Nixy Venice G5 iSUP Review: Overview
Cruiser style paddle boards are known for being big and stable, but can sometimes become a little bland in the process. But, the Nixy Venice G5 is a multi-purpose cruiser and Yoga SUP that is nimble and sporty while still being comfortable, stable, and fun to paddle. With three bright and bold color options and the ability to build your perfect paddle board kit, the Venice G5 is anything but bland.
New features for the G5 include cross-woven drop stitching for lightweight and rigid construction, welded seams for increased durability, and an optimized shape for increased stability and capacity.
— Nixy Venice G5 iSUP Review Summary and Ratings —
Nixy Venice G4
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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 Venice G5 is a lightweight multi-purpose cruiser iSUP with good stability and multiple color options
Pros
- Nixy’s new G5 Construction reduces weight and increases longevity with new welded rails
- Woven drop stitch core keeps the Venice G5 rigid without adding weight
- The wide outline and square tail shape gives the Venice G5 great stability
- A full-length deck pad gives you room to stretch out for yoga, move around for fishing, or bring a passenger or pet
- Multiple D-rings, accessory mounting points, and cargo areas make it easy to load up with as much or as little cargo as you’d like
- Extended 3-year warranty
- Build your own kit system lets you choose exactly which accessories you want
Cons
- The large deck pad is comfortable with good grip, but does become slightly slippery with just the “right” amount of water under your feet
- All G5 Nixy iSUPs are sold as board & fin only, so you’ll need to add all of the other necessary items for a complete kit (leash, paddle, bag, pump)
Nixy Venice G5 iSUP Review: Construction and Durability
Nixy Sports’ new G5 construction focuses on keeping the brand’s paddle boards lightweight without sacrificing durability.
The Nixy Venice G5 starts off with the latest iSUP technology – a woven drop stitch double-wall core. Inside the board there are two layers of woven polyester fabric that create the base for the deck and hull of the board. By using a woven fabric layer, the Venice G5 is able to shed some weight without sacrificing rigidity compared to traditional knitted fabrics.
The two layers are joined together with thousands of drop stitch fibers. These fibers give the board its flat, six-inch thick shape, and connect the top and bottom like trestles of a bridge to keep it rigid. Rather than using a standard V-shape stitching pattern, the new G5 construction uses an X-shaped cross-woven pattern that further reduces weight without losing rigidity.
Next, the fabric base layers are coated with two layers of PVC applied with both heat and pressure in a fusion-lamination process. This eliminates glue, which in turn reduces weight and potential errors from the standard hand-gluing process.
The top and bottom of the board are joined together with a heat-welded interior seam for maximum longevity, and lastly an outer band of reinforced PVC is glued around the edge of the board to protect the inner seam and provide more rigidity.
With the near-elimination of glue from the board and use of the latest lightweight materials, the Nixy Venice G5 weighs in at just 18.8 pounds on our scale. That’s quite impressive for a 34” wide board!
The Venice G5 has a maximum recommended pressure rating of 15 PSI. With the new welded rails it would be nice to see Nixy increase this maximum pressure recommendation to 18-20 PSI for additional rigidity.
The Nixy Venice G5 performed slightly better than average in our standardized bend test. With the board inflated to its maximum pressure, it bent just over 1.5”. Our current running average of over 130 paddle boards tested is a little more than 1.6”.
On the water, the Nixy Venice G5 has an interesting flex profile. When I’m looking for it I can feel a little bit of softness under my feet, but only when I’m looking for it. While paddling normally I didn’t notice any flex in the board, and I also didn’t notice any while going through a few Yoga poses.
When I began speed testing the Venice, though, I did notice it flexing a fair amount. I could see the nose of the board lift and lower on the water during a sprint. Bouncing on the board generated a moderately high amount of flex with a tight and springy rebound when I stopped.
While that flex during sprinting and bouncing isn’t a great thing, it also doesn’t matter a whole lot for the Venice G5. This is a cruiser-style iSUP meant for casual paddling and yoga, not racing and gymnastics. And I didn’t notice any flexing when using the Venice G5 as it is designed.
Overall, the Nixy Venice G5, like all of Nixy’s G5-series boards, is built to last and is lightweight without sacrificing its performance on the water.
Specifications
| Dimensions | |
| Length | 10’ 6” |
| Width | 34“ |
| Thickness | 6“ |
| Weight | |
| Max Capacity | 400 pounds |
| Board Weight | 18.8 pounds |
| Kit Weight (SUP & accessories) | pounds |
| Buying Info | |
| List Price | $755.00 |
| Warranty | 3 years |
| Returns period | 30 days |
Nixy Venice G5 iSUP Review: Features, Accessories and Versatility
As a cruiser and yoga paddle board, the Venice G5 is decked out with plenty of features and accessories for all sorts of different activities on the water.
The Nixy Venice G5 is well-equipped to meet pretty much any on-water adventures you can think of. However, it does not automatically come with a complete kit of accessories. For the G5-series boards, Nixy is selling them as just the board & fin with the option to add the accessories you want at a discounted price. At the time of this writing, Nixy is currently offering core accessories (bag, leash, paddle, and pump) completely free, however this deal is not likely to last long.
Nixy Venice G5 iSUP Review: Paddle
The Nixy 3-piece hybrid paddle is one of our favorite “kit” paddles available. With the option to build your own package, you can also upgrade to the Nixy Pro paddle at the time of purchase.
Nixy’s hybrid paddle uses a carbon fiber shaft, fiber-reinforced nylon blade, and a carbon fiber/plastic handle to create a lightweight, comfortable, and versatile “kit” paddle for their iSUPs.
With a rectangular 90 square-inch blade, the Nixy Hybrid paddle blade is sized to fit the largest majority of paddlers and shaped for a variety of different uses. Where tear-drop style blades can sometimes feel slow or heavy to paddle, narrower rectangular blades are designed for efficient paddle strokes and make it easier to paddle with a faster cadence if you want some speed.
The carbon fiber shaft feels great in your hands and provides the right balance of rigidity and flex for comfortable all-day paddling. It also keeps the paddle quite light at just 28.5 ounces. The plastic handle is well shaped, and the carbon fiber handle section has a length scale to easily set the paddle each time you use it. However, it does not have any indexing so you will need to make sure the handle is properly aligned with the blade when you change the length.
Nixy also has a very robust line of Pro-series paddles that use full 3k carbon fiber construction for the entire paddle. This makes the paddles even lighter (between 22-25 ounces) and gives them a more powerful flex profile without becoming uncomfortably stiff. The Pro series paddles come in a variety of sizes from an 86 square-inch slim-shaft paddle to a 94 square-inch large blade paddle. They are also available in a stiffer 12k carbon fiber layup for more power transfer.
Nixy Venice G5 iSUP Review: Stability
The Venice G5 is built for comfort and stability, and it delivers on both.
The G5 version of the Nixy Venice brings this model up to a full 34” wide from the previous generation’s 33” width. Additionally, the tail and nose are wider giving the Venice G5 excellent stability on the water.
Starting out on the Venice G5 I felt instantly comfortable on the water. I didn’t feel any rolling from side to side while standing or paddling. I could feel just a slight twitch feeling that is common with lightweight paddle boards. The lighter the board the easier it is to tilt from side to side with changes in weight distribution. When the board is flat on the water I only noticed this happening occasionally, but when tilted on its side, the Venice G5 was more reactive when trying to hold it at an angle.
While there was a small amount of flex in the board while paddling hard, it’s not something I felt during normal use, or even when moving around on the board or doing some yoga.
The embossed traction pad is comfortable and slightly soft to help you grip the board, but I did occasionally feel like the deck pad was a little slippery when there was just the “right” amount of water on the deck. However, I never slipped on the board or felt like there wasn’t enough traction for standing, walking, or doing Yoga.
Stepping back to the tail of the board for a pivot turn is easy and comfortable. Once the nose is lifted, the wide tail gives plenty of support as you spin around. I did notice more twitching in this position, but that is common for most paddle boards as there is simply less board on the water to resist tilting.
Overall I found the Nixy Venice G5 to be pleasantly stable for paddling and for Yoga. There is enough space both on the board and on the deck pad to easily bring along a passenger or pet as well.
Nixy Venice G5 iSUP Review: Speed
The Nixy Venice G5 is purpose-built as a cruiser paddle board. It’s built for comfort and stability while gliding easily across the water, but it’s not built for maximum speed.
In our speed testing we look at three different categories: sprinting, cruising, and gliding.
In our sprint test we paddle the board at a high cadence (75 strokes per minute) and we paddle as fast as possible at any cadence. At our metered sprint pace, the Venice G5 paddled just under 5 MPH, and at its top speed I was able to paddle 5.3 MPH. While these speeds aren’t universally “fast”, they are typical speeds for a wider cruiser-style iSUP. However, I did notice that the Venice G5 experienced a lot of flex while sprinting. I could see the nose lift and lower with each stroke moving the waterline nearly a foot back each time.At a more casual cruising pace of 25 strokes per minute, the Nixy Venice G5 does quite well with an average speed of 3.5 MPH. This is a low, continuous stroke rate that requires you to pause between each paddle stroke, so it’s a very comfortable pace for any user. Again, 3.5 MPH is typical for a board of this size. At this pace, though, I didn’t notice any flexing.
While cruising at this speed and pace, the Venice G5 also has great glide performance. With a single paddle stroke the Venice travels about 19 to 20 feet before slowing down. This gives it a gliding ratio of 1.9 board-lengths per stroke. That’s extremely efficient for a wide cruiser-iSUP like the Venice.
While the Nixy Venice G5 doesn’t have amazing sprinting speeds, it’s quite comfortable and efficient to paddle at very reasonable cruising speeds – exactly as it’s designed.
Nixy Venice G5 iSUP Review: Maneuverability and Tracking
Shorter and wider boards like the Nixy Venice G5 are typically known for their maneuverability, not their tracking performance. While this holds true for the Venice in casual use, it also tracks surprisingly well when you want it to.
I was expecting the Venice G5 to be quick to turn, but I wasn’t quite ready for just how fast it can really whip around.
Using just forward sweep strokes – a notoriously slow turning stroke – I was able to turn the Nixy Venice G5 in a complete circle in just 4.5 strokes on average. The Venice responds very readily to turning and steering whether the board is standing still or moving forward.
With reverse sweep strokes I made the same full-circle turn in just 3.5 strokes on average. While turning in a full circle isn’t the most common maneuver on the water, the Venice G5 handles small turns, steering, and course correction very easily.
Stepping back on the tail for a pivot turn is easy thanks to the Venice’s wide outline, and the board spins quickly and comfortably with the nose lifted out of the water.
With excellent maneuverability performance I was bracing myself for some less-excellent tracking performance. But I was proven wrong.
After taking 10 forward paddle strokes on one side of the board, I found that the Nixy Venice G5 had only veered off-course by an average of about 15° – which actually places it on the above average side for both cruiser-style iSUPs and most narrower all-around iSUPs.
But I will put a small caveat on this result. This test is done with intention and using the best forward stroke technique possible for all 10 strokes in casual succession. While not specifically testing tracking performance, I did find that the Venice G5’s tracking was more in line with what I had anticipated. Because it reacts so readily to turning and steering input, any less-than-perfect forward strokes would begin to turn the Venice moderately quickly.
What this means for you, dear reader, is that the Nixy Venice G5 will give you the tracking performance that you choose. If you want it to track well, and use the right stroke technique, it will. But, if you aren’t so mindful about your forward stroke technique, the Venice G5’s tracking performance will fall back in line with other wider cruiser-style iSUPs.
The Venice G5 has a single US fin box under the tail of the board. This allows you to use any of hundreds of different fins to adjust the board’s maneuverability and tracking performance as desired. Nixy ships the Venice G5 with a 9” all-around or surf-style fin with a tool-less captive bolt that works with the built-in nut in the fin box.
Overall, the Nixy Venice G5 is a highly-maneuverable paddle board with the ability to track very well when you want with some mindful paddling.
Nixy Venice G5 iSUP Review: Warranty and Customer Support
Nixy has a 3 year warranty on their new G5 inflatable paddle boards and a 1 year warranty on accessories (bag, paddle, pump, etc.). Additionally they do offer a 30-day return window and will cover the cost of return shipping if you are not satisfied with your purchase. You can contact Nixy’s excellent customer service team via phone, email, social media, or through their website.
Nixy Venice G5 iSUP Review: Final Thoughts
The Nixy Venice G5 is a great cruiser and Yoga inflatable paddle board. It’s lightweight, built well, stable, and performs well on the water. The option to choose your own accessories lets you easily build the perfect kit with options like an electric pump or upgraded paddle, without having to first pay for the base options like you would with a mandatory kit.
If you are looking for a comfortable and stable board, a multi-use cruiser and Yoga SUP, a paddle board you can share with a friend, child, or pet, all from a company with excellent quality, customer service, and excellent accessory options, than look no further than the Nixy Venice G5.
Nixy Venice G5 iSUP FAQ
Is the Nixy Venice G5 good for beginners?
Absolutely! The 34” width and extra-wide tail make the Venice G4 very stable while still being easy to paddle.
How long does it take to inflate the Nixy Venice G5?
It only takes about 8 minutes to inflate the Nixy Venice G5 to its maximum recommended 15 PSI using the Nixy Typhoon double-chamber hand pump. We do prefer electric pumps for their hands-off convenience, and Nixy’s Ventus electric pump is one of our favorites.
Can I use a kayak seat with the Nixy Venice G5?
Yes! The Venice G5 has four d-rings around the middle of the board that can be used to attach a kayak seat. Nixy also sells extra paddle blades for each of their available paddles for an easy conversion from single- to double-blade paddling.
Is the Nixy Venice G5 a good value?
The Nixy G5 offers top of the line materials and constructions for a great price. It’s a particularly good value for paddlers who may already have a pump or paddle, since you aren’t forced to buy one with the board, and Nixy’s excellent accessories are all available at a discount when bundled with the Venice G5.
Can I bring my dog along on the Nixy Venice G5?
You bet! The stable shape and full-length deck pad are perfect for paddling with your pooch!
