Firewire Mashup Vs Channel Islands Rocket Wide

Battle Of The Boards from Boardshop is the ultimate test of two surfboards! This instalment pits the collaborative creation between Rob Machado & Dan Mann, the Firewire Surfboards Mashup against one of the best “go-to” hybrid boards of today, from Britt Merrick and the Gudauskas brothers, the Channel Islands Rocket Wide.

Once again, we have run both boards through there paces and scoring them on our findings and opinions on how we got on. As before, the judging will be on:

Bordshop’s team have been making the most of the winter waves we had, the local has been lacking but we have been travelling west to put the boards through their paces!

So, lets dive into the boards and then the scoring.

Firewire Mashup

Stepping into the ring, the hybrid board that will put a spark back into your surfing in even the most uninspiring waves, we have the Firewire Mashup. A strong contender for the board of 2022 already.

Designed as a board to do it all, this can cover you for a “performancy” small wave board, but it will also cover you as a go to daily driver. 

Blending two of the most successful Firewire models in recent times, the Seaside and Spitfire, this mash of the minds has delivered a versatile little weapon that covers you in waves from thigh high to overhead.

Machado and Mann have crafted a super intelligent board that will have you stoked to surf in all types of waves. The outline, foam distribution and dimensions all add up to give you a super good paddling board that carries speed with ease and lets you check off a few turns too.

Channel Islands Rocket Wide 

Up against the Mashup, fighting out of the opposite corner, we have the Rocket Wide from Channel Islands. Britt Merrick’s take on a hybrid board that gives us performance and fun.

When you pick this beauty up and place it under the arm it feels “just right”. The balance in the board just gives you the feel of a board that will go in almost any wave and it will be extremely fun and playful.

Channel Islands have given the Rocket Wide has an outline and profile that allows the board to take on waves from 1ft to 5ft. A fast-paddling board that has plenty of spark and manoeuvrability with the ability to hold in a bigger swell too.

A true trusted surfboard that can handle a huge array of wave conditions, types and size.

Now to dive into scoring:

Paddle Speed

With both of these boards being so similar in shape and outline, a lot of the results are going to be very close. With paddle speed, you cannot really find a difference in the two boards.

Both will have you stroking into almost anything that looks like a wave from just over knee high up to just over head. 4/5 for both!

Wave Catching Ability

Like with the Paddle Speed, both of these boards share very similar entry rocker profiles, which allows the to stroke into waves with ease.

They are crazy good. The Channel Islands has a slightly wider profile under the chest which edges this category. 4.5 out of 5 for the Rocket Wide. 4/5 for the Mashup.

Manoeuvrability

Here is where we found a small difference in the boards. The Mashup felt a touch easier to throw around and get the board on a rail.

Don’t get us wrong, the Rocket Wide has bags of performance and was still sharp and responsive underfoot, we just felt the Mashup rolled over rail to rail a touch easier.

For that we have given the Mashup 4.5 out of 5 and the Rocket Wide 4.

Speed

To clarify, this is speed when up and riding, and both of the boards we had under foot flew!

I can say they made our surfing feel better than ever just by generating speed and allowing the test pilots to focus on performing rather than hopping to generate speed. All the attributes lead towards a fast board, with the concaves and rocker working together. We could not split the boards on this test, so 4/5 again for both. 

Fun Factor

This was one area we could not give the same score on both. Simply thanks to the tail giving us a feel that the board can be whipped around a touch easier and faster, the fun on the Rocket Wide was at another level!

5 out of 5 for the Channel Islands, the Mashup came in very close behind at 4/5.

Watch The Battle Of The Boards Video!

Check out the full range of Channel Islands and Firewire Surfboards online now!