Nixy Monterey G4 Inflatable Paddleboard – Test and Review

Sharing is caring!

Updated April 9th, 2024

The Nixy Monterey G4 Expedition is the perfect adventuring paddleboard. It is great for fishing or carrying gear for SUP camping. It’s also a great all around board for larger paddlers and beginners. We got a chance to try out the Monterey and found it to be a great large all purpose inflatable paddle board. It has woven construction with 2 air chambers. It has a ton of accessory mounts. Its size makes it big and stable while its shape makes it faster than a board this big should be. Keep reading for our full review of the Nixy Monterey G4 Expedition.

Features of the Nixy Monterey G4 Expedition paddle board

The 4th Generation boards from Nixy use advanced construction and premium accessories. They are targeted at the mid to upper price range and competitive with boards from brands such as iRocker. They aren’t one of the more popular brands out there but they should be.

Every G4 Nixy paddle board uses similar construction and comes with a similar accessory package. This is the only line of boards offered by Nixy. The only exception is the Huntington G4 ultra compact board which comes with a unique paddle and bag.

The Monterey is either shorter touring board or a larger all around stand up paddle board. The design is focused on being versatile with a large weight capacity. The board has more D-Rings and accessory mounts than any other board I have seen. It’s a big board but it has a narrow tail so that it won’t be too slow.

For those looking for a high performance touring board, check out the Manhattan G4. For those wanting a regular sized all around board, check out the Newport G4.

Nixy provided us with an Aqua colored Monterey G4 to try out. It’s the first Nixy board I have seen or have had experience with. I am quite impressed by the overall package from the construction to the accessories. As with all reviews, we will give you both the good and bad.

Basic Specs

The Monterey G4 is 11’6″ x 32″ x 6″. It weighs 25 lbs. It has a weight capacity of 400 lbs. The overall package in the bag weighs about 40 lbs.

Price

The Nixy Monterey retails for $795. It is available direct from Nixy or from Amazon.

Dual air chambers for safety and stiffness.

The Monterey has 2 separate air chambers. The primary air chamber makes up most of the board. There is a second air chamber in the middle of the board. They have to be inflated and deflated separately. The second chamber has enough bouyancy to float you if the main chamber leaks. This gives you an added measure of safety if you are paddeboarding away from shore. Some European countries require double chamber paddleboards.

The second air chamber also gives the board extra stiffness. The inner air chamber gives the board extra side walls inside the board that make the board more rigid when inflated.

Construction

The Nixy G4 boards use a double layer woven construction. This is similar to the woven construction from Starboard. It’s now making its way into the boards from other brands. The board also has carbon reinforced side rails for extra stiffness. This combined with the dual air chambers gives the board incredible rigidity.

The overall construction of the board looks and feels durable and of high quality. It has the feel of a board that is is worth what it costs or more.

Board Stiffness

One of the ways to measure how well an inflatable board is made and how well it will perform is how stiff it is. To measure this we set the board up on 2 stands 8 feet apart. We loaded the board up with 120 lbs of weight and measured how much the board deflected under load.

The Monterey deflected just 1 inch in the test. This ties it for the best board we have tested so far. The only other board we had that deflected only 1 inch was the Blackin Ultra CX. That board also has woven construction with carbon reinforced rails. I am sold on the woven drop stitch construction now and its ability to create very stiff light inflatable boards.

The below table shows our test results for various boards.

Deck Pad

The deck pad extends from the front bungee to the rear bungee. It covers almost the entire board. It has a light emobossed texture to it that isn’t too aggressive on your feet. It’s comfortable with okay grip. It looks well adhered to the board with no looseness around the corners anywhere.

Handles, D-Rings, action mount, and bungee cords

This board has a lot going on. There are 3 handles. One at the front, middle and back.

There are 2 bungee cords. One at the front and one at the rear. Both bungees are easy to adjust and remove with the attached bungee cleats.

There are 18 D-Rings. There is a front D-Ring under the nose. 1 at the rear for attaching a leash. 2 sets for bungees at the front and rear. 4 around the middle that can be used for attaching a seat. The 4 middle D-Rings are spaced far apart.

There are 10 action mounts. 1 at the rear. Just in front of the rear bungee. 2 at the front of the standing area. 2 in the front bungees. 1 at the front of the board.

There are 2 Scotty mounts behind where you would stand.

There is a bungee paddle holder on the front left side of the board.

Check out our guide to paddle board accessories to see some other good ideas that will make paddle boarding more fun.

3 Removable fins

The board uses a standard 3 fin setup. All 3 fins are removeable. All three attach using finger screws to hold them securely in place.

The center fin uses a standard US/FCS fin box. You can swap it out for other fins using that finbox design to customize how your board performs.

SUP Accessories

Nixy G4 paddleboards come with a first rate set of accessories. They are more than competitive with other boards in the $700-$900 price range. The board includes a carbon paddle, roller backpack, pump and ankle leash. No extras such as drybags, phone cases, etc… I like anytime I don’t see extras with the board. That means the board maker put the focus and investment into things that matter.

NIXY G4 Carbon Hybrid Paddle

The NIXY G4 hybrid carbon fiber paddle has a shaft that is 30% Carbon, 70% Fiberglass. My paddle weighed 26 oz (published weight is 25 oz). It is the same weight as an iRocker carbon paddle. It is far better than any aluminum paddle I have seen included with an inflatable stand up paddle board.

The blade is 90 square inch and has a slight forward angle to it. The blade is molded plastic but has a carbon fiber pattern applied to it to give it a all carbon fiber look.

The paddle uses a heavy duty looking quick release lever to adjust the length. Length measurements are clearly labeled on the handle shaft. The only complaint about using a quick release is that there is no alignment feature for the handle. The Nixy paddle has an arrow molded into the quick release to visibly align it. That is one advantage of the sliding pin arrangement on other paddles. The handle is always aligned to the blade.

NIXY G4 TYPHOON Hand Pump

A large double barrel triple action hand pump is included. The pump has the ability to inflate and deflate. The feet fold up and the handle ends unscrew to reduce the size of the pump.

The pump has 2 levers to change modes. There is a clear diagram on the pump showing what position to put them in for each mode. It shows what sequence to use to get the fastest, easiest inflation time.

This is one of the nicer double barrel pumps I’ve seen included with boards. It’s one of the few dual chamber pumps with the ability to deflate boards. The Red Paddle Co Titan 2 can’t deflate. The iRocker double barrel pump can’t deflate either. Being able to suck air out of the board makes it much easier to get these large board and pump combos back into their bag.

This pump would be my top pick among all the hand pumps I’ve tried so far if I had to use nothing but a hand pump.

NIXY G4 Backpack

The Nixy G4 backpack is an impressive piece of gear. It is wheeled with 3 large wheels on the bottom instead of 2. It is made from heavyduty feeling materials and zippers. It has a large zipper pocket on the front and several small pockets under the cover. It has a couple of retaining straps inside the bag. It has heavy thick backpack straps and waist strap. It’s got a decent amount of padding for your back.

The bag is also has a bunch of MOLLE style webbing loops on the sides, top and shoulder straps as well as some D-Rings. This backpack is stacked with versatility just like the Monterey board.

My only complaint about this backpack is that it is not wide enough on the bottom to stand up. This is the only paddleboard I’ve tried that won’t stand no matter who I go about putting the board into it. It needs something to lean against or it has to lay on it’s front or back.

Nixy hybrid leash

A 10 foot coiled ankle leash is included. It has a nice feel with a neoprene ankle cuff.

Repair kit

A standard repair kit is included with some patching materials and a valve wrench.

Setup and Inflation

Setup is quick and easy. The only thing unique about this board for setup is the dual air chambers.

You must push in the valve in the second chamber to release any vacumn or pressure building up as the main chamber expands around it. This is to make sure it can expand freely. Don’t forget this. The second chamber will prevent the main chamber from expanding properly if you don’t.

To set up the board roll it out somewhere smooth without rooks, sticks or other things that could damage the board. A Landing Mat such as sold by Nixy is a good way to protect the bottom of your paddleboard.

Nixy Landing Mat

I start by inflating the large main chamber. The air valve is at the nose of the board on the Monterey.

The pump has 3 settings that you get by putting the levers into different positions. I start with the high volume setting. This is pumping on both the up and down stroke for both chambers. Pump until it gets difficult to pull up. That will happen about the time the board starts looking full of air.

I set the pump to the middle setting. This is pumping on the downstroke for both chambers. Pump on this setting for as long as you possibly can. This is where double chambers have a speed advanage over single chamber pumps. You might be able to get to 10 psi on this setting if you try hard.

Set the pump to the 3rd setting. This is pumping on the downstroke for only 1 chamber. Continue pumping until you get to 15 psi pressure. Don’t cheat and stop early or you will have a soft flimsy paddleboard.

Repeat the process for the small inner air chamber. This chamber only holds a fraction of the air so it won’t take very much to get it to 15 psi. You’ll cycle through the 3 pump stages quickly.

It took me 9 minutes and 52 seconds to inflate the board trying to pump it as fast as I could. At this point many of you have to be thinking there has to be a better way. The Nixy hand pump is one of the best ones I’ve used, it still takes a lot of effort and can be exhausting. The answer is an electric pump and we’ll get to that in a second.

After inflating the board you need to attach the 3 fins. You do this by inserting the end with pins into the middle of the slot. Slide the fin in place. Tighten the finger screw until it’s firmly mounted in it’s slot. There is a screwdriver head if you would rather use a flat head screwdriver instead of finger tightening.

Put the 3 segments of the paddle together and adjust the paddle length. For most people that is about 1 foot above your head when standing with the paddle.

Attach the ankle leash to the D-Ring at the back of the board.

You are set to go.

Using an electric pump

Hand pumping an inflatable stand up paddleboard is the worst part of owning an inflatable SUP. Some people consider it a good warm up. Other people find it wipes them out before they even get to start paddling. I personally prefer to use my energy paddling and not pumping. I almost always use an electric pump.

Nixy makes the Nixy Ventus Pump. It’s a very good electric pump and an optional battery pack for it. It runs off 12 volt power from your car. You can use the battery instead for a more portable solution. It is capable of inflating 3 or more paddleboards in a row up to 20 psi. It comes with a really nice carrying bag.

The Nixy pump can inflate the Monterey in 11 minutes and 47 seconds which is 2 minutes slower than what I could do by hand. It changes pumping from an exhausting experience to an easy task. You can use the time to get everything else ready, read messages, or eat a snack instead of pumping.

There are electric pumps out there that can beat my hand pumping time on this board if saving every last minute is important to you.

See our review of the Nixy Ventus Electric Pump to learn more.

See our guide to the best electric SUP pumps to see other great options.

On water performance

The Monterey is a big fun board to paddle around. It is kind of a touring SUP while being kind of an all around board. It has a more pointy nose and slimmer tail than other boards of this type. This makes it feel a bit faster than it should be being a really large board.

It has nice glide thanks to its length and shape. It won’t beat a 12′ 30″ wide touring board in a race. It will cruise around faster than most 10’6″ or shorter boards on flat water.

This is a large board and does take some effort to paddle into chop and wind. It doesn’t cut through it as a narrower board will. The more pointed nose gives it a little help.

The 3 fins give it very good tracking. If you want a bit more speed you can remove the 2 small fins. This will sacrifice some slow speed stability and tracking for less drag once you are moving.

A first time paddle boarders can easily handle the Monterey. It is one of the easiest boards out there to stand up on. We found that beginners who were struggling to stand on other boards could easily get up on the Monterey. After a little practice, they could move on to other boards.

The board has a lot of space on the deck pad. It’s not a yoga specific board, but it works well for SUP yoga. You can easily remove the front and rear bungee to have a more clear deck space. The only thing you might find irritating is the center handle and the 2 scotty mounts.

This board is perfect for paddling with a dog. It has plenty of room for a large dog. The removeable bungees are nice if you have a dog that doesn’t like to walk or stand on them.

There is plenty of room for a cooler and fishing gear. The scotty mounts are in a good place for fishing rod holders. The paddle holder lets you get the paddle out of your way.

Heavy weight and paddlers

This board is awesome for bigger people. My 6’5″ 330 lbs friend finds it the best board he’s ever tried to use. It has a lot of stiffness thanks to the dual air chamber so he doesn’t feel like he’s sinking into it. It’s got a lot of stability when it’s loaded up with a lot of weight. If you are a paddler in the big and tall category you should give this board a try.

Kayak conversion

The Monterey has plenty of D-Rings and room for a kayak seat. The D-Rings are spaced to use the Nixy kayak seats which only have 2 attachments instead of the normal 4 the most generic SUP seats have. The Monterey is designed to fit 2 Nixy kayak seats and work as a tandem. NIXY also has a kayak blade available for converting your Nixy G4 paddle.

NIXY PREMIUM SUP KAYAK SEAT

NIXY G4 SUP KAYAK BLADE

The D-Rings are farther apart which can make it difficult to mount some SUP seats. You can always find some rope loops or make some webbing loops to extend the straps on your kayak seat. We tried it with a couple of different seats we have.

See our article on converting your inflatable SUP into a kayak to learn more.

Deflation and packing

You go in the reverse order of setup to put this board away. I like to let it sit out a while and dry off before deflating and rolling up. Letting the board completely dry keeps it from getting moldy and disgusting. If you are in a hurry, take it out at home and let it fully dry later.

Take the fins off by unscrewing the finger screws and sliding them out.

Deflate the board by pushing in valve button on both H3 valves and let the air out.

I like to use a pump to completely suck the air out. This makes the board much easier to roll up. I empty the main chamber first and the small chamber second.

I like to leave both air valves open when I start rolling to squeeze out any last bit of air.

Roll the board back up starting with the rear with the fins. Make the first roll by folding the tail over and then fold the part of the board with the large fin. Make folds above that size as you roll the board up to the nose. When you get the middle air valve, close it off, then continue rolling.

After rolling the board up use the attached strap to cinch the board a little tighter.

Large paddleboards with large pumps can be a challenge to get back into their bags. If you rolled the board tight enough it will go in without too much effort. If you didn’t you probably need to unroll and try it again.

Because you are rolling the board about the rear fins, it doesn’t work great to roll the board around the pump. You can do it but it will just barely fit in the bag if your lucky.

Put the paddle into the bottom of the bag first.

Slide the board into the bag. You have to hold the wheels up and slide the board under them into the very bottom of the bag.

The pump will fit on top of the board with the handle ends attached and the zipper will close this way. It takes some effort. This is one of the hardest board/pump/bag combinations I’ve found to get back into the original bag.

The Verdict

I’m really impressed by the Nixy Monterey G4 Expedition. The board has really stiff construction and comes with good accessories. This board is a perfect foundation to build an adventuring setup with for SUP fishing or SUP camping. It makes a really good all around board for bigger paddlers. If you are looking for a new inflatable paddleboard, check out the Nixy G4 series boards.

Sharing is caring!