minecraft-java-edition
Boats take damage when they run into things. But does it matter what it runs into? Does it take less damage running into dirt than, say, cobblestone for instance? I know soul sand doesn't hurt boats, but is there a more mundane material recommended for building docks?
Also, does it only take damage if you run into something while going fast? If you slow down and gently land at your dock will the boat be ok?
You have mentioned that you are on SMP so my guess is that you are lagging to the point where you bump into a wall.
A possible solution would to make the walls wider as boats are extremely fragile.
Boats are also pushed by water currents so it might keep the boat from bumping if you make water currents so I suggest that you make water flowing in the direction you want to travel rather than just creating still water everywhere.
The Attack Damage attribute only affects melee damage, even it is applied directly to the bow rather than onto armor. It does affect left click hitting with a bow, but not shooting.
I tested this by giving myself items with high + Attack Damage attributes, and counting how many attacks it took to kill a mob:
This piece, for example, was an instakill with a sword on everything, but the normal amount of shots with a bow. (I also tested items with lower + Attack Damage in case some kind of max value was stopping the bow from applying the insanely high extra damage.)
Best Answer
Just some important points from the Minecraft Boat Wiki that you may find useful.