Anybody have experience with riot aura,
wondering about handling/speed. Is this
boat the same as an azul sultan? Any input
appreciated.
Sultan
I believe the Aura is the exact same hull, just a new badge name and they have changed the layup slightly, but outside of that it is pretty much the same boat. I found it very quick with an excellent glide. When I had it in lumpy water I was cautious as I don’t have extensive skills so I can’t speak to how it will respond when pushed, but my impression is that it would probablly respond well when layed on it’s side. What I have heard about it is that the designer of it use to build Nigel Foster boats in Florida once and the roots of this boat’s design are probably in a Foster hull. Slightly V to rounded bottom with a hard chine side and not a lot of rocker giving it speed, but less initial stability. My quess is it is most likely similar to a Foster Legend. Sea Kayaker magazine did a review of it when it was called the Azul Sultan in their August 2003 issue. At 6’ 220lbs. I was snug, but not crammed in it, but personally I like a little more room for my legs.
yup
Pretty much a copy of the Nigel Foster Legend. And yes, the Sultan and Aura are one and the same. Very nice kayak by the look of it. The Legend itself is one of my favorite sea kayaks so if this one is similar thaen it should be a good one.
Cheers…Joe
like legend
legend is nice boat but that rounded bottom I
didn’y care for in lumpy sea. If aura has shallow
V this should correct that feeling like standing
on marble feel that legend has.
Aura is Sultan
From everything I can ascertain, the Aura is the Sultan.
From paddling a Sultan a couple of times, I would say that it is a fast boat that responds well to support strokes and bracing. It paddles well backwards. For its length and speed, it turns well when leaned. Though slightly narrower than a Legend, it does not feel any more tender.
Sea Kayaker stats indicate enough difference in hull between the Legend and Sultan to result in slightly different drag figures. The Legend and Sultan are the Brit style boats with the least drag above 4 knots of any yet tested by Sea kayaker.
Legend
The Legend is certainly a performance boat but if you have the skills to match it, it is an incredible kayak. I guess it is just a matter of getting used to it. When I paddle a Legend now, it seems extremely stable but that is due to the fact that I now spend alot of my time in much less stable kayaks and canoes. Going back to a Legend always feels very relaxing in comparison.
Cheers…Joe
Sultan issues
I was real close to buying a Sultan in 2004/2005 but heard too many stories about leaks around the coaming/spray skirts. Maybe the Aurora fixed that as from what I gathered, the cockpit shape led to that leak under the sprayskirt. Beautiful boat though and yes, its fast!
Scott
v bottom vs round bottom
The v bottom on aura would be more foregiving
in rough water then legends round bottom?
paradigm?
I might not remember correctly but I think this boat was
originally the Paradigm and was designed by Scott
Williams. I think scott was the founder of Sweetwater Kayaks (Florida)
aura= paradigm
Aura’s design taken from paradigm.Who makes or
used to make paradigm.
Azul Sultan
I have a Azul Sultan from about 2001. It is made of a kevlar honeycomb material called Nomax. The hull is very stiff while fairly light at about 48 lbs. It is fast compared to most kayaks but noticably slower than QCC 700 or Epic 18. Sort of a best of the rest position. The thing I don’t like about it is the seat is near the back of the coaming, making laybacks hard without lifting out of the seat.
Dave
aura-sultan speed
So aura should be in nordkapp silhouette,
legend range for speed. And apparently
handling is also quite good? I’am going to paddle
demo this weekend, I can possibly get for
manufactures cost which is a really good deal.
Nordkapp not in that speed class
The Sultan and Legend produce relatively little drag above 4 knots - a Silhouette even less.
A Nordkapp however, at least the current hull as tested by Sea Kayaker produces more drag than a number of other Brit style boats once up to 4.5 knots - as a matter of fact the drag at 4.5 knots for a Nordkapp H2O is almost exactly the same as an Explorer. It maybe at 5 knots the difference is perceivable - Sultan 6.8 pounds of drag, Legend 7 pounds of drag, Aquanaut 7.42 pounds of drag, Explorer 7.92 pounds of drag, Nordkapp 8.04 pounds of drag.
Of course these figures are no predictor of what it would feel like paddling any of these boats in dimensional water.