Ah yes -- the "research" trip! The charters are all about trying out the cruising life! You'll find the cat very versatile for the Bahamas, but when we did our sabbatical in the Bahamas, we found our mono's draft of 4'11" to be no problem whatsoever -- for places like Little Harbour and Black Sound, we just waited for the right tide. The Abacos are great for getting a taste of the Out Islands; some people never leave Hopetown all season. (I tend to need to get away from people, so I can only handle the (relatively) more populated spots in measured doses.)