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Review: Otter XT Cabin Pro X-Over

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fishEH:
This will be an ongoing review of my Otter XT Cabin Pro X-Over. Decided it was time for a new shanty this year. After hearing many good things about Otter, I splurged and bought the Cabin Pro. I really wanted the regular version but Bass Pro didn't have it in stock and for reasons I won't get into I here, I needed to purchase soon.

First impressions. Very good quality. Material is heavy and stitching is good. Sled is heavy duty plastic,  much thicker than my previous Frabill Trekker DLX.
I'm really looking forward to the side entry/exit. Total game changer.

I do have some some issues with the unit however. Since I haven't had it on the ice yet my praise will be limited, so you may have to  bear with my complaints. As I get some use I'll keep updating with my reviews and any upgrades.

Buckshots:
It’s a good shack. I have the regular version with bench seat and have had my share of issues, but I bought it the first year it came out. What are your issues? Maybe we can help.

fishEH:
After much looking I found a set of Otter hyfax runners. I had heard that its easiest to install these before assembling the rest of the shanty, and that is accurate. I had seen a video of a guy installing the hyfax on his Otter and he indicated the runners should fit into the slot in the curved front part of the sled.
Upon looking at the sled it is obvious there are recessed notches that look like they should accept the runners. Well, they don't. IDK if Otter increased the thickness of the runners but there is no way those are fitting in there. They are also VERY tight to get into the notched track part; I needed a rubber mallet to whack them in.
After that the install was pretty straight forward. Press down, drill, install screw, repeat what feels like 100 times.
Pros: Hyfax are nice and thick and should provide good protection.
Cons:
1) Hyfax seem to sit fuarther back on the bottom of the sled than originally designed. This causes a fair amount of overhang behind tub of the sled. Not too obnoxious, but it doesn't seem as it should.
2) Because the Hyfax are pushed back about 1" farther than intended, the rear most screw hole ends up being in the part of the sled where the bottom starts to taper up. The result is a screw that is too short to allow the nut to thread on properly. This was remedied with some SS #6 screws mounted reverse(screw head in tub/nut inside Hyfax hole.
3) The front most hyfax runner screw(actually the nut) protrudes obnoxiously into the front curved part of the sled. I didn't like the idea of that snagging soft materials or anything else so I replaced in the same fashion as the rear most ones.

ont_angler:
The bolts for my runner kit for my eskimo was the same, the bolts stuck through like your otter.

I took a couple 1$ foam matts and just leave them in the bottom of the tub, no more worry of snagging lures, gloves etc on em.

jrjach75:

--- Quote from: ont_angler on Oct 04, 2021, 07:46 AM ---The bolts for my runner kit for my eskimo was the same, the bolts stuck through like your otter.

I took a couple 1$ foam matts and just leave them in the bottom of the tub, no more worry of snagging lures, gloves etc on em.

--- End quote ---

I did the same on mine, found a roll of antifatigue mat at harbor freight that was easy to cut and fit great on the width. Plus, it keeps things from sliding around in the sled and may or may not give at least a small level of insulation against the ice.

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