Tieing up...?

[MPII]

Re: Tieing up...?

My slip neighbor is a great guy but he hosts a lot of parties on his boat. Booze, I suspect drugs, loud music, and naked women. He has a mirror ball in his cabin, tamborine, and cowbell.
QUOTE]

We like to have fun just as much, if not more than the next crowd, but I would have a serious problem with constand loud music, drugs, and strange drunk people all over the place.

 

[bajabuddy]

Re: Tieing up...?

My children are grown and out of town.

My slip neighbor is a great guy but he hosts a lot of parties on his boat. Booze, I suspect drugs, loud music, and naked women. He has a mirror ball in his cabin, tamborine, and cowbell.

He shows me pictures of his parties. One showed a naked girl hanging upside down by her knees from his radar arch.

The naked women don't bother me and my wife would tolerate them, but the drunkeness, dope, and loud music would keep me away. Also, the mess that some folks make when they get drunk.

So - if we have the chance to raft up (difficult with 30' + boats in an area with strong tidal currents), it's with folks our age or younger, more serious people with families aboard.

We were partying people at one time but we've outgrown it.

What's with the cow bell and tamborine?

 

[korygrandy]

Re: Tieing up...?

I've wondered the same thing. There are 2 places I know of where I see tons of people rafted up in MN. The St. Croix river at Hastings and Lake Minnetonka at Big Island.

I would like to raft up to some of these people as I'm 29 with no kids and don't mind some cheap entertainment but I dont want it to come at the cost of my boat getting destroyed.

I've heard the local radio station advertising they will be at Big Island and it generates a lot of turnout.

How the heck do I approach these guys to raft up. I know there is no way all these people knew eachother prior to there raftup.

I don't drink but I used to and it's still fun to hang out with these people (to a point).

 

[sheridon]

Re: Tieing up...?

I rafted up a couple times this weekend after getting to know a few people the day before and they invited me over to raft up with them. I found it surprising how many people knew each other.

The people I rafted up with were 5 boats across. But they knew several of the other boats that were rafted up at other places in the bay. I guess once you meet a few people and can raft up with them as the day goes on others swim by and you get introduced by the people you are rafted up with.

I met the people we rafted up with on the beach. Wasn't as busy that day but they were there and we just started chatting. Now we know quite a few people that we can raft up with the next time we are out.

 

[SNye45]

Re: Tieing up...?

Tieing up to another boat does have its downside. Recently I was tied up to my friends boat and anchored in a cove (well out of the main traffic lane) when in idiot went by 50-70. His resulting wake caused my friends boat to crash against mine and the result was a cracked side window.

An $80 repair bill is going to make me think twice about tieing up to anyone in the future.

 

[lncoop]

Re: Tieing up...?

what's with the cow bell and tamborine?

more cow bell!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[rwidman]

Re: Tieing up...?

My slip neighbor is a great guy but he hosts a lot of parties on his boat. Booze, I suspect drugs, loud music, and naked women. He has a mirror ball in his cabin, tamborine, and cowbell.
QUOTE]

We like to have fun just as much, if not more than the next crowd, but I would have a serious problem with constand loud music, drugs, and strange drunk people all over the place.

And that's my point about knowing who you're rafting up with. I like the guy, but I wouldn't want to be at one of his parties.

 

[rwidman]

Re: Tieing up...?

What's with the cow bell and tamborine?

Turn the music up as loud s it will go and play along, pretending you're part of the band.

It's sort of an indication of how drunk you are.

 

[rwidman]

Re: Tieing up...?

Tieing up to another boat does have its downside. Recently I was tied up to my friends boat and anchored in a cove (well out of the main traffic lane) when in idiot went by 50-70. His resulting wake caused my friends boat to crash against mine and the result was a cracked side window.

An $80 repair bill is going to make me think twice about tieing up to anyone in the future.

Yes, that's a risk. Proper fender deployment helps.

 

[korygrandy]

Re: Tieing up...?

Originally Posted by SNye45
Tieing up to another boat does have its downside. Recently I was tied up to my friends boat and anchored in a cove (well out of the main traffic lane) when in idiot went by 50-70. His resulting wake caused my friends boat to crash against mine and the result was a cracked side window.

An $80 repair bill is going to make me think twice about tieing up to anyone in the future.

Thats what scares me. I see a good 50+ boats tied together in a line and then everyone else driving by creating wake wanting to see the action and I think how do these boats come out of this without damage.

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: Tieing up...?

OK this is all foreign to me, but I'm curious:

If you are rafted up in the middle of a line of boats, and you want to leave, can you just untie, sail away and break the chain?
How many anchors would be out on a raft of say 15 boats?
After you tie up, do you walk around on top of the other boats, or do you just sit there like at the drive-in movies, only closer? Can you swim/wade to shore and leave your boat?

That arial photo of the party cove reminds me of the coves after a major hurricane, when all the boats are piled up on top of each other. Looks like it's too choked up for a boat to get from one end to the other, idling.

To each his own. I enjoy hearing on this forum about other styles of boating.

 

[rwidman]

Re: Tieing up...?

If you are rafted up in the middle of a line of boats, and you want to leave, can you just untie, sail away and break the chain?
How many anchors would be out on a raft of say 15 boats?
After you tie up, do you walk around on top of the other boats, or do you just sit there like at the drive-in movies, only closer? Can you swim/wade to shore and leave your boat?

If you are rafted up in the middle and want to leave, you have to tell the people on either side of you so they can re-raft (so to speak). If you plan on leaving before the others, try to be on the outside.

How many anchors? It depends. You might be on a lake, you might be on a sheltered bay, you might be on a river with current, and you might be in a tidal area with reversing current. Each situation is different. If you're the rookie, let the more experienced rafters set it up.

Do you walk on the other boats? In my experience, yes. People invite you for drinks or snacks and you do the same to them.

Can you swim or wade to shore and leave your boat? Again, it depends. In some areas you couldn't swim or wade to shore, raftup or no raftup. I wouldn't want to loose sight of my boat. I would tell my raft neighbors where I was going to be.

Again, let the more experienced rafters direct you. Of course, if it doesn't seem right to you, move on somewhere else.

 

[skargo]

Re: Tieing up...?

You raft up in protected areas where there is little to no chance of idiots blasting by causing rough water. Look at the video I posted earlier. That is so protected and shallow, people idle in and out.

If people in the middle want to leave, you just pass lines to the boats on the outside of the one leaving, the boat pulls out, and you pull on the lines and snug the raft up together.

The rafting up we do is mostly family style, where small kids are welcome. The gang knows their stuff and there's no illegal or retarded behavior going on.

Pretty much everyone I raft up with I met here on Iboats first
If we plan a bigger one, everyone brings some food to share, and no one minds going from swim platform to swim platform but it is proper to be invited aboard a neighboring vessel.
As for joining a raft up without knowing someone, never did that, nor have we ever had anyone ask to raft up. Not to say it wouldn't happen, but I have no experience there.

Ron(Arks) taught me all about rafting up, that old salt is good for something


BTW, there is a forum dedicated to this topic,

http://www.raft-up.com/forums/index.php

 

[ufm82]

Rwidman

Rwidman

Your post is useless without the pictures...

 

[MPII]

Re: Tieing up...?

Having been part of the "world raft up record attempt" at Lake Cumberland (over 1600 boats in a row) I can tell you that people would want to leave eventually and you would simply toss the lines across and once a boat would back out, they would pull the line.

It was really neat though, they set up several no wakes and made sure the water was really calm. We still brought four extra bumpers, even on my little run about 20 footer, I still have four bumpers per side. We had a ball though! Set a world record! Lake Norman suck our wake!

 

[26aftcab454]

Re: Tieing up...?

Wife & I are in our 40's& 50's but still like to have fun-We have some Early 20's raft up friends ( Adult Entertainers-no I have no photos we met because they recognised our boat and said thier anchor is in the ski locker and they lost the key- any ways we have a blast with them and always raft up when we see them.
I do not anchor up with people unless someone knows somebody.
It sucks to raft up with the people blasting bad (rap) music and avoid them, but it is usually fun. Just be aware of your surrondings.

 

[JoLin]

Re: Tieing up...?

You raft up in protected areas where there is little to no chance of idiots blasting by causing rough water. Look at the video I posted earlier. That is so protected and shallow, people idle in and out.

If people in the middle want to leave, you just pass lines to the boats on the outside of the one leaving, the boat pulls out, and you pull on the lines and snug the raft up together.

The rafting up we do is mostly family style, where small kids are welcome. The gang knows their stuff and there's no illegal or retarded behavior going on.

Pretty much everyone I raft up with I met here on Iboats first
If we plan a bigger one, everyone brings some food to share, and no one minds going from swim platform to swim platform but it is proper to be invited aboard a neighboring vessel.
As for joining a raft up without knowing someone, never did that, nor have we ever had anyone ask to raft up. Not to say it wouldn't happen, but I have no experience there.

Ron(Arks) taught me all about rafting up, that old salt is good for something


BTW, there is a forum dedicated to this topic,

http://www.raft-up.com/forums/index.php

+1. It's become so common with our small group (half dozen boats), that before last weekend my wife coordinated the evening meal with the others. We had hot open turkey sandwiches with all the trimmings. We made the stuffing on our boat, Charlie and Madeline heated the turkey and gravy, Gene and Carole made the corn and mashed potatoes, and Mike and Camille opened the cranberry sauce . We set up tables on 2 of the boats and ate a complete dinner for 12, all together.

Our group has 2 'big' boats that generally lay down the hooks. The other incoming boats are arranged, first on one side, then the other, as we arrive. That works for 4 or 5 boats. If more (or the Tracy's in their 46'-er) show up, we put out more anchors.

As the boats are rafted together, we deploy spring lines to line up all the swim platforms. That makes it easy to hop from boat to boat w/o stepping on gunwales or disturbing folks relaxing in the cockpits.

When it's people you know and like, there's no better way to spend a weekend.

My .02

(that lake cumberland pic make me SO glad I'm not on a lake. I think I'd blow my brains out with that many paople around me...)

 

[MPII]

Re: Tieing up...?

+1. (that lake cumberland pic make me SO glad I'm not on a lake. I think I'd blow my brains out with that many paople around me...)

Lake Cumberland has over 1200 miles of shoreline and 50,250 acres of water. That is one small cove (harmon creek) that some people goto. I agree with you, my wife and I rarely go to a cove like that. I don't want you to have the wrong impression of Cumberland though, there are hundreds of coves and places to go. We usually tie about with about 4 boats whom are friends of ours. Its really a neat place, clean water, and an all around great place to be!

 

[glengold]

Re: Tieing up...?

Tieing up to another boat does have its downside. Recently I was tied up to my friends boat and anchored in a cove (well out of the main traffic lane) when in idiot went by 50-70. His resulting wake caused my friends boat to crash against mine and the result was a cracked side window.

An $80 repair bill is going to make me think twice about tieing up to anyone in the future.

Learn how to properly fend when rafting up and this won't happen. Shoot I've used PFD's to fend in the past.

 

[MPII]

Re: Tieing up...?

more cow bell!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

That's Great! I didn't see this post until today.

Guess What, I have a fever, and the only thing that is going to cure it is, MORE COWBELL!!!

Here You Go!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Mie9hhQTUM&feature=related