To elaborate a bit, the raised walls is a really good Raid defense technique as they are invulnerable yet fairly easy for you to jump over once you leveled up that skill a bit.

A base on the water or even a bit into the lake (like a peninsula) is a solid choice as raid monsters cant generally spawn in the water.

You can also parry with just weapons. Some 2 handers have decent parry stats that work decently well for general use, as long as you aren't parrying trolls/abominations and other large critters near your "level".

The boat occasionally takes chip damage from the waves causing it to create tiny crashes into your dock or the ground or whatever. It is negligable for the most part but likely your sound.