Raft is a survival game where you start alone on a small raft in an endless ocean, with the Shark circling and hunger and thirst to manage. Tools are how you get through it. Hooks pull useful things out of the water, axes chop trees, fishing rods catch fish, and utility tools handle the smaller jobs. Knowing what each group is for makes the early game much easier.
Tool Use
Raft Building
Building Hammer
Expands the raft and repairs damaged tiles.
- Crafting Materials
- 4 Plank; 2 Rope
- Durability
- Unbreakable
- Research Requirement
- -
Tool Use
Hooks
Plastic Hook
Collects floating debris and mines materials around islands.
- Crafting Materials
- 1 Plank; 2 Plastic
- Durability
- 40 successful item grabs
- Research Requirement
- -
Scrap Hook
An upgraded hook with longer casts, greater durability and faster underwater mining.
- Crafting Materials
- 6 Scrap; 2 Rope; 4 Plank; 1 Bolt
- Durability
- 100 successful item grabs
- Research Requirement
- Research Plank, Rope, Scrap and Bolt at the Research Table.
Titanium Hook
A top-tier hook that reaches farther and mines underwater materials faster.
- Crafting Materials
- 4 Plank; 2 Rope; 1 Bolt; 3 Titanium Ingot
- Durability
- 200 successful item grabs
- Research Requirement
- Pick up the Titanium Tools blueprint on Utopia, then research Plank, Rope, Bolt and Titanium Ingot at the Research Table.
Tool Use
Axes
Stone Axe
Cuts island trees and dismantles raft pieces.
- Crafting Materials
- 6 Plank; 3 Stone; 2 Rope
- Durability
- 50 hits
- Research Requirement
- -
Metal Axe
Cuts trees faster and lasts longer than the Stone Axe.
- Crafting Materials
- 8 Plank; 4 Rope; 2 Scrap; 1 Bolt
- Durability
- 120 hits
- Research Requirement
- Research Plank, Rope, Scrap and Bolt at the Research Table.
Titanium Axe
A long-lasting axe for trees and raft structures.
- Crafting Materials
- 8 Plank; 2 Rope; 2 Bolt; 2 Titanium Ingot
- Durability
- 240 hits
- Research Requirement
- Pick up the Titanium Tools blueprint on Utopia, then research Plank, Rope, Bolt and Titanium Ingot at the Research Table.
Tool Use
Fishing Rods
Wooden Fishing Rod
Catches fish and occasional items from the water.
- Crafting Materials
- 6 Plank; 8 Rope
- Durability
- 10 successful catches
- Research Requirement
- -
Metal Fishing Rod
A sturdier rod that is better at catching larger fish.
- Crafting Materials
- 3 Scrap; 1 Bolt; 8 Rope
- Durability
- 30 successful catches
- Research Requirement
- Research Scrap, Bolt and Rope at the Research Table.
Tool Use
Livestock and Bees
Shears
Harvests wool from tamed Llamas.
- Crafting Materials
- 1 Metal Ingot; 1 Hinge; 2 Scrap
- Durability
- 15 uses
- Research Requirement
- Research Metal Ingot, Hinge and Scrap at the Research Table.
Sweep Net
Catches Bee Swarms for Bee Jars.
- Crafting Materials
- 15 Plank; 6 Rope; 2 Vine Goo; 1 Bolt
- Durability
- 25 Bee Swarm catches
- Research Requirement
- Research Plank, Rope, Vine Goo and Bolt at the Research Table before crafting.
Tool Use
Exploration
Shovel
Digs dirt from large island caves and treasure found by a detector.
- Crafting Materials
- 6 Plank; 1 Bolt; 1 Metal Ingot
- Durability
- 20 uses
- Research Requirement
- Research Plank, Bolt and Metal Ingot at the Research Table.
Binoculars
Zooms in on sights without extending the view distance.
- Crafting Materials
- 2 Empty Bottle; 1 Bolt; 4 Glass; 4 Rope
- Durability
- Unbreakable
- Research Requirement
- Research Empty Bottle, Bolt, Glass and Rope at the Research Table.
Shark Bait
Draws the Shark to the bait while you gather underwater.
- Crafting Materials
- 2 Rope; 2 Raw Herring and/or Raw Pomfret (any combination)
- Durability
- Single use; lasts until the Shark destroys it
- Research Requirement
- -
Metal Detector
Tracks buried treasure with lights and faster beeps.
- Crafting Materials
- 12 Plastic; 6 Scrap; 1 Simple Battery
- Durability
- 450 uses while detecting a target
- Research Requirement
- Pick up the Metal Detector blueprint underwater on Caravan Island, then research Plastic, Scrap and Simple Battery at the Research Table.
Tool Use
Fireworks
Firework
Launches a colored burst and can damage Seagulls or players.
- Crafting Materials
- 1 Explosive Powder; 5 Plank; 10 Plastic (craft yields 10 Fireworks)
- Durability
- One launch per Firework
- Research Requirement
- Pick up the Firework blueprint on Caravan Island; launch the red rocket from the large island to reach it.
What Tools Do in Raft
Each tool group covers a different part of survival. Hooks are how you collect materials from the sea, since they reel in floating planks, palm leaves and plastic. Axes chop trees, which gives you planks, the wood used in many early recipes. Fishing rods catch fish, and they're one of the first things you'll want. Utility tools handle the jobs outside those three, such as shears, which you use on tamed llamas to get wool.
How to Craft and Research Raft Tools
Most tools are crafted from materials you gather from the ocean and islands, but some recipes stay locked until you research them at the Research Table. Put a material into the table and research it, and it counts toward every recipe that uses it. You only need to research each material once. The Metal Fishing Rod is an example, since it unlocks after Scrap, Bolt and Rope have been researched.
Titanium tools work differently because they need a blueprint on top of research. That blueprint is found late in the story, so you can't craft the top tier until you get there. Metal tools don't need a blueprint, which keeps them within reach much earlier.
Basic, Metal and Titanium Raft Tools Compared
Hooks and axes come in three tiers, and the fishing rod has a metal version. Each step up lasts longer, and most also work faster. Basic tools like the Stone Axe, Plastic Hook and Wooden Fishing Rod are where everyone starts, and they wear out quickly. Metal tools are a clear step up: the Metal Axe chops faster than the Stone Axe, and the Metal Fishing Rod is better at landing larger fish.
Titanium is the top tier. The Titanium Axe chops at the Metal Axe's speed but lasts twice as long, and the Titanium Hook casts farther and mines underwater materials faster than the earlier hooks.
That's why metal tools are the upgrade to aim for while you're still early in the story.
Which Raft Tools Matter Most Early On
The Wooden Fishing Rod is one of the first tools to make, since fish is the food you'll rely on most in the early game. The Plastic Hook is the other essential. It collects the floating materials your raft needs, and it wears down with use, so craft a spare before your current one breaks.
Simple Collection Nets are worth making too. They gather items from the ocean on their own, which means less time at the hook and less wear on it.
FAQ
Do you lose the item when you research it in Raft?
Yes. Researching uses up the material you put in the Research Table, so keep a spare if you can. Each researched material then counts toward every recipe that uses it.
How many uses do Raft hooks and fishing rods have?
The Plastic Hook lasts 40 uses, the Scrap Hook 100 and the Titanium Hook 200. The Wooden Fishing Rod lasts 10 catches, and the Metal Fishing Rod lasts 30. Check your durability before a big trip, since a tool that breaks mid-task leaves you without it.
How long do shears last in Raft?
A pair of Shears lasts 15 uses. Counting the Hinge, each pair costs two Metal Ingots, which makes them one of the pricier tools for how long they last.