I had a 47' powercat two summers ago and am counting down the next two weeks until we take over on a 39' for a piece.

I charter PC's because, simply enough, I'm not a sailor. I've owned large powerboats for almost 20 years, but, my sailing experience is limited to eager winch monkey on friend's boats. I don't really want a sailboat, and hopefully, the charter companies wouldn't give me one..

Gas was no big deal. we ran the gen everyday, did a fairly typical loop and if i remember correctly our fuel bill was less than $300. Keep the speed reasonable and the PC's are pretty fuel efficient for a large powerboat.

Good: go where you want when you want unbeholden to the wind. Big fly bridge. Big beam and widely spaced props =great maneuverability.

Bad: nothing, other than you're not actually "sailing" if sailing is your thing.

Advice? If you have a boatload of inexperienced people be sure that at least a few are willing to help, and learn the basics. Cleat a line, hang a fender, empty the holding tanks while motoring etc.