every Friday night during the summer we have a raft off for Live on the Levee a concert series we have on the river. We have all been rafting off together for over 20 years now so we have pretty much got it all figured out. It is fun to hang out with the crew.
 
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If the water is rough or lots of wake, rafting has to be done carefully to prevent fenders from slipping out and allowing damage. But, if you are in a calm cove, rafting with people who's company you enjoy is a lot of fun. You can easily move between boats to socialize and go back to your own to use the head, get a re-fill, or whatever. Also you can share meals and eat together.

Some thoughts:
- Largest boat starts the raft and sets anchor while others wait. Then raft up largest inside to smallest on the outside.
- Smaller boats on the outside probably don't need to anchor. Just the inner most large boats should anchor. It avoids tangled anchor rode if you swing around. If you can stern tie to shore to prevent swing that is great.
- Depends on the size of the raft though and the conditions. I am talking 4 to 6 boats in sheltered places. If you are all similar sizes you may want more to be anchored, but you risk rode tangle if you swing.
- Use lots of fenders and tie spring lines as well as straight lines. You want to minimize fore/aft movement as much as hold the boats close.
- Think about generator exhaust outlets in planning who is where. Avoid exhaust exiting between boats. Avoid running generators as much as possible. For sound and for CO on gas boats. It pools in and around boats and can easily get draw into another boat.
- Never raft up with someone that has not changed their fart filter on their head recently. Ban them from any future rafts unless they can provide evidence of recent replacement.
- Be ultra courteous about noise, especially in the morning in a quiet cove.
- Never use the head on someone else's boat if you are rafted up, even if they say its OK. - its a rule and a courtesy you will benefit from as much as be inconvenienced by!
- When you run your dinghy in a cove, no-wake only. If someone flies by your raft on plane, make sure that they are informed of what an A-hole they are.
- Watch out for sailboaters. They seem to always think they need 15:1 anchor rode scope so they can swing on the hook. Must be something about those cabins with no windows and small port holes and very little deck space that makes them lose their minds.
 
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We do a houseboat vacation every year, but have to keep any small boat away from the generator exhaust on the houseboats. Otherwise, it backs up into the bilge of the houseboat and is enough to trigger the CO alarms. Whatever you do, keep the exhaust where it is not blocked by another boat, or just don’t raft up when running the generators (especially gas).
 
Safer is a relative term. Think of all the variables that go into anchoring. Winds, waves, current, tides, bottom conditions and even the ground tackle on individual boats. Most of these conditions can and will change, sometimes unpredictably.

I would think about the worst case scenario. Let’s say you have to vacate you location at 3am as a severe thunderstorm approaches and a drastic wind change. Imagine several boats with tangled anchor rodes, all trying to get their gear and go in a panic at night, under pressure. That would be a disaster. Somebody will be to cheap or unprepared to cut the rode and run.

I’m firmly in the camp of separate.
 
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Here is another very safe anchorage at the east end of Little Traverse Bay. However, not a place where you would raft up overnight as there is 10-12 miles of open water to the East. Also the holding ground is superb but the water is 35 deep so you need the proper ground tackle in a blow. Still, we prefer this over the east side of the east dock in Harbor Springs, as you do not get slammed against the dock in a storm.
 
That is what I love about this forum. A ton of experience and info. I’m pretty comfortable rafting off as we do it on Spring Lake pretty consistently and will raft off on the Lake Michigan on calm days. Several of your points were well taken about rafting off over night. CO issues, tangled anchor lines at night in the event of a weather change. I love chilling with other boaters on the hook but certainly will cons9der NOT rafting off over night. Thanks guys
 
That is what I love about this forum. A ton of experience and info. I’m pretty comfortable rafting off as we do it on Spring Lake pretty consistently and will raft off on the Lake Michigan on calm days. Several of your points were well taken about rafting off over night. CO issues, tangled anchor lines at night in the event of a weather change. I love chilling with other boaters on the hook but certainly will cons9der NOT rafting off over night. Thanks guys

We are very lucky on Georgian Bay that there are many many anchorages that are extremely sheltered and rafting is what the vast majority of overnight groups do. If you ever get the opportunity to cruise up in this area you will see what I mean.
 
Here's an opposite to my anchoring thoughts. Our club has a big anchoring out party in the bay adjacent to our club docks. It's an annual event and the number of boats attending usually runs between 45-55.

My boat is the "anchor boat". I set my anchor in an upwind position then boats raft up on both sides of mine. We have a band playing and it's a great afternoon of fun.

 
We almost always raft up with at least 1 other boat overnight if not many nights.
90% of the time everything is fine BUT there have been a few 1am changes in the weather where we all had to split up and drop our own anchor. This is not fun in an almost violent thunderstorm.
We check the weather prior to turning infor the night but things change.
I wouldn’t have it any other way we love our boating families and if someone needs help we’re just a step away.
 

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