Originally posted by Midas:

Originally posted by Cannibal:

I parked it in deep water but not too far away from the coast. I could swim to it easily. I did it because I thought monsters wouldn't see it and can't attack while swimming. Does materials despawn in deep water? Would a workbench stop materials from despawning? I don't understand why my boat's materials disappear but the contents in boat's chest didn't?

A workbench would definitely stop the materials from despawning, but if it was enemies that destroyed it, they'll almost certainly destroy the workbench first, unless you can somehow place it even further away from them. But in some place where there are no enemies, yes, a workbench can give you some insurance that you'll at least get the materials back (and then be able to immediately place them as a new boat).

As for the contents, I don't think marker's left from things dying ever despawn, like your own corpse marker when you die. I would assume the ship's cargo hold works the same way.

would workbench stop materials from despawning in deep water instead of shallow water?