Core Batto C-1 Paddle Review

[Smurfwarrior]

After 13 days of paddling the Core Batto C-1 Paddle, Large blade, its time for a review.

Retail price- $160
Blade- some sort of reinforced plastic/fiber blend
Shaft- Easton 7075-T7 aluminum shaft with anodized finish.
Lower Grip- Rubber grip on the shaft for grip and to make the 1" thick shaft large enough to grip.
TGrip- 4" wide, 1.25" thick wood grip with shaft inserted into grip, large wood plug through grip and shaft to secure it.
Weight- 34oz (56" paddle)


Blade design-
I really like the blade shape. It has a ton of catch and feathers very well during underwater recoveries. The backface feels solid on low braces. There is a large air pocket in the backface of the blade that really helps get the paddle to the surface during a roll. I just relax as I'm settling into my roll setup and it just goes to the surface, I like that a lot.

Lower Grip-
This rubber grip is indexed to give a feel of blade orientation, positioned well on the shaft and it still grippy when wet. Here is a pic of that air pocket and the lower rubber grip position- (My tgrip)



Blade wear-
I am super impressed with how well its holding up on the edge. No sign of the profile changing with wear, and only slight scratches showing up. This blade is tough. Here are pics-





Shaft-
The shaft is a touch flexible, just enough to feel but not enough to get your attention. Didn't feel any extra 'pop' in the shaft. The color of the shaft is anodized into the aluminum and is easy scratched when touching rocks with it. Not the most durable in the looks department. I'm sure that a heavy hit by a sharp rock would surely weaken it with the removal of material but to me it seems that it won't look pretty for very long. Here is a pic of a scratch from a light rock touch.



Tgrip-

Horrible... for me its too short (4") and after 11 days of paddling I started having issues with it when I noticed water dripping from the Tgrip when hanging horizontal from the roof of my car after paddling. More on that later. I ended up replacing the factory Tgrip with one I built when I noticed that the Tgrip was loose. At that point, the only thing holding the Tgrip onto the shaft was the large wood crosspin. After removing the pin this is what I found.






As you can see, the glue released from the aluminum side of the bond and the hole drilled for the cross pin was much too close to the end of the shaft making that joint a weak spot. I replaced it, and shortened the shaft, and now its rock solid. As a note, this paddle was procured at the OR Show and might not be a 'true' production paddle, although that wasn't mentioned to me at that time.


Now, ref the water dripping from the Tgrip on paddle day 11.. I noticed the water dripping from it and picked it up and shook it. Sure nuff.... water in the shaft and blade. The water in the shaft was very minimal at that point but the water inside the blade has not changed, even after leaving it in the sun to try to get it to evaporate or whatnot. As a note, the Tgrip never was submerged and the glue at the joint between the blade and shaft appear to be intact. A bead of blackened GFlex should take care of any leak there if thats where it came from. Steve mentioned that there wasn't a sealant used on this paddle at the Tgrip/shaft and suggested I silicone it. Replacing it totally was in line using a Tgrip with the grip mounted to a 7/8 dowel inserted in the shaft. This will totally plug that end of the shaft and be a stronger joint with cross pins in both the grip and shaft, using Gflex to adhere and seal it.


Final comments- love the blade and the feel of the shaft and lower grip. Absolutely HATE the Tgrip and its construction. Concerned about the water intrusion into the blade, but believe it can be solved with some resealing of the blade/shaft joint. Seven2 paddles had some real issues with using large airpockets in their blades due to altitude and temp changes. Hopefully Core will address this and the Tgrip issue as production ramps up.

Carbon Fiber Blade version- Yes, there is a prototype version with a carbon fiber blade. Looked super cool at the OR show, but with the strength and great wear characteristics of this blade I can't see a huge reason to switch when it comes out.

As a parting side note- Easton makes a wood grain finish for arrows they call the "Classic" and wouldn't it be a cool color option?

[Smurfwarrior]

Here is the Tgrip I put on it. 5" x 1.25" with 7/8 dowel inserted in shaft and cross pinned at the grip and shaft. Heat shrink used to smooth the transition (not completely 'shrunk' in that pic)

[philcanoe]

Thanks for such a thoughtful review

• • nice

[marclamenace]

Thanks mucho smurf! That was very instructive.

My local retailer has them also at a good price and I was just about to pull the trigger on one. I think I might as well wait next year see if they improve some aspects and look closely at the T-grip setup before I buy one.

I have a love and hate about PE blades I had an AB edge was much too flexible for my liking but the blade is very smooth on your shoulder and last incredibly well on abuse. The H2O PE blades are a bit more stiff but not so much. This one seems pretty nice hopefully they fix the rest soon enough.

[Smurfwarrior]

As another side note- if I had to redo the shrink tubing I would trim the top portion to match the curve where the wood shaft mounting plug inserts into the Tgrip. The type shrink tubing I used has a built in glue on the inside that activates when heated and would hold those parts in place really well. Now I know.

[Larry Horne]

huh. we pre-ordered ours months ago and we're still waiting....

[Smurfwarrior]

From what Steve said, I think I got the first one as they sent out the first shipment after I got it.

[Smurfwarrior]

Bummed... flipped, rolled and this is what I found.

[jatakasawa]

Here's an argument for not paying big bucks for a paddle. They will break!

Now, having said that, check my Auabound Edge that I've had for a little more than two years and have used it and only it...HEAVILY. Scrapes and scratches...check. But I've got no water in it, the T-grips has a great, comfy design and the plastic blade (which are renowned to be the worst on the market) is GREAT! My paddle takes a beating and is half the cost of the one in this thread.

I'm telling you, we're onto something with these Aquabounds. I also like the Werner Bandits but can't shell out the dough for one of 'em. I'm a Po' Boy. javascript:emoticon('8)')

[Yukon]

Why post this so quickly? Every thing has the potential to break. The important thing is what Core paddles wants to do about it and how they go about it. They are new paddles and lab testing can never replace real life use. Sharing your picture on such a public forum does not accomplish much for anyone except u to vent. I am happy there is manufactures out there willing to take chances and invest in new ideas and get them out there and I dont want to wait for extra time for more testing of things to get them to me.

[Larry Horne]

who said it was an expensive paddle?! the price of those core paddles is excellent.

so it broke. bfd. it's pretty obvious smurf was flailing his roll, who knows WHAT he was doing with that blade!
plastic is definately the best blade for creeking, and this don't bother me at all.
remeber, blue dude was also real quick to break his ledge.
also, he has one of the first paddles. i 'spect there were some issues that they are working out, because some of us out here that pre ordered are still waiting for ours.

[cheajack]

I like the AB (black blade) far better than the Bandit which delamed after three uses.

[Smurfwarrior]

Yukon..... Huh? You would rather get defective gear just as long as you get it quick? How juvenile is that? Also, I'm not venting, I'm updating a detailed review on a brand new paddle that just came out with an issue that potential buyers should be aware of. I let Core know the same info in direct communications with them and they are paying close attention, which will result in a better end product. I've got over thirty days paddling the Core and I still like it very much and refuse the offer to replace it as I'll just fix it as things pop up ( like the Tgrip ). Anyway,....


To fix it, I've decided to rebuild the missing area with Kevlar and blackened Gflex epoxy. Since the blade materiel is wearing very little I'll keep the reenforcing local to that spot.

[Yukon]

No I dont want defective gear but I dont want to read about new ideas, concepts and products and have to wait for ever to get my hands on them while a select few get to use them. I am willing to take some chances on new products with the understanding they may not be perfect yet. I have friends who refuse to buy new products the first year they are out and instead let others take the risks and do the testing for them.

There are so many factors that can contribute to product breakage. I've got new products that hve failed and prefer to first quietly deal directly with the company to work on the issue.

Things that get posted on these forums can go viral pretty quick and sometimes it can really hurt a company that is trying to be inovative. I am also not saying to sugar coat things either as that is no good for anyone either.

I too have been waiting for a year to get a Core Paddle and have pretty much given up that I will see one this year, which I find frustrating as I have read all the news releases, hype and so on and keen to try one. I have alerted local paddle shops they should look at getting them and raised awareness of the product with other local paddlers but have yet to see a Core Canoe paddle in other than the net.

[Smurfwarrior]

Larry, I obviously hit a rock (it was shallow and rocky when I rolled) when I setting up for the roll. And yeah, its really no BFD but something worth mentioning. Would I buy another? Yes, as the shaft has got a great feel to it and the blade has tons of purchase in the water. The price is very reasonable too.