VS boards are made by Mez in indo, in the same factory that produces NMD, LMNOP, HB, SCIENCE, SNIPER, some TOYS, some TURBO, MOREY, BZ, ELIT and even more brands… They’re all really good boards with a solid construction (Buzz Tech Laminators), CNC Machine precision for the cut of the core blanks, and hand shaped finitions for all boards (rails, nose and tail bumpers, nose bulbs & lamination process).
The Ryan Hardy is a fast and narrow board designed by Ryan and Todd Quigley. Its template is very straight in the same vein as its range compadre the VS Rawlins board. The template and curve of the VS Hardy when you look at it is quite close to the template of the NMD Player board but the Hardy board is narrower and it’s got a different curve between the wide point and the nose of the board. The NMD Player for example has a gentle curve that goes smoothly from the wide point to the nose whereas the VS Hardy has a curve that tends to go up higher, in a straight line and then turn at the last moment to meet the nose corners which makes the board very straight.
As a result the VS Hardy board is fast and draws straight lines on the wave. The rails are straight and feel fast and responsive for rail to rail turn, specially since the board is quite narrow. It’s easy to scoop, lock yourself into barrels and control the board in hollow conditions. On the contrary, small and less powerful waves would probably not fit the board as well, it would lack volume (width) a little bit and wouldn’t go as fast or be enough responsive.
We tested the board in 2 to 5 foot beachbreaks, quite powerful waves, with both hollow and fast barrels as well as small and clean mini waves. The board worked definitely better in hollower waves were you could use the speed that the board generated to put it where you want it to be: deep in the barrel or above the lip. Water was quite cold when we first tested it so the PE/Stringer/Mesh combo was perfect. Then we tested it again in warmer waters recently and the board still felt really good. It was still almost brand new for the second test so it wasn’t too flexy like PE can be when it’s too old or too warm. The mesh layer and the stringer probably has to do with this. Seriously from really cold waters to 20 or 22°C (about 71°F) waters the PE/Stringer/Mesh combo will work like a charm if the board is not very old or hasn’t had any bad creases or heavy landings that would make it too flexy.
The PE core is perfect for control, specially on those straight curves like the VS Hardy board. A PP core would be good in very very clean conditions (perfectly glassy) or in really warm waters or warm destinations like indo, mexico etc.
Tricks on and off the lips are made easier thanx to the narrow template of the board which you can point toward the lip quite easily. Landings might be trickier because of this narrow shape however. We would recommand a wider board if you’re a beginner or if you’re not confortable with narrow boards like the VS Hardy and Rawlins. The VS PLC model might be easier to handle for tricks landings, it’s slightly wider and has a more curvy shape. The NMD Player can also be a board you’d like if you want easier control for curves and a slightly wider and safer template for tricks and 360’s.
We really enjoyed riding the board, and it definitely is hi performance weapon for anything above 4 feet and hollow. It’s not a tool for mushy or slow waves, you would really use the full potential of this board if you ride it in everyday average conditions. It’s been designed for real waves and good conditions.
