Small Boat, Speedboat Or Cruiser — What Each One Is Actually Like In Hvar

People ask me to "match" them to a boat by counting heads — four people to a small boat, nine to a speedboat, twelve to a cruiser. I get why, but it's the wrong way round. The number of people you are isn't really the question. The kind of day you want is the question. A couple can have the time of their lives on a cruiser, and ten mates can have an absolute riot on a couple of small boats. So here's the honest version of what each tier is actually like once you're out there on the Adriatic with the engine off and the water doing that thing it does.

Small Boats — Cheap, Cheerful And Properly Fun

This is the easy way onto the water and there is zero shame in it. A small self-drive boat is the freedom option — no skipper, no schedule but your own, just you puttering between the Pakleni Islands and dropping anchor wherever the water looks too good to pass. The Passara at €130 a day is the entry point: traditional, relaxed, the kind of boat that makes you grin the moment you take the wheel. Step up to the Sympathy at €230 and you get more poke and more confidence in open water.

It's not about luxury and it doesn't pretend to be. It's about a swim, a cooler full of cold drinks, music playing, and a day on some of the most beautiful water in Europe that costs less than dinner for two back home. If you can drive a car and you respect the sea, you'll love it. Honestly? Some of the best days I see all summer are people in the cheapest boat we have, anchored in a quiet little cove, not a care in the world.

Speedboats — Comfort, Speed And Real Range

The speedboat is the step up, and the difference is range. With a Baracuda or BSC at €550 you stop thinking in terms of "near Hvar" and start thinking in terms of the whole map — the wild south side, the quiet island of Šćedro, even a proper run across to Vis and the Blue Cave. More power means you spend less of the day travelling and more of it parked somewhere magic with the swim ladder down.

It's quicker, it's drier when there's a bit of chop, and it carries a proper group in comfort. Self-drive if you've got a licence, or I'll put a skipper on it so nobody in the group has to be the designated driver staring at the fuel gauge. This is the sweet spot for a lot of people: enough comfort to genuinely relax, enough speed to actually go somewhere and still have hours to lie in the sun when you get there.

Cruisers — The Day You'll Actually Remember

And then there are the big girls. A cruiser yacht — the Mercan 35, the Enzo, the Colnago 45 — is a different category of day entirely. This isn't transport with seats bolted in. It's a floating lounge: space to spread right out, sunpads to lie on, shade when you want it, room to move around, and a skipper handling every single thing while you do nothing but enjoy it.

The cruiser is for the day you'll still be talking about in five years. Anchored in a glassy cove with the music low, swimming off the back, a long lunch on deck, the whole thing unhurried and warm and yours. It photographs like a postcard and somehow feels even better than it looks. Yes, it costs more — but split across a group it's far less wild than people expect, and what you're paying for isn't seats. It's the experience, the comfort, and the quiet luxury of having someone else worry about everything.

The Quick Comparison

All Three Run The Same Day

Whatever tier you pick, the day runs 10 AM to 6 PM from Hvar Harbour — a full eight hours on the water. Sometimes we can start earlier or finish later if you've got a plan brewing, so just ask. The boat changes the feel of the day completely. It doesn't change how much of it you get. Tell me what kind of day you're after and I'll match you honestly — the right boat is the one that fits the day in your head, not the biggest number on the price list.

Frequently Asked Questions