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Simondo said...Good equipment, or at least the right equipment "should" help you become a better surfer.
An extreme example - " Surfer A" - 90kg surfer at a 1.5 foot point-break... 6'1 white shortboard...scratching around barely getting anything, getting frustrated...
"Surfer B" - also 90kg in the same conditions, on a 9'6 McTavish PinTail or Redline, or UFO, or EvoI or II, or Noosa66... having a blast!!

Surfer A paddles out on a Firewire Sweet Potato and Surfer B paddles out on a door yet wins the heat fair and square by a country mile......
Surfer A is Ted and Surfer B is KS.
Boards make loads of difference but a good surfer can generally surf anything well from what I have seen. I think that a lot of it is in our head...what feels right under the arm, what we think is good, looks good, makes us feel good etc. I know I have had some crap boards over the years but generally speaking if they float me well I am pretty happy. Many times i wish I had my other board with me (this morning for example) but then when I was younger, lighter and fitter etc I just had one board and never seemed to moan about it! I surfed better as well !!
I have been playing around with fins a lot in the last 12 - 18 months - I used to think that all the crap that people went on about this and that was a bit over the top as I thought you would need to be a much more accomplished surfer to notice those differences....well I have realised that I was wrong

. Yes I know on LB's the fins can make a massive difference - eg a D Fin to a Hatchet to a Dolphin for example - but then thats pretty obvious as they are a completely different shape.....but on a short board a change in the rake, stiffness, size etc can make a significant difference to my boards....and for yrs I never thought they would. I just remember that when I was younger my fins came glassed on and the only time you swapped them was when you hit a rock and dis-lodged them coming in at Manu Bay or Indicators.
So I guess in conclusion both the person and the equipment can make a big difference. If you are a beginner then as long as its floats you well thats all thats required..... if you are an absolute ripper then you can ride anything but if you are in the intermediate to improving range then I think that design improvements can help you out significantly at times.
Lets not forget about the conditions though....If its 4ft and perfect every board I have ever owned goes well......when its 6ft only 2 of 5 boards that I use regularly work and if its 2ft only 2 of my 5 boards that I use regularly work.
Back on equipment - never had an issue with leg ropes



I just do not like the lightweight ones as I hate it when they snap.