Best for: confident intermediates and advanced surfers who want midlength paddle power without giving up speed or rail-to-rail surfing.
Rob Machado’s Firewire Seaside & Beyond stretches the fast, fishy Seaside idea into a 6’8 to 7’4 midlength. The extra rail line and foam bring early entry and effortless trim, yet the pulled-in tail and quad-friendly outline keep it far more animated than a conventional mini-mal.
How it surfs
The board wants open face. It builds speed quickly, connects weak sections and rewards a smooth stance; shift forward and it flies in trim, then move decisively onto the tail to turn. It is available at 40.9L, 45.3L and 49.5L. Those numbers supply useful paddle help, but this is not a first board: the long rail and fish-derived plan shape ask for clean positioning and deliberate footwork.
Firewire recommends roughly 1–5ft surf, skewing toward poor-to-average waves. Helium construction uses a light EPS core with wood rail reinforcement, while Volcanic basalt lamination adds durability and a crisp response. Fin choice matters: a quad maximises speed and hold, while a twin-plus-trailer can loosen the ride.
What owners say
The Australian Firewire page showed a 5.0/5 rating from three public reviews. Todd H. praised its down-the-line speed in fast beach and point breaks. Will highlighted rail-to-rail speed, paddling and the easy transition from shortboards. CraigO reported that the 7’0 entered waves early and handled double-overhead surf, while noting that its natural turns were smoother and more drawn out.
“It glides. It turns on a dime and most importantly, it puts a smile on my face.”
Rob Machado, Firewire product page
Verdict
Rating: 4.8/5. One of the most convincing performance midlengths available in Australia. It makes average surf feel fast and brings calm paddle power to bigger, rolling waves. Surfers wanting tight shortboard arcs may find the longer radius restrictive, and the AUD $1,449 list price is premium territory.
Source, Australian availability and company link: Firewire Australia. Public review excerpts are from that product page. Image credit: Firewire Surfboards. Price and stock checked at publication and may change.
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