Nixy Newport G4 10’6 SUP Review | 2024

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Nixy Newport G4: Overview

The Nixy Newport G4 is an all-around iSUP built with quality and performance in mind. The advanced materials and construction used in the Newport G4 give it a great feeling under your feet and the 33” width adds stability to a nimble and sporty design. The Newport G4 isn’t just built with quality in mind, but also includes a set of high-end accessories (including my favorite “kit” paddle yet).

— Nixy Newport G4 Summary Ratings and Review – —

Construction and Durability

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Right off the bat, Nixy starts their boards with a woven drop stitch fabric that reduces weight and increases stiffness at the same time. The Newport then gets a dual-layer fusion tech PVC shell for additional stiffness and durability. The rails are wrapped in another layer of PVC, and given a carbon fiber reinforcement layer on the rails for even more stiffness and abrasion resistance.

These features create an inflatable paddleboard that is not just stiff on paper (doing quite well in our 170lb bend test), but feels great on the water as well. Unless you are bouncing up and down on the Newport G4 (like we do in our testing!) you will feel almost no flex and very little vibration in the board while paddling. This high-quality construction also gives the Newport a maximum weight capacity of 300lb, so feel free to load it up as you need.

The printed graphics are also excellently done. Seen in this review in the Baja color option, the prints are clear and vibrant, receiving more than one compliment by passers-by while out testing! Printed graphics are slightly more delicate than dyed PVC, but with basic care and maintenance will last for the lifetime of the board.

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Specifications

Features, Accessories and Versatility

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As an all-around paddleboard, the Newport G4 is built to handle a variety of uses. The deck has a ¾ length deck pad that is both grooved (to allow water to drain) and embossed with the Nixy logo for a secure feeling on barefeet or with shoes.

The standing area is kept clear for easy movement, but the deck features a multitude of attachment points. In the rear is a six-point cargo bungee and two threaded action mounts. The action mounts work with all sorts of accessories like fishing rod holders, action cameras, and cup holders. Two more action mounts are built into the front cargo D-rings and a fifth is centered at the back of the board.

The large cargo area in the rear has space for medium sized dry bags, however I feel that this larger cargo area would be better served in the front of the board. Not only is it easier to reach the front section of the board while on the water, but the narrow tail reduces the board’s overall stability as you add weight to the back. The front cargo area is relatively small – with just enough room for a small dry bag and water bottle, with a very large empty space on the deck between the current cargo area and the inflation valve. If these two cargo patterns were reversed they would each become more user-friendly and useful overall.

There is a bungee cord paddle holder added on the front left side of the Newport G4. I’m a big fan of paddle holders on all-around iSUPs. They are great for paddlers who want to take a break out on the water, practice some yoga, or wet a line without worrying about losing their paddle. Here we do run into an issue with placement, though. The paddle holder is far enough forward to force users to reposition on their board to use it, and it is on the underside of the board making it difficult to see. It’s also wrapped around the bottom and rail of the board right where the nose of the board first begins to interact with the water when paddling. This creates unnecessary drag when paddling. The same paddle holder would be more useful and efficient if it were placed higher on the deck and closer to the standing area – hopefully an improvement we’ll see in a future G5 version of the Newport.

On the bottom of the board, the Newport G4 has a tow/anchor d-ring on the nose and uses a center US fin box for near-universal compatibility with a wide variety of fins. Looking for better tracking for a longer trip? Throw in your favorite touring fin. How about a shorter option for shallow waters? That 4” gummy fin will fit nicely. And of course, for a good bit of everything, the included flex fin is great for a variety of different situations. As another bonus, the fin boxes have integrated threads for the tool-less bolts on Nixy’s fins, and are compatible with standard fin bolts.

While most inflatable stand-up paddleboards place the inflation valve on the tail of the board, Nixy has moved theirs to the nose. Placing the valve on the nose means it’s the last thing to be rolled up when folding the paddleboard from the tail (the finboxes on an iSUP are great indicators for how to roll the board to fit in the bag) letting users squeeze out as much air as possible without needing to re-roll the board.

The Newport G4 comes packaged in a well thought-out and high quality wheeled storage bag. The interior of the bag has plenty of space for the board, paddle, pump, and other items (like a PFD) and has organization pockets for the fins or other small items. The exterior pocket easily holds everything else you may need for a day on the water. The wheels are durable and the bag pulls effortlessly from the top handle. The padded backpack harness is also comfortable to wear for those walks over the beach or other rough terrain.

The Typhoon G4 hand pump is a double-chamber, triple-action pump that makes it super easy to inflate the Newport G4 to the full 15psi in about 7-8 minutes. It also has a deflate setting so when you are done you can pull out all of the air to make packing up a breeze.

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Paddle

The Nixy G4 carbon-hybrid paddle is lightweight with a medium-sized, rectangular, blade.

Nixy started making paddleboards out of a desire to provide high-quality and high-performance equipment to the masses and they did not stop with their boards. While any paddle can be used by anyone, fitting the right paddle to the right paddler for the right paddleboard can get tricky. The Nixy G4 carbon fiber hybrid paddle is my current favorite “kit” paddle. The paddle itself is lightweight and well balanced, but my favorite part is the blade.

The nylon blade has 90 square inches of surface area, which is just barely on the big side of medium, but is rectangular rather than the more common teardrop shape. This rectangular shape does a few things for the paddler.

First, it lets you choose how much power to put into your stroke by modifying how deep you use the paddle. Teardrop shapes put most of their surface area at the tip of the blade, so every stroke is going to have a “heavy” feeling. The rectangular blade shape also makes it easier to paddle with a faster cadence with a cleaner entry and exit from the water. Lastly, the narrower shape of the blade reduces flex in the blade while in the water, making each stroke more efficient.

The 30%/70% carbon fiber/fiberglass paddle shaft keeps the paddle lightweight (25 ounces overall) and gives a medium flexibility. Having some flexibility in the paddle shaft reduces muscle fatigue on longer paddles, but it still has the stiffness required to get up and go quickly for a short sprint or to catch a wave.

The paddle blade itself is also relatively flat with only a slight curve and a 7° rake angle between the blade and the shaft. This slightly lower rake angle still provides a solid catch at the beginning of the paddle stroke, but also gives a more consistent feeling when low bracing while surfing (or just preventing a fall!).

The handle is easily adjustable and locks securely in place with the clamping collar. The handle is scaled to easily find the right length for your height (generally 8-10” taller than you). The only thing keeping me from giving the Nixy G4 carbon-hybrid paddle a full on 5/5 is the actual handle grip. The plastic handle itself isn’t so much of an issue, but the texturing on the handle can be a little much after paddling for a while. I found that the cross-hatch pattern did start to rub my hands after about half a mile of continuous paddling. Nixy does have a variety of high-end carbon fiber paddles in a variety of different layups and sizes that do utilize a molded composite handle. Hopefully we’ll see trickle down in a potential future G5 version.

Stability

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At 33” wide and with a super-stiff construction, the Nixy Newport G4 is set up to be an incredibly stable board. However the overall shape of the board pulls back from that extreme level of stability in favor of a more sporty feel.

When I first stepped onto the Newport G4, I did feel a little bit of wobble from side to side, but it quickly subsided and was easily managed once I felt it out. When rocking the board side-to-side the board reacted quickly but predictably. I didn’t have any sensation of being tossed around. As discussed in the construction section, there is just a tiny bit of flex and vibration as you move around on the Newport G4, but it’s very slight.

The still great, but not-quite-as-great-as-you-might-expect-on-paper stability is primarily due to the more rounded, torpedo-like outline of the board and its narrow tail. This is a big reason why I feel the large cargo area is out of place on the low-volume tail. The more weight you put in this area of the board, the more it impacts the board’s stability. The same applies when stepping back for a pivot turn. The small tail sinks readily and the board turns very quickly, but it is less stable than boards of a similar size with a wider tail.

Balancing the Newport G4 on its rail is also a little bit tricky. Again we find that the rounded shape of the board means we have less surface area in contact with the water as one side is lifted. This lower secondary stability means that paddlers won’t have as much time to react to a sudden imbalance if they are broad-sided by an unexpected boat wake or wave.

Again, this isn’t an unstable board, it’s just less stable than what one might predict without taking the shape of the board into account.

Beginner paddlers under 160lb will have no problems balancing on the Newport G4. Beginners up to 200lb can also use the Newport G4 without much concern, however they may find it has a slightly steeper learning curve. Beginner paddlers over 200lb looking for a stable board to learn on may want to consider either the Nixy Venice G4 Cruiser or the Nixy Monterey G4 Expedition instead. These boards are a little wider than the Newport and the Venice has a nice, wide, tail for extra stability.

Intermediate paddlers looking for an all-around iSUP they can paddle confidently, but also grow with them as their skills advance will be right at home on the Newport G4 as well. The narrow tail for these paddlers will help develop better balance and make it easier to maneuver if surfing.

Speed

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Getting up to speed on the Newport G4 is an easy task thanks to the stiff construction and fantastic paddle. It’s very easy to take a few quick, powerful paddle strokes to accelerate quickly, and the rectangular paddle blade makes it easy to keep your cadence, and your speed, high.

The Newport G4 is among the faster all-around iSUPs we’ve tested, even though its max width is 33”. The rounded torpedo shape helps shed resistance through the water particularly by reducing drag at the rear of the board.

One thing that I did notice though, is the placement of the paddle holder does interfere with the water while paddling, right where the board and the water first meet under the nose. The bright white splashing in front of the paddle in the above photo is actually being thrown by the paddle holder itself. While this interference isn’t going to have a noticeable impact on the actual speed of the board, it does create unnecessary drag as the board moves through the water impacting how well it glides between paddle strokes.

During testing, the glide performance of the Newport G4 was ultimately about the same as other similar-sized all arounds, but it had a really smooth feel. The stiffness of the board keeps it from bending down into the water and instead lets it coast on the surface. I feel that if the paddle holder were relocated that feeling would only be amplified and the glide performance increased. Does this in any way impact how the board handles for beginner, or even intermediate, paddlers? No. It’s more of a “why is this placed here on a performance-oriented board” question that makes me scratch my head every time I see it. The Newport G4 is still a quick board that is fast to accelerate and glides well.

Maneuverability and Tracking

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There are many elements of a paddleboard that ultimately determine how maneuverable it is and how well it tracks. From length and width, to rocker and shape, to the fin placement and shape, each decision changes how a paddleboard performs on the water. The Nixy Newport G4 does a good job of balancing all of these elements and balancing its maneuverability and tracking performance.

When testing the Newport G4, we found that the turning radius is just slightly on the larger side for all-around boards, but still very manageable. It takes an average of about 9.5 forward sweep paddle strokes from a standstill to turn in a complete circle. This test gives us a great way to compare boards, but isn’t really a realistic simulation for most people.

While paddling around normally, the Newport is easy to steer and change course with just a few paddle strokes. For quicker turns, you can utilize the narrow tail outline and put just a little bit of weight toward the tail. You don’t need to drop into a full pivot turn to do this, either, just move one foot back to gently lift the nose.

Pivot turning the Newport G4 is fun, but has a little bit of a learning curve for those just starting out with this technique. Once the tail is sunk under the surface, the Newport G4 spins quickly around with a single paddle stroke. It does require a good bit of concentration as the board also responds very quickly to any side-to-side input while you are turning, so make sure to keep your leading edge up!

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The balance of maneuverability and tracking in the Newport G4 is handled very well. While paddling around at cruising speeds, it’s very easy to stay on course and I only needed the occasional corrective stroke to get from one point to another.

When it came time to speed-test the Newport G4, the board was very quick to respond to these powerful paddle strokes and made it a little harder to keep on track. While I can’t pinpoint an individual reason why this is the case, I also don’t necessarily see this as an issue for the Newport G4. As a shorter, wider, all-around iSUP, it’s not meant to be a sprinting machine. I feel that paddlers will appreciate how well it tracks while cruising more than they will be upset at how it tracks for sprint racing.

The 2+1 fin setup gives the paddler flexibility to change things around as needed. Because the center fin uses a standard US fin box, you can easily change your fin out for better tracking, better maneuverability, or for shallow water paddling. The standard center fin that comes with the Newport G4 offers a good mix of tracking and maneuverability, and is flexible in case of the occasional fin-strike. The side fins are also removable, but are stiff plastic and not universal. They use a short base that is not US fin box compatible, nor does it use a standard two-tab or click-fin system.

Warranty and Customer Support

Nixy offers a 2-year manufacturers warranty for their paddleboards and a 1-year warranty for all of their accessories. While this is not the longest warranty period we’ve seen, it is the longest warranty period for accessories, which, in general across all brands, are more likely to have issues than the boards themselves. If you do have any questions about Nixy’s products, or need to file a warranty claim, you can contact Nixy via email, phone, chat through their website, or on social media.

Value

We like to examine the overall value of any paddleboard based on all of the construction, performance, and brand characteristics that we mention in our reviews and then take a look at its individual list price, common sale prices, and how it compares to other boards of similar designs, similar costs, and similar use. After looking at all of these components, it’s easy to see that Nixy has created an absolute home run with the Newport G4. It’s a fantastically built board that performs very well, and includes an incredible set of accessories and great warranty and customer service.

Overall Impressions/Review Summary

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The Nixy Newport G4 is a fantastic choice for paddlers of all skill levels. Beginner paddlers will find it a useful and stable board as they begin their SUP journeys, and it will keep up as their skills progress. Intermediate and advanced paddlers will find the Newport to be a fun, sporty board that can keep up with higher-level paddling. The advanced construction of the board and high-quality accessories make the Newport G4 a keeper for life. Even as your SUP quiver grows as you add purpose built boards for touring, yoga, fishing, racing, etc. the Newport G4 will have a home as a do-it-all option that puts a smile on your face every time you take it out.

Nixy Newport G4 iSUP FAQ