In the early game of Raft, the Sail is one of the only items in the Navigation crafting menu that allows you to partially control your raft.
Sails harness the power of the wind to propel boats forward in real life, but do they work the same in Raft? And if so, do more Sails increase your raft’s speed?
Recommended Read: How to Build a Second Floor in Raft
Sails do not increase the speed of your raft in Raft. They only help you control the direction of your raft, and thereby, building more Sails is a waste of materials.
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Do More Sails Increase Speed in Raft?
A Sail does not increase your raft’s speed in Raft. Unlike Engines, no matter how large your raft is, you only need one Sail, and it still works the same.
There is no way to control all the Sails on your raft simultaneously, which is why having more Sails only causes more trouble than good. For example, when you need to open and close them.
A Sail is quite expensive in the game’s early stage, costing 10 Planks, 20 Palm Leaves, and 3 Scraps, another reason why you don’t want to build additional ones that you don’t need.
The Wind Mechanic
The wind mechanic affects the travel direction of your raft. It also affects the spawn location of ocean trash, all of the islands, and other structures in the game.
The wind direction never changes in the game. In other words, your raft only moves forward in a straight line unless you use special items to control it.
Use the Sail
While Sails do not increase the raft’s speed, they are affected by the wind’s direction.
Angling the Sail in the same direction as the wind changes nothing in regards to the raft’s current trajectory and speed, but angling it against the wind completely halts your raft.
To change the direction your raft is headed, you can angle the Sails left or right to make your raft go in the desired direction. Doing so reduces the raft’s speed (up to 80% of the original speed), leading to a slower spawn rate of all objects and structures.
Remember that “left” and “right” in the example above are based on the wind’s direction, not the Sail’s or your raft’s direction.
For example, if the wind is going from south to north, you have to angle the Sail towards west to make your raft turn left, and likewise, to make it go right, you have to angle the Sail towards east.
Important note: if you don’t see any ocean trash floating toward your raft, it might be because the Sail is angled against the wind, making the raft stand still. In this case, either close the Sail or angle it in another direction to get your raft moving again.
Determine the Wind Direction
So, how do you determine the wind direction?
You can either build a Streamer or a random flag and put it on your raft to see the direction of the wind. The direction they point to indicates the wind direction.
In the above image, the wind direction goes from left to right, red to blue, or specifically, from south to north, based on the Compass.
How to Travel Against the Wind
Even though you can’t sail against the wind, you can still reach islands and other structures in the opposite direction of the wind.
To travel against the wind, open the Sail and angle it against the wind’s direction. This will make your raft stand still. Next, use a Paddle to row toward the targeted island or structure.
You don’t actually need a Sail to do this, but it makes the rowing process faster since your raft can’t drift away from the targeted island.
That’s all you need to know about whether sails increase speed in Raft!
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