Originally posted by gamergrandpa:

Is it the same with the raft?

As long as you run it aground it tends to stay put. It might get pushed around a bit from stray mobs attacking it or moving into it and maybe a really hard storm will move it a little, but you should at least be able to swim to it if you rammed it snug to the shore. If something breaks it, it should drop the mats to make another as long as the water is deep enough to walk in.

I made a point to level swimming a bit before I ever made a boat. It helps. Also making a workbench as soon as you jump off can help deter mobs bumping into it or attacking it.

The biggest issue is when your dock doesn't have a repair bench and your base is a short walk away and you get busy building, crafting, tending the farm -what have you, and your boat ends up being broken for "no reason" when the reason is that the hostile mobs broke it. The good thing about that scenario is that if you play with sound on the boat makes crunchy noises when it's being attacked, so you do have some warning.