Sultan

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Sultan Description

The Sultan is a kayak brought to you by Azul Kayaks. Read Sultan reviews or submit your own review to share with the paddling community. Check out a few other kayak recommendations below or explore all kayaks to find the perfect one for you!

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Sultan Reviews

Read reviews for the Sultan by Azul Kayaks as submitted by your fellow paddlers. All of the reviews are created and written by paddlers like you, so be sure to submit your own review and be part of the community!

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5

The Sultan is an awesome…

Submitted by: Bamalongboat on 7/2/2014
The Sultan is an awesome boat... well designed and built... my size is 5'10" and 190# and is is a nice fit... could fit 20 pounds either way.. size 11 shoes. Very good speed and stable... attention to detail is very good. refitted the seat with a better seat, I have done this in most of my boats anyway. great buy.
1

I purchased my Sultan in…

Submitted by: guest-paddler on 10/26/2004
I purchased my Sultan in spring of ’03. My review of the boat is here on this site. Unfortunately, since then, my boat is in need of replacement parts. While doing some side sculling, the seat pan has broken at the bolt holes, and is unable to re repaired. While I’ve attempted to contact and get replacement parts from Azul a total of six times, I've not yet received ANY reply!!

I've got to say that this kind of neglect is totally uncalled for and completely unacceptable. While it's true that I can always obtain a seat somewhere else, or better yet, make my own custom foam seat, I think it's required of Azul to answer requests for customer service. Evidently, warranties mean nothing to Azul, and I'd caution anyone against purchasing any product from Azul, or any of the associated companies: Riot, Sun, etc. Perhaps if sales drop far enough, they'll take note.

4

Purchased my Sultan used, but…

Submitted by: guest-paddler on 9/22/2004
Purchased my Sultan used, but in overall very good condition (but slight damage) around June 04. There were minor bulkhead leaks, fixable using some aquarium silicone sealant (plus some sealant around the skeg control cord tube). It DOES leak around the coaming: that's a design flaw - at the coaming where the knee braces are - but is fixable with some padding foam and sealant.

Apart from the above, it's very well made, and has a 'kevlar' (I believe) layer in the cockpit floor area. However, it is slightly heavier than the older Sultans, but that only really matters when lifting it around. Hatch design was a main 'selling' point. Paddling is excellent: great edging, surfing, flat water, rough water, rolling. Can't quite layback fully on the rear deck (without bum out of seat). It's an exciting boat to paddle, but may not necessarily be the best performing in all areas, but is extremely enjoyable and predictable. Definitely a boat that an advancing beginner could paddle, enjoy and grow in to. It can handle a lot of abuse, of all kinds. (This kayak is now made by Riot as the Aura, with a 'monocoque' assembly).

4

I've had my Sultan since May…

Submitted by: guest-paddler on 9/3/2004
I've had my Sultan since May and have paddled it on about 20 trips. I found it to feel tippy at first--with its v-bottom it always wanted to be leaning to one side or the other--but I am very comfortable in the boat now. In fact, I love the boat. I endorse most of what the other reviewers wrote: the Sultan is fast, tracks well, handles wind and waves with aplumb, and its maker, Azul, is a D- in customer service.

Unloaded, I have not run into situations where I needed the skeg. Loaded, I found I needed the skeg when going downwind. Maybe my load changed the trim of the boat, but it wanted to turn towards the wind unless I used the skeg.

The kayak seems well made. However, I have three quality issues: the bulkhead aft of the cockpit leaks. I usually end up with a bit of water in the cockpit, especially if I am rolling, and the water finds its way into the rear compartment. I was told that a friend of a friend who had a Sultan also had leaky bulkheads. If you decide to buy one, don't leave the dealer without checking for this. Have the dealer fill the bulkhead with water and see if it leaks into the cockpit. Second, the adhesive used on the knobby rubber pads under the thigh braces must be water soluable. Both mine came off. While wet, I'd put them back in place, and when the boat dried, they'd be okay. Then when they'd get wet again, they'd peel off. Presently, both are lost and I don't miss them much. Third, the line that holds the rear carry-handle in place is badly frayed and will likely have to be replaced.

Contacting Azul is absurdly difficult. Check their web site. They don't give you contact info. My dealer is a four-hour drive from where I live, so I'd rather not have to depend on them for service. I have called and e-mailed their customer service guy and have gotten nowhere. The guy, Normand, just asks me for my serial number and promises to get back to me. After three e-mails and a half-dozen calls, he never has. I'd rate them an 'F', but am I'm still holding out hope that they'll either fix my problem or they will at least tell me what type of caulk to use to fix the leaky bulkhead.

4

I have owned my Sultan for…

Submitted by: guest-paddler on 7/29/2004
I have owned my Sultan for three years, and have been trying to solve the leaking cockpit problem too. I also found, when I took the seat out, that the seal between the combing detail and the hull was incomplete. I have attempted to fill these voids on several occasions, but there is still some water getting in when I roll. I don't think this is a spray deck issue - the problem seems to be solely the combing seal at the hull. I have emailed Azul once about this, but received no response. I use this boat several times a week and I love it in all conditions.
4

Call me crazy, but the Sultan…

Submitted by: PHILIPJEDLICKA on 6/28/2004
Call me crazy, but the Sultan is a carbon copy of Wilderness Systems's Tempest 170. I saw both of them side by side at the local store. When I took it out on the water I had the same impression as I did with the Tempest: great speed, good stability but....no rudder means not so good turning ability. I also checked the specs for the Sultan on Azul's website and the load capacity of 325lbs is quite small. My 17' Cape Horn can haul at least a 100lbs more gear. I'm an experienced paddler and I can't understand why a kayaks with no rudder are considered the pinnacle of performance.
5

I posted previously in Sept…

Submitted by: Lazlo on 2/16/2004
I posted previously in Sept of 2002. At that time I was in love with my boat but not with Azul. In all the time since my post I have never heard back from them. However, I may have found the problem with my leaking boat. I had to have the rear deck repaired after a windstory placed a tree directly on it. I learned some things about the boat recently when I had to get it fixed.

One is that it was hard to match the color and I had to settle for a white, kind of "racing" stripe where the patch was because the new color would not match up well. I was told that the boat faded so the original color would be no help. Additionally that paint was "toxic" and it would cost a lot to get it across the border from Canada.

However I was told several times over just how well made the boat was and that the fibreglass was incredibly well done. The hulls on my glass boat are reinforced with Kevlar and the matting they use adds a lot of strength without adding weight. I got kudos all around for the quality of the workmanship.

However, when the seat was removed to have the repairs done, my mechanic looked up from inside and saw two holes, one about 3/16 of an inch on a place that the skirt would not cover. This should have been, I believe, epoxyed so there would be no holes. It makes sense that this would be where I felt that cold water hit my legs as it probably ran across top of the outside of the seat to my thigh. The holes could not be seen until the seat was removed.

I have yet to test this in the water but to you who have a leak problem, you may want to look into that to see if it is common for Azul to have made this mistake. I have since put many miles on this boat and I love it as much as the day I got it. I can not say as much for the company.

5

I bought a Sultan this…

Submitted by: paddler230406 on 11/3/2003
I bought a Sultan this summer. I am a novice kayaker. I know the Sultan is designed for at least an intermediate paddeler but what the heck. The boat was sexy and very fast. So I have to work a little harder to get with the program. I wouldn't trade it for a corvette. Buy One!
4

What a great kayak! After…

Submitted by: paddler230382 on 10/8/2003
What a great kayak! After just over a year of paddling, I'm still just as happy with my Sultan as I was the day I got it. The fit and finish of the boat is outstanding especially the carbon fiber reinforced cockpit. With 2 large oval hatches and a day hatch, there's plenty of storage. The recessed compass is easy to see and the skeg works great...although I've seldom needed it. The Sultan is a joy to paddle in calm waters or heavy seas. My only complaint is with the stock backband which I've now replaced with a softer and more supportive SnapDragon backband. This boat should be on every buyers short list to demo!
4

I have tried out the sultan…

Submitted by: wet_one on 10/3/2003
I have tried out the sultan twice, two different boats. It is a fast and comfortable kayak, and handled the wind and waves very well both times I tried it. The problem that I had with both boats was that the skeg didn't work well in either one of them. In one the skeg wouldn't come down at all, even when someone else tried to pull it down while we were on the water. In the other one the skeg came down but I had to play with it too much to get it to come down, and then it was difficult to adjust. Normally a skeg is not required, but on the rare occasion when it is really needed I don't want to have to fiddle around with it to make it work. Having tried the skegs on the VCP and P&H kayaks I decided that the skeg problem on the sultan was serious enough to make me look elsewhere. If they change the type of skeg to something more efficient I would be more than happy to bump the sultan to a 10.
4

I've had my Sultan for two…

Submitted by: paddler230229 on 7/2/2003
I've had my Sultan for two months now. I must say that I agree with all the reviewers on the extremely good performances of that kayak. It simply is the best I've paddle so far. For my part I haven't experience any leaking around the cockpit. My neoprene sprayskirt was custom made for that kayak and fit very tight.

I was surprised than none of the reviewers mentioned the quality of craftsmanship of the glass job. I don't know of any other manufacturer that does such a clean job. Nothing is that smooth on the market. The attention to details is out of this world! The molded fiberglass bulkheads are very nice. The curved one behind the seat is installed in such a way that when you put the kayak upside down to get the water out not a single drop stays in. The skeg is profiled and easy to operate. The rope and cleat system is efficient and won't stick like these slider systems.

There are no gimmicks, just the very high quality of craftsmanship, very good performances and the best deckrigging, footbraces (Yakima type) and hatchcovers (Valley) available on the market. By the way, the front hatch is the same big oval one used for the stern compartment not one of these smaller round ones used by all other manufacturers. You get all that for less money than any comparable (if there is!) kayak on the market! And as if this was not enough, it comes standard with carbon fiber reinforcement in the hull!

I've checked out the other models at my Azul dealer and all of them are made with the same quality. Find the closest dealer and test ride that boat, you'll buy one! I've owned NDK and Current Designs and paddled many others but this is the best I've seen so far.

4

I've had my Sultan out on the…

Submitted by: paddler229278 on 6/27/2003
I've had my Sultan out on the open water for three months now, and have to say I'm very pleased. It was built exactly to my specs, and Louis, the manufacturer had gone out of his way to make sure I've been pleased, and that the boat was done just right.

It paddles beautifully. It is fast, able to cruise without really trying at 4.5 mph. With some oomph, it's at 6. It weathercocks very, very little. I've not had to use the skeg yet. And, it turns when I want it to; provided it's put on edge, which is also very easy to do. In fact, on edge, this boat is not much more difficult to move around than my Pintail. For those who know, the Pintail is the sports car of sea kayaks.

I find that the initial stability is very good. One could take pictures out of it. Secondary stability is also very good. The boat can be put on edge and held there most of the day if needed. I should modestly say, that I'm a BCU 4 star paddler and an ACA open water instructor, and don't mind a boat that's a bit lively. My definition of stable may not be the same as a novice to the sport, so beginners should take my comments with a grain of salt.

Still, it's a good boat. On a recent outing, paddling through a 3 ft. chop, the boat just works through it! No need to do any fancy gymnastics or hyperbraces; it just goes where you point it.

It goes, it turns, it keeps me up; what more could I ask? I do agree with Lazlo though that any skirt that I've used with it leaks around the coaming. Minor, but kind of irritating. So since nothing is perfect, I give it an 8! Points off for the leaking coaming, and a point off for having a small leak in the middle bulkhead which by the way, Louis had guided me through the fix effortlessly. I love it.

5

I have one of the very first…

Submitted by: paddler229991 on 11/27/2002
I have one of the very first Azul Sultans ever built which I bought used from the guy they built it for. He had used it three times so I bought it. I've been renting different boats for years and am an advanced intermediate, working out mostly in open ocean waters off of New York, Connecticut and Maine. In preparation for this purchase I spent almost a year fitting myself (6'0, 178lbs) into a variety of boats, all styles, lengths, etc. When I tried this one on dry land it fit great. When I got it in the water, even better. Primary stability is medium as the boat is quite narrow and rounded on the bottom but once you are used to it seems quite stable, just not something for a beginner. The secondary stability is superb. Again, its chines may not be as hard as some, but once you learn the boat you get it up on a chine it just stays there. It is one VERY fast boat and handles the roughest weather with little weathercocking and/or bouncing in the waves. I've had it out in 5 foot rolling ocean swells, cross currents, standing waves high enough you couldn't see over them and the boat does everything you ask of it. I haven't felt the need tolower the skeg yet. The fit and finish are perfect as everyone says. One trick on this boat, when they made it they laid some extra fiberglass along the keelline. Makes it a lot easier to avoid scratching up the bottom when you beach. The boat does leak a little around the sprayskirt. I fit a new one, larger stretchcord inside the edge and firmer neoprene, which seems to do better but it still leaks when you roll. By the way, I went from rolling a 6 foot playboat right to rolling this one and man this one is a pleasure. Snaps right up regardless of technique. It has large amount of storage which we really make good use of. I doubt very much you could do better.
5

Well where do I start? The…

Submitted by: Lazlo on 9/26/2002
Well where do I start? The quest for a new boat has taken a few months and I finally settled on the Sultan. I am 5' 11", 230 lbs, intermediate ability, and I decided that I wanted something longer and faster than my Necky Looksha Sport. Also I wanted a boat that was designed to handle my weight without being so high in volume it would catch a lot of wind. I didn't want a lot of waterline making me feel like I was sitting a foot high in the boat.

The Necky is highly rockered, 14 feet long and 22" wide. I loved the way it handles in rough conditions and how nimble it is. I have struggled at times to keep up with the fleet of 16 to 18 footers on some of the paddles. If the water wasn't rough that boat is slow. Also when I read the reviews I would hear people say how poorly the Necky tracks, others said it tracked well. Without knowing about the paddler you can tell little more than whether or not the paddler likes the boat. In my case the Necky tracks fairly well but that's because I sink a lot of the boat and create a longer waterline. As well as it performs, I realized I was probably choking its performance with my weight.

So after testing the Nigel Dennis HV Explorer, the Impex Currituck, the Current Designs Caribou-S and a Pintail (for laughs, a boat I could love if I was smaller) I tried the Sultan and fell in love with the boat.

I am not totally pleased with the company, who may be new and going through some growing pains, but I like the performance of this boat. As you can tell, at this point there are no reviews around, save for the guy before me that didn't leave a return address and one that I read in some online mag. I fell for the lines of the boat and the advertising which read: "The comfort of Sultan for bigger guys has been compared to wearing a glove - a silk one. Sultan has a positive feeling of control in swells, wind waves and surf which is unlike any other kayak. So much so that its almost a sensual feeling."

Well let me tell you, after seeing the picture and reading the hype, I had to try this boat. When I saw it for the first time I was impressed by the finish. It is so well made. I couldn't find a single flaw in the glass layup. Seams were perfect. Azul's attention to detail was outstanding, just as I had heard. When I sat in it, it just felt right. Azul puts foam on the seat, knee area, and thigh area for you. It was already there. It worked for me. It felt better than all the other boats.

I took a demo out in the Hudson River where there was wind, plenty of chop and boat wakes of all sizes. Though I was used to my 22" Necky, at 21.5" with a rounder hull design this boat felt like it had to stay moving. It seemed effortless to propel and the glide was amazing. Most all of the boat was in the water yet it seemed to turn better than the other boats I tried. It did handle the rough water effortlessly though I was a bit afraid of the boat at that time and wasn't about to lean it to far to put a lot of the skirt in the water to see how sharp a turn I could make. The Necky had multiple hard chines that would allow me to seemingly "ratchet" the boat into one of three leaning positions. The Sultan seemed to have that "point of no return" that you get on a hard chined boat. I didn't want to try to find just where I was about to tip over.

I purchased a Sultan a few weeks ago and have had it out in all but the roughest conditions. It runs straight as an arrow. At 17'10" with a noticeable amount of rocker it doesn't want to weathercock very much at all except in wind and chop and even then I haven't needed the skeg. I found it to be seem faster than the other boats I tested. I am able to pull away from a friend that has always had a faster boat and who is a better paddler than me. I have taken to using a Greenlad paddle with this boat and it surprises me how fast the boat really moves. Yet it turns well because of the hard chine and the rocker.

So, like the unknown guy before me said in his review, "Speed, handling, comfort, seaworthiness and man is it perfectly finished to the nth degree!!! Perfection". I totally agree.

Now for the negatives: The cockpit leaks. I am working on this problem and if I get a solution I will certainly post it. The Azul skirt, when I leaned the boat putting two inches of skirt under water, let in a lot of water. I purchased another skirt and it is much tighter but it lets in an unacceptable amount directly on my thighs. the other day the water was COLD! I tried other skirts to no avail. I wrote Azul 10 days ago and got no response. It appears that the design of the combing is such that the distance between the outside of the combing and the underside where the elastic of the sprayskirt fits tightly to make a seal varies at different spots around the combing. In the area between where the keyhole cockpit is large and where it narrows, that distance between the outside of the combing and the spot that the skirt should touch against is greater than it is everywhere else. The elastic doesnt pull flush agains anything and water gets in. On other brands with the keyhole cockpit, this distance remains about one inch around the entire cockpit. This appears to be a design flaw. My boat was off the shelf 2001 model. For 2002 they increased the height of the deck a bit. I don't know if this situation with the cockpit has been changed. In fact, I wrote email number two to support at Azul tonite and phoned with a msg after hours to speak with them in hopes of a remedy for this situation. If they can provide me with one I will certainly report that as well as if I get no response or no satisfaction.

I have another problem with Azul. I am hoping that they are so new they are getting it together but I am never impressed when a company's Website is inaccurate or unfinished. It is hard to find a Sultan for someone in New Jersey. I went to the website looking for dealers. I click on dealers and get several in NJ. None of whom handle Azul. I go click on Maryland, see several dealers, same thing. When I phone they tell me they never heard of them. One dealer figured out that since they handle the line of whitewater kayaks, "Riot Kayaks", that they just got put on the site. None of these people have ever seen an Azul kayak. One dealer, when I asked him if perhaps he had the Azul line in one of his other stores told me there was only one other store. I gave him the address that was listed. He told me that was his mother's home address?? I drove 350 miles to purchase this boat.

So for now I will wait for a response from the company. I will not reserve my rating however as I want people to know that this is one very very nice boat. I will post another review later with the results of my request for a remedy to my problem.

4

I have bought this as my…

Submitted by: guest-paddler on 12/26/2001
I have bought this as my primary kayak and I have tried them all. This is the most fun I have had in a boat in a while. Speed, handling, comfort, seaworthiness and man is it perfectly finished to the nth degree!!! Perfectionj! Talking to a fellow named Mark @ Voodoo kayaks and he helped me through the process of finding and demoing one close to me. That was it as I heated up my visa. Try it to know for yourself. I am the Sultan now!