Rafting can be a lot of fun, but can also be dangerous. There are lots of things to consider, size of boats, ground tackle, weather, wakes etc. We had 7-8 cruisers rafted in NE MD some years back when a storm came through. Had to do an emergency dismantling of the raft (problems often occur after too much libation), and in the process a cleat was pulled out and hit a guy in the eye. A couple of years ago we saw a large raft drift through the same anchorage until they went aground. Winds were well beyond gale force, and those jerks just continued to party as they dragged through the anchorage. They were all Nike boats.
But yes, you can raft. And it is quite easy to tie up a raft and take it apart if you do it right, and the boats won't even touch each other in normal circumstances. The proceedure I like would go as follows: the biggest, heaviest boat sets anchor and allows more than normal scope. Vessels approach the center boat with two lines ready to deploy, first is a foward spring from the aft cleat, the second is a bow line to link the bows. After that, add an aft spring and stern lines from opposite corners of the rafted boats. That allows the boats to move in waves without straining the stern lines and cleats. Repeat on the opposite side for a third boat, and so on. I personally don't like more than three boats on a raft overnight, and then only in protected anchorages with settled weather. You do want to use fenders between the boats, and another litle trick is to set the bows apart a bit more than the sterns, that way current and wind will tend to hold them apart.
Bob
I was more relaxed about it when I was on a lake and would raft up every weekend.
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