Who they are
Vincenzo Capri Boats is a small family business on Capri, trading as "Vincenzo Capri Boats di Aversa Maria", registered in Anacapri under VAT number 10187991210. The founding year is not stated; the site's copyright line says 2019, but TripAdvisor carries reviews from at least 2017, so the business is older than its shop window.
They work privately only: you take the whole boat, with a skipper or — in the case of the dinghies — without one. There are no shared per-person departures, which makes them a different proposition from the big coastal operators.
Worth knowing: several Capri companies use very similar names — Capri Boats, Capri Luxury Boats and others — and some directories file this one under Anacapri. Always check the phone number and the meeting point before you pay.
Marina Grande: the meeting point is in the small square just behind the hydrofoil quay.
Where they leave from
You meet at Marina Grande, in Piazzetta Angelo Ferraro 6, at Nautica Capri da Valeria. It is a few minutes' walk from the hydrofoil landing, so arrivals from Naples, Sorrento, Positano or Amalfi step off almost in front of it. Coming down from Capri town, take the funicular to Marina Grande and walk. It is not a comfortable meeting point with luggage: if you have an evening ferry back, use the left-luggage office at the port rather than carrying bags onto the boat.
The fleet
Three families of craft. The traditional wooden gozzi, for a maximum of five or six people, are the classic choice for a slow circuit of the island. The speedboats, for up to eight, handle the longer runs towards Positano, Ischia or Nerano. The dinghies are for people who want to drive themselves, without a licence.
The site publishes no names, models, build years or lengths, and that is the most annoying gap: the reviews make clear that the experience changes a good deal from one craft to another. Ask for a photo of the boat you are assigned and the age of its engine before you confirm.
Tours and prices
Prices read on the official website and on the capri.com booking engine it uses. All are in euros and per boat, not per person.
Gozzo half or full day EUR 550-700 for up to five people; Faraglioni circuit EUR 200-230; the "Capri from the Sea" format from EUR 300 for up to six; island circuit with prosecco EUR 200; speedboat for a full day EUR 1,250-1,399 for up to eight; Capri and Positano by speedboat EUR 1,800-2,000; Capri and Ischia EUR 2,100-2,219; Capri with lunch in Nerano EUR 1,700. Transfers cost EUR 1,300 from Naples and EUR 1,000 from Positano. The Blue Grotto entrance ticket is always excluded and is paid on the spot to the rowing boats.
On a boat of five, the EUR 550 gozzo works out at roughly EUR 110 a head for a private half day: in line with shared coastal tours, but with the boat to yourselves.
Passing through the arch of the middle Faraglione is the most photographed moment of the island circuit.
Booking and cancellation
You book through the website, which runs on the capri.com engine, or by email to info@vincenzocapriboats.com, on +39 339 188 2433 and +39 333 266 3820, and over WhatsApp. Changes are handled by email. They work in Italian and English.
The cancellation policy is not published on the official site, and that is the main blind spot in this review. The capri.com listing states free cancellation up to three days before departure, a tighter margin than the 24 hours most platforms have trained travellers to expect. Ask them to confirm in writing which terms apply to your booking.
What reviewers say
TripAdvisor showed 4.7 out of 5 from 131 reviews, ranked 35th of 112 boat tours and water sports on Capri. On Google, according to the aggregator Wanderlog, the score was 4.8 out of 5 from 70 reviews, also.
The recurring praise: skippers — Mario and Vincenzo are the names that come up most — who know the island's history and tell it well, clean and well-kept boats, swim stops in quiet spots away from the crowds, prices judged fair, and patience with families and nervous swimmers.
The recurring criticism deserves attention because it repeats rather than appearing once: some reviewers describe passive skippers who run the standard circuit unless guests ask for something else, and one account mentions a skipper falling asleep during a stop; there are repeated reports of older dinghies with mechanical or fuel problems; some guests found promised extras such as soft drinks or a shower missing; and one review calls the price a rip-off. These are themes from public reviews read, not checks of our own.
Booking direct or through GetYourGuide
With this operator the direct channel has a genuine advantage: the price list is detailed, the route is negotiable and you can ask for the gozzo rather than the speedboat. The disadvantage is just as real: no cancellation terms published, and a three-day limit on the partner listing instead of 24 hours.
Platforms reverse those two terms. On most products cancellation is free up to 24 hours before, the price is fixed in euros, support answers in your own language and you can often reserve now and pay later. If you are coming from the mainland, the private tour with prosecco and snorkelling leaves Amalfi and stays on the coast; the caves and drinks tour is the shared version. To see what can be booked on the island itself, there is the list of Capri experiences.
The honest trade-off is this: price and a negotiable route on one side, protection and contractual clarity on the other.
The speedboats also cover the long runs towards Positano, Li Galli and Nerano.
Alternatives
If you want the same formula — private boat, small group — but starting from the coast rather than the island, look at Amalfi Marine, which also rents licence-free, and Chic & Fabulous, with recent dinghies from Maiori and Amalfi. To work out how to combine boat and hydrofoil, read our guide to Capri from Amalfi; if the caves are your goal, the page on the Blue Grotto and the Emerald Grotto covers opening times, tickets and when to give up on them. Anyone planning to drive themselves will find the rules on the boat rental page.