The Nixy Malibu G5 is a fast and efficient paddleboard for intermediate touring and entry racing.
Nixy Malibu G5 iSUP Review – Overview
The Malibu G5 is a brand new design from the southern California’s Nixy Sports. Nixy has been making lightweight and sporty iSUPs for quite a while and with the fifth generation range went all-in on a performance model with the Malibu G5.
Nixy’s previous performance-oriented board, the Manhattan, was a lively contender in the traditional touring-board size class, but struggled a bit with stability (the short-lived Manhattan plus helped, but could still get a little squirrely for its size). The new Malibu changes all of that with a new shape, new size, and new use.
If you are an intermediate paddler – or hoping to move into that range this summer – the Nixy Malibu G5 may be one of the best options on the market for fast day-touring over long miles, fitness paddling, and even as an entry into competitive SUP racing.
With updated construction, carbon fiber reinforcements, a smart shape, and a great kit of accessories, the Nixy Malibu G5 may be the best new intermediate board available today.
— Nixy Malibu G5 iSUP Review Ratings and Summary —
Nixy Malibu G5
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Construction & Durability
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Features and Versatility
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Stability
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Speed
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Maneuverability
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Tracking
Overall Score
The Nixy Malibu G5 blends performance and value to create a great board for intermediate paddlers to go the distance and get started racing.
Pros
- Great construction with a combination of lightweight materials and carbon fiber stringers
- A board design that works incredibly well for its intended purpose
- Welded rails for increased longevity and heat resistance
- Just the right amount of rocker for flat and choppy conditions
- Threaded accessory mounts for GPS, camera or other items
- Universal Standard (US) fin box with tool-less 9” fin
- 3-year warranty
Cons
- The short-base US fin box and all-around style fin are a bit of a mismatch for this performance SUP, but it’s not a deal breaker
- I’d love to see Nixy increase the maximum recommended pressure on their G5 boards, especially the Malibu G5, for improved efficiency and speed performance
Nixy Malibu G5 iSUP Review – Construction and Durability
The Malibu G5 uses Nixy’s latest construction to create an incredibly lightweight iSUP without giving up its durability or longevity and brings back carbon fiber textile reinforcements for additional rigidity.
The Malibu G5 has a dual-layer PVC shell and carbon fiber textile reinforcements on the rails, deck and hull.
Nixy has always been quick to try out new materials and constructions and have implemented them very well throughout the years. The Malibu G5 really feels like a culmination of that experience.
The core construction of the Malibu is the same as the other Nixy G5 iSUPs. Inside you’ll find a cross-woven drop-stitch core. By using a woven fabric base layer for the deck and hull and then angling and crossing the drop-stitch fibers with a 2×2 pattern Nixy is able to keep their G5 boards lightweight without sacrificing rigidity. While the Malibu is a new shape and design, Nixy’s other G5 boards have all shaved off 10-15% of their weight with only a minor rigidity reduction in our bend test (but unnoticeable on the water).
The shell of the Malibu is made with a dual-layer fusion PVC material. This method uses heat to bond a layer of PVC directly to the core fabric and then another layer of reinforced PVC directly to the first layer. By eliminating hand-gluing from the process, the materials are lighter and mechanically bonded, eliminating delamination defects caused by trapping air and gasses in the gluing process.
The top and bottom of the board are joined together with a heat-welded seam around the edge. These welded rails physically bond the layers together, turning the entire board into one continuous piece. Welded joints offer better resistance to pressure and heat than traditional glued construction, reduce weight, reduce the use of volatile and noxious chemical adhesives, and again eliminate problems caused by trapped air and off-gassing from the gluing process.
The Malibu G5 has a dual-layer PVC shell, dual-layer welded rails, and carbon textile stringers.
The fourth generations of Nixy’s boards all came with carbon fiber textile rail reinforcements, but those were eliminated on Nixy’s core models in the G5 lineup. However, Nixy smartly brought them back for the Malibu G5, and then went two steps further with textile stringers on the deck and hull of the board.
Building a long, narrow inflatable paddleboard is hard. As boards get narrower they will flex more and as they get longer that amount of flex gets amplified at the ends of the board. Brands have tried all sorts of things to combat this including removable plastic battens like in many Red Paddle Co boards, and Starboard’s Airline stringer system. While we have found Red’s system to help their board rigidity compared to not using the battens (and found no real difference with Starboard’s system), what has really worked best is simply adding low-stretch material (like carbon fiber) in boards like the Hydrus Elysium Air and now the Nixy Malibu G5.
The Malibu G5 does not have any noticeable bend or flex during normal use.
The next best thing a designer can do to improve rigidity is to use higher internal pressures. This is where I think Nixy has the most room for improvement. With fusion lamination and welded seams, I can’t see any reason why Nixy still continues to list a maximum internal pressure of 15 PSI for their iSUPs. Many brands with the same or similar construction recommend up to 20-25 PSI and I know one brand has tested their boards up to 35 PSI (though still only recommends 20).
In our standardized bend test, the Malibu G5 did very well for a board of its size and weight. With 170 lbs of weight in the standing area, the Malibu G5 bent only 1.42” at 15 PSI – or about 0.25” better than our total running average of all iSUPs at their maximum pressure. The carbon fiber stringers on this board are really doing some great work.
Paddling hard or bouncing on the Malibu G5 does generate some flex during use.
On the water, the Malibu G5 feels great. At 230 pounds I don’t feel any flex in the board while standing on it and during more casual use. When increasing the speed and power for our speed tests and for some general fitness paddling I did notice some flex along the length of the board. It was enough that I could see the nose lifting a few inches and the point where the board interacts with the water moving back to a wider section of the board, but it was small enough that I felt neither the board lose tracking performance nor jerk through the acceleration phase of the stroke.
Officially we only test boards at a manufacturer’s recommended maximum inflation pressure for both consistency and safety. So Nixy, skip these next few sentences. I also went ahead and aired the Malibu up to 18 PSI and took it for a spin. I did notice a reduction in the amount of flex while paddling at faster speeds.
Overall, the Nixy Malibu G5 is built extremely well and Nixy has done a fantastic job handling the difficulties in designing and building a long, narrow iSUP.
Specifications
| Dimensions | |
| Length | 14’ 0” |
| Width | 28“ |
| Thickness | 6“ |
| Weight | |
| Max Capacity | 330 pounds |
| Board Weight | 25.2 pounds |
| Kit Weight (SUP & accessories) | 39 pounds |
| Buying Info | |
| List Price | $898 |
| Warranty | 3 years |
| Returns period | 30 days |
Nixy Malibu G5 iSUP Review – Features, Accessories and Versatility
The Nixy Malibu G5 is designed for performance, but Nixy has still included a useful set of features and a quality set of accessories at a very reasonable price.
The Malibu G5 is 14’0” long, 28” wide, and 6” thick. It has an elongated “bullet” shape with a maximum total weight capacity of 330 pounds, and weighs 25.2 pounds.
The nose comes to gradual point to blend speed and stability in choppy conditions.
The valve is located at the nose of the board to easily remove the air while folding the board when you are finished paddling.
The front cargo area is relatively small, but typical for a performance SUP. however it has both an adjustable/removable bungee cord and two threaded accessory mounts.
The bungee cords on both the front and rear cargo areas are easily adjustable and removable with a quick-lock cleat system.
There are three threaded accessory mounts on the Malibu G5. Two are located near the front of the board and another at the tail.
The center carry handle is comfortably padded, but small enough to stay out of the way while moving around on the deck. The deck pad covers the rear half of the board with a textured and grooved surface for great traction without aggressive tread.
There is a small kick pad at the tail of the board to prevent you from walking off the tail during a pivot turn and provide additional support when lifting the nose.
There is another handle and a threaded accessory mount with an integrated leash D-ring at the tail of the board. I am not sure what the intended purpose of this threaded mount is since accessing it while on the water is very difficult due to the board’s stability. Potentially a camera location, but you’ll want to elevate it slightly to see over the kick pad.
Board shape plays a huge role in stability, especially for narrower widths. The Malibu’s square tail is kept relatively wide (17” one foot from the tail) for improved stability.
There is a D-ring under the nose of the Malibu. Generally D-rings in this position are either for anchoring or towing the board. For boards intended for racing, a D-ring here doesn’t add significant utility, and potentially spoils the entry point dynamics of the board (especially if it catches some sea weed).
There is a single short-base Universal Standard (US) fin box under the tail of the board. The Nixy fin box has an integrated nut in the front that works with the included fin’s captive bolt. However, you can still use other short-base US fins if desired. For a high performance board I’d prefer to see a long-base US fin box for better fin compatibility.
The Malibu G5’s feature set may seem a little light compared to many all-around and touring boards, but for a performance board I feel that it is just right. There’s enough cargo space in the front for a day’s worth of supplies, threaded mounts on the front for a GPS and camera, and a clear deck that won’t trip up your footwork.
The Malibu G5 comes with a complete accessory kit.
The Malibu G5 is sold as a complete paddleboard kit. This includes Nixy’s excellent rolling bag, double-chamber/triple-action hand pump, repair kit, 9” surf-style/all-around fin, and their 3-piece carbon fiber-hybrid kit paddle.
Since high-performance paddling and racing are the intended use I would like to see Nixy tighten up a few of the built-in elements like the under-nose D-ring and rear threaded mount, and potentially include a set of “race handles” on the front of the board for balanced beach starts. But, I feel that the most important changes Nixy could make with this board are to the kit. I’ll talk about the fin and paddle separately below, but for such a high-performance board, most paddlers will benefit from a touring or race style fin, and many paddlers interested in the Malibu will likely have an upgraded paddle or want to purchase one with this board. I’d like to see Nixy offer the Malibu as a no-paddle kit or with the choice of a Nixy Pro paddle upgrade instead of the kit paddle.
Overall, I feel that the Nixy Malibu G5 comes with a great set of built-in features for this style of board, and a high quality starter accessory kit.
Nixy Malibu G5 iSUP Review – Paddle
The Nixy Malibu G5 includes the brand’s 90sq in carbon fiber/nylon hybrid paddle (one of our favorite kit paddles), but really benefits from a paddle upgrade – like Nixy’s Pro series full-carbon fiber paddle options.
The Nixy Hybrid paddle has a carbon fiber shaft, plastic handle, and fiber-reinforced nylon blade.
The Nixy Pro paddles are made completely with carbon fiber and come in a variety of colors, sizes, and stiffness profiles.
The Nixy “kit” paddle – the Nixy Carbon Hybrid paddle – is one of my favorite entry-level kit paddles. It has a carbon fiber shaft and handle section, and the blade is fiber-reinforced nylon with a medium size and rectangular shape. This makes it extremely versatile for paddler size and style. You can just as easily paddle at a casual cruising cadence as you can at a higher sprint cadence. It’s a great paddle for beginners and those getting into intermediate paddling, and a great addition to Nixy’s all-around iSUP kits.
For paddlers seeking high-performance boards like the Malibu, though, the kit paddle can feel sluggish. But Nixy has a solution for that.
The Nixy Pro series paddles offer outstanding quality and performance at a great price. They come in a range of both blade sizes and carbon layups (which affects paddle stiffness) as well as color options for the 3k carbon fiber paddles.
I highly recommend upgrading to the Nixy Pro 3k for most paddlers and the Nixy Pro 12k for larger paddlers and racers who need a stiffer paddle. The Pro 3k build even has a slim-shaft option for petite paddlers.
Nixy Malibu G5 iSUP Review – Stability
The Nixy Malibu G5 is built for speed and efficiency. That means it’s not going to feel as comfortably stable as an all-around board – or even many other touring boards. But, I am extremely impressed with the Malibu’s stability for its size and shape.
Balancing the Malibu G5 on its rail is actually much easier than I expected.
We’ve often referred to Nixy’s previous-generation (G3 and G4) iSUPs as “sporty” or “playful” due to their stability—they were easy to use, but also very fast to respond to shifting weight. This was extremely noticeable on the (now discontinued) Manhattan and Manhattan Plus touring boards due to their very narrow tail shapes.
With the G5 boards, Nixy made a small, but significant change in the tail shape of their boards which significantly increased their overall stability. The Malibu G5’s shape is very well thought out with a relatively wide tail and wider shoulders in front of the standing area. This gives the Malibu a very consistent feeling of stability through the standing area and helps slow down that responsive twitch from shifting weight from side to side.
While still a more advanced board with less overall stability, the Malibu G5 is confidence-inspiring and smoothly transitions from rail to rail.
The Malibu G5 was the first board I received for testing this year, and the water here is still cold (I’m wearing neoprene-lined clothing in these pictures!). So the idea of taking a header off a narrow race board to start my testing this year didn’t sound that appealing. But those worries were misplaced.
I found the Malibu G5 to be very forgiving with its stability, even in choppier conditions as the wind picked up during a longer fitness paddle session. I was able to focus entirely on my paddling technique and not worry about staying upright.
I do want to be clear – the Malibu G5 is not intended for beginner paddlers like an all-around board. But intermediate and advanced paddlers will find it to be pleasantly stable for its size. If you are the kind of person who likes to go all-in on new hobbies and wants a fast paddleboard for your first season, though, the Nixy Malibu G5 would be a fantastic choice as a challenging, but usable board for the adventurous new paddler as well.
Nixy Malibu G5 iSUP Review – Speed
The Malibu G5 was designed for speed, so how does it hold up?
The Malibu G5 begs to be paddled at a higher cadence.
The Nixy Malibu G5 is 14’ x 28”, advertised as a racing-capable iSUP, has a promising shape and good rigidity…
And it did great in our speed testing!
Starting off with cruising speeds – this was actually the hardest test to do. The Malibu G5, especially when combined with a lighter paddle like the Nixy Pro 3k, begs to be paddled with a higher cadence. I had to really concentrate to keep a 25 strokes-per-minute pace for testing without climbing up to 35-40 SPM. But, at that 25 strokes per minute, the Malibu G5 did great with an average cruising speed of 3.7 MPH.
At that speed a single paddle stroke propels the board just over 26 feet before you feel it begin to slow down – or 1.9 board-lengths per stroke. For higher performance boards we expect to see anywhere from 1.8-2.1 board-lengths per stroke gliding distance.
When you pick up the pace, the Malibu G5 responds with smooth paddling and higher speeds. At 75 strokes per minute for our sustained sprint test (a decent cadence for 200m sprints), the Malibu averaged 5.6 MPH. At a full-speed sprint (around 95 strokes per minute), I was able to hit a top speed of 6.1 MPH.
I did notice some board flex while sprinting on the Malibu G5 while testing it at 15PSI internal pressure. With a few extra pounds of pressure in there I noticed less flexing (less flex means better power transfer and more speed). The Malibu G5 would really benefit from an increase in the recommended maximum pressure rating.
So is the Malibu G5 fast? Yeah, I’d say so. The Nixy Malibu’s speed profile puts it squarely onto the same level of several other wider race boards we’ve tested. This makes it a really good option for paddlers just getting into racing on a budget, larger racers, and those who want a fast touring/fitness board and may consider racing. But for those who want a fully-dedicated racing iSUP, we do still recommend sizing down in width to the 24-26” range for that extra edge in speed.
Nixy Malibu G5 iSUP Review – Maneuverability and Tracking
14’ paddleboards can be notoriously difficult to turn, but are quite easy to keep tracking straight. The Malibu G5 mostly falls into this category with one slight caveat.
Turning the Malibu G5 is best done with advanced strokes like a cross-bow draw.
Nixy packages the Malibu G5 with a 9” all-around/surf-style/”dolphin” shape fin. That’s not what you’d expect for a performance touring/racing SUP. This style of fin generally has slightly lower stability, slightly lower tracking, and better maneuverability than a traditional touring fin. And that’s sort of how it makes the Malibu behave.
In our turning test, the Malibu G5 needed 14 forward sweep strokes to turn in a full circle from a standstill. That is a lot, but what interested me more was that it felt very easy to turn in 90° increments and easier to steer when underway than other 14’ performance paddleboards. It was still difficult to do without more advanced stroke techniques, but it did feel a little looser on the water than what I expected.
Tracking straight on the Malibu G5 was quite easy.
Knowing that the Malibu was feeling a little looser on the water than I anticipated I wasn’t sure how it would do in our tracking test. But with 10 paddle strokes on a single side, the Malibu only wandered off course by about 8°. Again, that’s great for a touring-style board, but not quite what we’d expect for a 14’ racing-style board (generally less than 5°). That result is still very good and with the use of a more traditional touring-style race fin, I felt the tracking performance improve a touch (while also making it a little harder to turn).
The key takeaway with the Malibu’s tracking, though, is it is still quite good and within the acceptable range for this style of paddleboard, even with the mis-matched fin.
The Malibu G5 has just a single fin box with a 9” all-around/surf-style fin with a built-in bolt.
Nixy includes a 9″ all-around or surf-style fin with the Malibu G5. However, the fin box is a short-base Universal Standard (US) style box that can accept hundreds of different fins. So, you can improve tracking performance by using a larger fin. I would like to see Nixy package the Malibu with a more traditional touring or racing fin, and with a longer-base fin box. The captive bolt system is great for new paddlers on an all-around board, but leads to compatibility issues for more advanced paddlers looking to tune their performance.
Nixy Malibu G5 iSUP Review – Warranty and Customer Support
Nixy now offers a 3-year warranty for their G5 paddle boards 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 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.
Nixy Malibu G5 iSUP Review – Final Thoughts
The Nixy Malibu G5 is a fantastic light-touring, fitness, and entry level race iSUP.
I love a good racing SUP and so I was really excited to see the Malibu G5 (and even more excited when it arrived on my doorstep). And I’m happy to report that the excitement continues after my testing!
I’ve really enjoyed paddling the Malibu G5 and find it to fit a really awesome niche. Lots of paddlers out there are looking for a fast, but forgiving paddleboard as they advance, and the Malibu G5 delivers exactly that. It’s comfortably stable for its width and use, it’s fast and easy-gliding on the water, and it’s a really good value. The only things I’d really change about this board are some of the external fittings and kit items. Otherwise, the board itself is fantastic. I plan to keep riding the Malibu G5 for my weekly community-paddle sessions and using it as a gateway to get more people in my area racing!
If you are looking for that “next level” board that retains some creature comforts and hits a wallet-friendly price point, the Nixy Malibu G5 is the right board for you.
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