Rafts get no respect.

[blprice61]

People complain about rafts; they're too slow.. well yeah they're a bunch of driftwood held together with baling wire and duct tape.. err scrap leather and resin; they don't carry any cargo.. well duh they are a raft, you were expecting a cargo hold and an outboard motor.. I'm shocked they have a sail!

Good news though, I've found a uses for rafts beyond the obvious early uses. They're helpful when building docks. They're great for helping you pave the way through rough spots for bigger and better ships. Of course those aren't new - this next one might be.

Rafts are great for harvesting Tin along those tiny rivers in deep ravines - plus they're completely discard-able by that point. Troll attack? Screw the raft; pop a stam potioin, hit Eithkyr power, jump for the bank and climb that hill at a run and jump before you become Troll leftovers.

Anyone else have an unusual or uncommon use for the raft?

[ritt5220]

When I can, I will put a portal on a large rock or small island off shore of an area to explore. It helps keep the portal safe. I will put a raft at the 1/2 way mark between the portal and shore. I work on my swimming skill to get to shore and if stamina is low I can get on the raft to regenerate. Also have seen pictures of people using many rafts to make a floating bridge.

[Lucidess]

Rafts are great! I used a Raft to build a bridge earlier. I think you can also push Rafts onto land, up a hill, then ride it down a hill. They are easy to push around in the water so you can make them go in any direction you want by pushing it while swimming. If you die and have to cross waters, a Raft is obviously the best solution, good thing we can actually build them!

[Leffe-(SWE)]

I use for fishing sometimes if I have a lake on my main Island.

[Faceplant]

I much prefer building an underwater walkway with wood flooring when building in water than a raft. Not only can you get much lower, but I find that the raft moves around too much, and any misplaced stone blocks are generally wasted.

[blprice61]

Originally posted by Faceplant8:

I much prefer building an underwater walkway with wood flooring when building in water than a raft. Not only can you get much lower, but I find that the raft moves around too much, and any misplaced stone blocks are generally wasted.

I'm a utilitarian builder at best; I only build cargo docks and then only in calm shallow waters; raft is good enough for placing a stubborn support occasionally. Pretty much the same for bridges - rarely go above 8 meters of the watercourse bed except for perhaps a very short 4 to 6 meter span which I can do without supports.

In both those scenarios, the raft suffices and is faster, even with the occasional miss-click since I never use stone for bridges or docks/piers, than the infrastructure required for building underwater or even for a scaffolding at water level most times.

But, to each his or her own, never said the raft was always the best tool, or even a good tool, just occasionally a quick and dirty one that works.