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I bought a used boat in 2011 for $425 with spray skirt and werner paddle. I'm still using it, but might change that up soon to gain the ability to do more oceangoing paddling.

This is a very nice boat for a short paddler, and I have to say that I love that my sons no longer fit in it and my husband could never paddle it! She's MINE! That said, my size 14-16 hips barely fit and the thigh braces are tight (but that comes in handy when I need my body to maneuver it). If you like to use your body to steer, this boat is good for that. Mine has a rudder. You need a rudder in this boat. I only use it about 10% of the time but then I need it! The boat weathercocks in windy conditions like nobody's business.

On inland waterways, I have won the women's 9 mile and the Iron Herring (12 mile with portage) Herring Run and Paddle in this boat. It can be quick if you are.

I paddled between the harbor islands in Boston Harbor and it felt rather tippy. It didn't roll over, but the boat relies on secondary stability to stay "upright" more than primary. If that unnerves you, this isn't your boat for day touring in salt water bays or, say, on Lake Champlain or lakes that think they are oceans.

TL/DR: Great boat for a short paddler plying inland waters extending to rougher conditions and bay/ocean near shore paddles with the rudder. Relies on secondary stability and needs the rudder to track straight in windy conditions.

I have owned an OtterXT for 5 years now. I have taken it out on lakes, rivers, and protected inshore waterways under calm conditions. I have even paddled in the local river race called the Herring Run, and won the women's recreational division with it (9 miles in under 2.5 hours). It isn't a fast boat,and has a wake when paddled quickly, but it is stable under most inland conditions. My kids have managed to capsize it, but I haven't even come anywhere near close. It is light enough that I can lift it onto the roof of my minivan, and tough as nails! It fits on top of our bike rack in the garage, and can be shoved into the minivan in a pinch. I find that it maneuvers very well and is very responsive to my paddling and weight shift adjustments. Even though I have outgrown it in many ways and am buying a 14' boat this weekend after using a friend's tsunami in rougher waters all summer, I will still use it on windy and narrow creeks and my teens still love to take it out on their own. It may lack a hatch, but has plenty of room for a dry bag either up front/under the legs or behind the seat. I paid $330 at REI for it in May of 2006 and "Moxie" has been worth every penny so far.