Boat Tours in the Elaphiti Islands:
A Guide to Choosing the Right Boat

Disclaimer

The goal of this blog post is to cover the positives and negatives of the boat types used for Elaphiti Islands boat tours.

This is my personal opinion based on my observations and experience.

I am biased towards motorboats. Most of them used to be traditional wooden boats and such boats have a unique story, soul, and the captain.

Skippers

The boats I'm referring to are owned and skippered by my partners. They do boat tours as a their seasonal occupation.

They are genuine warm people and a contributing factor to Dubrovnik's tourism.

They take great care of their boat, customers, tour safety, and their service quality.

Which Boat Should We Get?

Traditional Motorboats

Motorboat Speed

Motorboats' cruise speed is slower than the speedboats'. It takes them about 30 minutes to get from one island to another. This provides a better boating experience, as you can move around the boat, stand, sit wherever you want.

The beer won't spill, the wind/sun feel better. The engine is much quieter so you can talk normally. Motorboats cruise close to the coast, and our coast is magnificent. You have more time to process the beauty and take photos. You will often see local wildlife resting on the island's rocky coast. Above it hovers a pine tree forest.

Motorboat Comfort & Size

Motorboats have more room to sit, stand or lie down. The Adriatic sea is a calm one.

You can sit pretty much wherever you want to. On the side of the boat, have your feet hanging in the air and hold on to the fence. You can make yourself a sundeck wherever you can put your tower or a beach mat.

On some boats, you can even sit on the swimming platform while the boat is moving.

Motorboats are also much quieter and have fewer vibrations.

There is also less wind, and the shaded surface is much larger.

Some even have shaded sundecks, which is an excellent idea for the high season.

Motorboats are a preferred choice for bigger groups who need space to hang out and maybe even party a bit.

Motorboat Skippers/Owners

The owners of the motorboats are total legends.

Local guys, most of them in their 60s. All of them grew up in Dubrovnik and have been boating for a long time.

They do the tours with their own boats, speak great English, have vast skipper experience and knowledge of the Elaphiti Islands. Whenever I need advice on the weather and safety, they are the ones I call.

They always have good stories to tell over a glass of gemisht - white wine mixed with sparkling water.

Motorboats Itinerary

Motorboats are best suited for 6-hour itineraries and longer. This will give you enough time for cave and beach stops, snorkeling, two island visits, and lunch.

The optimal duration for tours with motor boats is 8 hours.

Speedboats

I refer to speedboats most commonly used for boat tours around the Elaphiti Islands.

Speedboats move through the sea by gliding at higher speeds. This is great in the case of a flat sea, but if there are any waves, you will feel each bump.

This is not good for small children or the elderly.

Of course, higher quality, mid-range speedboats minimize this effect.

6m Speedboats

Small speedboats are excellent choice for half day tours.

Their size is big enough for up to 4 people, but preferably 2.

They have fast cruise speed so you can visit all important places in half a day.

Their maneuverability is very high which means you can you can enter some caves with an actual boat (not the Blue Cave, that one needs to be swam into).

Speedboats allow you to cover the majority of the Elaphiti islands and still have time for lunch.

7m+ Speedboats

Speedboats which are 7+ meter long are much better than their smaller counterparts.

There is more room and they can fit up to 8 people.

They are much better in terms of noise and comfort.

The sundeck surface area on the front of the boat is large and entire group can find lie down with their backs against the sides or sit in a circle.

Up to 4 people can assume full lying position.

Speedboats Skippers/Owners

The speedboat owners are usually younger guys in their late twenties/early thirties.

They speak perfect English and are very accommodating and at service.

Doing boat tours during the season is like their secondary job. They put great effort in their tours.

Some have great taste in music and love parties while some are serious professionals. Many of them are professional seafarers.

Needless to say, they know the job.