Coastal Craft: Where did you get your start and why?

I started shaping locally after a trip to South Africa, where I saw a few locals ripping on hand shapes. I’m a contractor & carpenter by trade so I already had a lot of the tools and feel for them before touching a blank. There is a lot of crossover with finish carpentry and shaping. The name “Teardown” comes from my living situation since I moved back to Seattle, almost a decade ago. I’ve been living in homes slated for demolition aka “teardowns.” Having this flexibility and lack of restrictions, I’ve always been able to have a nice shaping bay. My blue collar background definitely paved the way, but mostly I wanted to build quality boards that work better in the Pacific Northwest- tailored to the region.

CC: Where are your boards shaped and sold?

Every board is hand shaped in Seattle, and fiberglassed in Camas by Brad “El Brado” Kavonius. The materials – blanks, cloth, resin, fin boxes, etc. come from Fiberglass Supply in Burlington. Everything is sourced domestically, and built by hand locally. The majority of boards I build are direct custom orders. You can also find my boards at Urban Surf in Seattle, and soon at Cleanline in Oregon. 

CC: What’s your go to board to shape and surf in the PNW?

CC: What draws you to this event?

CC: What do you want viewers to take away from this event?

I hope that people see and appreciate the work that goes into hand shaped boards. They are designed for these waves, and built by people who live and surf here. When you purchase a board from a local shaper, you are directly supporting the local surf industry. If you haven’t ordered a custom surfboard before, I would encourage you to try it.

Parker will be shaping a 6’8″ or close twin fin for this year’s virtual Coastal Craft