David Parkes is a Six-Time Australian Champion with over 20 years experience in surfboard design and shaping. As owner of a factory in Byron Bay since the 80's, he has seen a lot and learned a lot from some of the legends of our industry. A Champion Kneeboarder with International competitive credentials. Get an in-depth look at Parkesy's Background and Shaping Influences, and check out the kneelo lore!

"The first Kneeboards I made in the Friar Tuck factory, at Brookvale in 1978, were single fins. My own boards at that stage tended to be more pulled in at the nose and tail than the current standard in the Northern Beaches of Sydney (at this stage I lived and surfed on the Southside at Maroubra).

The major design influences were obviously from John and Peter Ware's boards of the 70's , but I liked narrower, more drivey boards and hence started using wings and rounded pins to reduce tail area as influenced by Neil Luke and Steve Artis. The introduction of twin fins enabled me to turn harder and earlier but still retain a "free" feeling on the wave and use wider tails. This has been a combination that I have strived to maintain over the years hence my use of 4 fin and tri fins (with big side fins and small center fin).

The early days of a forward placed fin and a thin tail and rail have stayed with me which means that my boards are surfed more from the middle than the tail. These were integral parts of John and Peter Ware's design theories. Since then other shapers like Craig McDonald, Dale Ponsford and Albert Whiteman have added their contributions to the Friar Tuck story but my commitment to making boards that work in a wide variety of waves for all sorts of surfers has continued.

The fact that I still use one of John Ware's early templates every now and then for a certain curve keeps me in touch with the links from the early pioneering days of Kneeboard shaping. This connection with the past, combined with still being stoked with riding waves on my kneeboards and talking/surfing with other Kneeboard shapers like Neil Luke and Bud McCray means that the process of improvement and innovation is ongoing. The combination of proven designs, new approaches and rigorous testing is evident in my latest 4-fin, Fish tail and Single Flyer round pin designs. Come by and Check 'em! "

David Parkes