Inside Onne’s Home Workshop: Restoring a 1986 Grand Banks 32, Snow Goose

Onne’s home workshop is modest in size but thoughtfully outfitted for boat repair, restoration and upgrades. Located beside his Jamestown, Rhode Island house, the space serves as a year-round shop where he can maintain and improve his 1986 Grand Banks 32, Snow Goose. The workshop is a practical, well-lit environment that lets him work through cold or wet weather and keep boat projects moving forward.

A workshop built for real work

When Onne and his wife, Tenley, were renovating their home, he often worked under the eaves. Rain and inclement weather made outdoor work difficult, so they decided to add a dedicated workshop next to the house. Onne built the workbenches and cupboards himself and installed a utility sink to make projects easier and cleaner. The result is a compact but efficient workspace where fabrication, repairs and routine maintenance are all possible.

Weatherproofing projects and planning ahead

The workshop gives Onne the flexibility to continue tasks that would otherwise be delayed by poor weather. On days when temperatures dip below comfortable levels outside, he moves smaller or preparatory jobs into the shop. When conditions allow—typically when it’s above about 40 degrees—he can use a heater inside the boat to raise the working temperature to roughly 55 degrees, enabling plumbing, electrical work and some painting to proceed aboard Snow Goose. For the coldest days, the shop is where he stockpiles tasks, prepares parts and fabricates components, so full boat work can resume when the weather improves.

Tools and capability

Over time, Onne has equipped the shop with a broad range of tools required for boat restoration and general fabrication. His collection includes a table saw, bandsaw, chop saw, grinder, buffer, drill press, sanders and planers, along with a full complement of hand tools. That toolkit allows him to work in aluminum, Starboard and wood, and to handle a wide variety of repairs and custom projects without outsourcing.

That independence matters: having the right tools on hand reduces downtime, lowers repair costs, and gives him the freedom to experiment and fabricate one-off parts. It also makes it possible to tackle unexpected problems quickly, from fitting new trim pieces to refurbishing structural elements on the boat.

More than a workspace: a personal retreat

For Onne, the workshop is more than a practical shop—it’s a personal retreat. “I love my workshop. It’s my space. I close the door and I listen to NPR or some nice classical music. It’s a great place to work with my hands,” he says. He trained as a machinist, so working with tools and metal taps into his training and provides deep satisfaction. The quiet focus of the shop, combined with the tactile work of repairing and building, gives him as much pleasure as heading out on the water or flying a drone for imagery.

Tenley appreciates the practical side of his hobby too: she gets custom furniture and repairs, and neither of them lost living space to a workshop. “I’m fortunate that my wife didn’t say, ‘I want a library or a spare room,’” Onne notes. Instead, she benefits directly when she asks, “Can you make me a table?” and he can oblige in the adjacent shop.

Maintaining and upgrading Snow Goose

All of this effort goes toward keeping Snow Goose sea-ready. The shop enables Onne to address routine maintenance, electrical and plumbing systems, and cosmetic work without relying entirely on outside contractors. That combination of a well-equipped home shop, a methodical approach to cold-weather work, and hands-on skills makes it possible for him to keep a classic vessel like the 1986 Grand Banks 32 in good condition for years to come.

If you’d like to see the workshop and how Onne works, you can tour the space in the video below.