BOAT-COMPARATOR Guide
How Much Does a Boat Rental Cost on the Amalfi Coast?
A gozzo for the day, a RIB, a skippered motorboat or a yacht: the price ranges we see between Sorrento, Positano, Amalfi and Salerno, and the extras that make up the real bill.
The Amalfi Coast is best seen from the water — Positano viewed from the sea justifies the rental on its own — but it is also one of Italy’s most expensive cruising grounds at the height of summer. Here are the ranges we actually observe on the platforms between Sorrento, Positano, Amalfi and Salerno, and the line items that inflate the final bill.
The ranges by boat type
- Gozzo or small “no licence” boat: €150–350/day depending on season. Italy allows licence-free helming up to roughly 40 hp — the traditional gozzo, stable and seaworthy, is the quintessential local format for hugging the coast.
- RIB: €200–600/day, the right choice for pushing out to Capri within the day.
- Motorboat or day-cruiser: €300–900/day — very often offered with a skipper on this coast.
- Crewed motor yacht: from €2,500/day, more in August — see our guide to day yacht charter prices.
August is the absolute peak: on this coast the high/low season gap commonly reaches 40%. June and September offer the same sea, breathable ports and noticeably gentler rates.
The extras: heavier here than elsewhere
Three items separate this from a standard rental in France: fuel, never included and expensive on the local pontoons (see our fuel budget guide); the skipper, very often offered and sometimes required by operators on boats above 10 metres (€150–350/day — our guide to skippers covers the customs); and mooring buoys or berths at Positano or Capri, among the priciest in the Mediterranean in summer. Budget the security deposit too — blocked but not debited.
Punta Campanella and Li Galli: regulated waters on the way to Capri
Between Sorrento and Capri, the tip of the peninsula falls within the Punta Campanella marine protected area: regulated anchoring zones, sectors closed to motor navigation, mooring buoys in season. Research on Italian marine reserves shows their ecological effectiveness depends directly on the level of enforcement — and patrols here are real in summer (Guidetti et al., Italian marine reserve effectiveness: Does enforcement matter?, Biological Conservation, 2008, see the study on Google Scholar). The Li Galli islets off Positano also carry anchoring restrictions. Ask at the briefing: a fine ruins the day more surely than the price of a buoy.
Saving without shrinking the day
Departing from Salerno rather than Positano or Amalfi itself often saves 15–25% for an equivalent boat — and the Cilento coast to the south adds quieter anchorages, described in our guide to Salerno and the Cilento. Sorrento, better connected from Naples, is the other strong value base, covered in our Sorrento–Capri guide. Boat-Comparator compares Boataround, SamBoat and Click&Boat live along the whole coast: on identical dates, the gaps between platforms alone justify comparing — then our full guide to the Amalfi Coast and Capri by boat helps build the itinerary.
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