Hi, Dan Murphy here with http://www.icehunters.net
Looking for feedback and comments on the 2015 Otter fish houses. The good and the not so good. Looking for ideas on what can be improved in your buying, assembling and fishing experience with your Otter fish house
Thanks
Dan
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Mr. Murphy,
The opportunity to express likes/dislikes for a product is rare, especially when it comes from someone who has the ability to provide input that can bring change. So given you are who you say you are, I would really like to thank you for this opportunity, and I hope Otter really takes this into consideration. Everything below is just my opinion, and many may disagree, but here is what I think.
This season I purchased an Otter XT Pro Cabin and love it, but if I could have it all, I’d make a few changes. My first priority would be to make the sled wider. I understand that this is a smaller model and weight is an issue, but if you made it 4 inches wider, it’d be worth the extra couple lbs (personal opinion), but in comparison to my old Clam Yukon, it is quite narrow. Before, I could put a crate between the seats, two buckets behind the seats, and a larger crate for my big buddy heater between the buckets behind the seats. the vexilars went in the buckets to keep them secure traveling, and the crates kept the heat from banging into everything else in the sled. Currently, that setup doesn’t work very well, and makes set up and take down less efficient.I run a cover, but it’s pretty tight and doesn’t always cover the canvas that well. If it were wider, the canvas would be inside the sled more to help keep the slush and water off as much as possible.
The other two things are just little things, but would still be nice. I would like to see the quick release clips similar to what clam and eskimo do to collapse the poles. the little lockers that spring into the holes are over sized and do make it nice, but with gloves on a cold day, it would just make things easier.
http://stores.clamoutdoors.com/parts/rpsx-collar.html
Lastly, it would be nice to make clips that attach to the roof support similar to the clam jason mitchell thermal houses for the support bars. they stay attached to the one bar and pivot to attach to the otter, or lock in the the clip when storing, that would make setting the support poles up way faster. It might not work for the front or back supports, but would be nice for the roof.
http://stores.clamoutdoors.com/parts/jason-mitchell/s-clips-small-medium-large.html
That’s my rant I’m apologize for the length, I just wanted to give some reasoning behind my wanted changes. Thank you again for the opportunity.
Dan,
I also appreciate the opportunity to make suggestions on an already great product. I’ve owned probably 4-5 of the Otter fishhouses just because I like to upgrade to the newest model and resale on Otters is so good. I’ve had very few issues but seen a couple things that could be changes. Instead of the self-tapping screws that hold the pole system together I replaced them with stainless steel pop rivets. The self tapping screws had a tendency to work loose some of the time. I’m guessing they use self tappers because most of the general public assembles their own and most may not own a rivet gun.
Secondly use wider Velcro for the pole attachement points. In high winds these Velcro can take a lot of abuse and can tear as is the case on all houses. The wider the Velcro the more stress they can take. I may be wrong but this years tent seemed to have narrower Velcro. I may be wrong
I do like the Clam replacement overhead pole that contains lights in it. Otter could produce one of these very simply because of the same pole design in all sleds.
Lastly, no offense to Tonka but I never cared for the plastic sliding button assists on the Clam houses. I had a buddy who had them in his Clam Denali. They never seemed to be in the right place/lined up and several of them cracked. I really like the oversized push button design that Otter currently has. Everyone has their opinion and this is only mine. If nothing else they could be sold as an aftermarket accessory but I wouldn’t change the original design to accommodate them.
I am also looking at purchasing an Otter XTH Resort hub at some point. I have read many forums where people would like a little more material added to the skirts of these hubs. I think that is a great suggestion and should be considered. I realize this may add $10-15 retail but worth it in my opinion. Ceiling nets have also been suggested.
Overall I believe Otter is a superior portable fishhouse and give credit to Otter for their quality. I think their biggest mistake would be to cheapen their quality to reduce their price. People will continue to pay for quality. IMO
New xt cabin. Instructions suck and are for the insulated houses which do not require screws inside to hold the skirting… it was hard to figure that one out. Also biggest issue is the lower side poles canvas Velcro straps are sewn too high on the canvas so they stretch hard to hold onto the pole, while below the Velcro their is plenty of slack. I will probably have to get some Velcro to extend these two straps. at the price point and after reading other peoples canvas fit issues this house better be the best since sliced bread or my next house will be purchased elsewhere.
Only issue iv had so far is I feel the plastic pieces that connect the pole to the button system are cheap. It almost seems the plastic pieces are flimsy when its extended all the way out. I just hope they don’t break! I have the xt cabin new to this year!
Triple A.
What part of the instructions did you find difficult? That way they can fix them if everyone is having same difficulties. I found them pretty easy to read with all parts labeled. As far as the Velcro remember not to over tighten the Velcro. Leave it a little loose as it will allow for easier folding also. Also with having to attach the canvas with screws on this years model you may have to adjust fabric up or down to get it to fit right. I actually like this because as any material stretches I can tighten in future years.
Hey Mike,
They are not cheap at all. There are houses many years old that have the same system and have not had any problems. Those pieces are extremely durable. I have taken in several trades and have never seen any wear or issues with them. Good luck fishing
Mr.Murphy
I purchased a Lodge XT Pro 1200
I had a Clam Yukon for the last 9 years that got the job done. I am looking forward to using it this season. I also purchased many Otter accessories.
I think the build quality and strength appears very good. I love the new fabric since you got away from the camo design. The new fabric for 2015 appears to be an additional improvement.
Areas for improvement are:
1) Instructions are very poorly written and illustrated. I had a very difficult time with seat construction and putting fabric over the frame. I think a you tube video would be welcomed for each model.
2) As mentioned above I too was not impressed with the self tapping fasteners used for the frame polls. They appear light duty. My concern is vibration in transit they will loosen. I wrapped mine in electrical tape around the black “washers” to prevent movement. Hopefully it works.
3) I have not had mine on the ice yet. But I dragged mine to the end of my drive way to secure to my trailer and the hyfax already appear badly worn and left hyfax material on my drive way for the short 30 feet of travel. I am concerned about the longer term life of the hyfax. When I has installing the hyfax it appears that the various pieces had somewhat random hole pattern. It is my hope that when it comes time to replace the pieces that they line up to the existing holes in the sled.
I would agree that a YouTube video would be great for installation and overall marketing of the product. Would give a person an idea of setup/take down, available fishing space, product materials etc. You find very few YouTube videos on recent Otter Products (IE hubs or XT Thermal Tec Lineup) other than self-produced home videos.
As far as hifax wearing I would tend to think that all hifax, no matter what brand, will wear on rough surfaces like driveways, gravel parking lots, asphalt, boat ramps etc. It is just hardened plastic. A person should be using caution not to drag them on these areas for distances unless there is sufficient ice or snow.
I noticed that on the hifax when I installed them they were all the same hole patterns coming out of the box. However if you flip one or two from end to end the bolt holes will not line up. Make sure to lay them out all the same way before install and you will find the holes will line up. I made that mistake on my first otter. I’m guessing they are all drilled on a jig so should be the same but like I said if you flip them end for end they will be different. It bothered me also the first time I did it.
Tonka,
Thanks for your comment. Having watched the evolution of Otter over the years, I see the leaps and bounds they have made. The Portable fish house is certainly a much improved product. I am sure from a manufacturing standpoint there are changes that make sense and some that don’t. I know Otter has sought many opinions over the years in the research and development of their products. From a dealers standpoint, I can not think of a better product to represent, I am glad you love your house and I think every detail of the Houses are analyzed often because Otter strives to be the quality leader in the industry, with out a doubt. That is what makes representing them an easy Job for me.
Just a note, I do not represent the manufacture and want people to know that my goal is to help people in their buying and assembling and fishing ideas.
I know Otter is very concerned with their customers needs and is always working to keep all their customers satisfied.
The video instructions are something I have thought of and may look into putting a video out on that. I have put over 50 houses together and some of the concerns about the plastic snap joints and the self tapping screws, I have not seen any problems with. I have also taken in several used houses and have not seen problems with these issues.
gonehunting,
there are two types of those quick releases to collapse the poles, yes the one’s you can buy afterwards do slide around, fall off, and so forth, but the ones on the actual Jason Mitchell are completely different, are perfectly aligned, and stay fastened in one spot. Not trying to argue my opinion against you, but just saying that I guarantee there is a better way to engage those little buttons. I just want a wider sled anyway ha.
Tonka,
I am one who can definetly admit when I am wrong. I stand corrected. The movable ones are the only ones I have seen in the Clam houses. Thanks for sharing the information and I will take a look at them if I can find one.
When I installed the screws that hold the poles together I put silicon on them, no way they are coming out. I also mounted the small Clam light bar with the clips that came with it. I screwed the clips to the top bar in the Otter and snapped in the light bar. It works real slick. I can turn the light to where I want it.
Dan-
I have a 2014 Otter XT650 Lodge, I love it for the most part with a few minor issues we ran into.
1. They did not include very many self tapping screws to attach the fabric to the sled. I bought more so no big issue.
2. With the bench seat they don’t make a cup holder and the clam corner console did not work either.
3. I purchased the rod holders and the screws included were junk, I broke two of them during install. I purchased new screws at the hardware store for $1 so no big issue but it irritated me 
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