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Returning to his roots, Jonathan Minnebo has broadened his sights from solely shipwright work to creating bespoke furniture and staircase design and installation.
Fresh off the 2025 Australian Wooden Boat Festival, where his restored Derwent-Class yacht, Gremlin, was among the magnificent line-up of exceptional vessels, Jonathan branched out in his own venture, Jonathan Minnebo Design, to offer Tasmanian and mainland clients his custom craftsmanship specialising in joinery.
Jon’s work combines two decades of experience in wooden boat building with a passion for specialty timber and furniture design.
“Working on D-Class boats over the years sparked my love of sailing. They’re a good size, with pretty lines and great performance, and they’re still competitive after 100 years!”
Gremlin joined Mermaid, Nymph, Minerva, Merlin, Goblin and Undine in a stellar line-up of the legendary Australian-made D-Class yachts, which competed at the 2025 Derwent World Championships in February ahead of the AWBF.
He still finds inspiration and satisfaction in boat building, but his interests are too diverse to be narrowed down to just one area of specialty.
“My work ethic embodies attention to detail with quality workmanship to produce products at a high standard,” he asserts. “I’m currently repairing a deck damaged by freshwater ingress, as well as designing a record player cabinet out of Tasmanian Oak.
“Following that I’ll be working on a staircase for a new house currently being constructed in Geeveston. Then back to the boat work with a set of new deck hatches and butterfly skylight hatch to construct from Queensland Maple.”
Like the quality timbers he sources for his pieces and resto projects, Jonathan relies on ATL Composites products for their reliability.
“The ATL products I predominantly use include WEST SYSTEM epoxy, as well as their filler/adhesive powders 410, 411 and 413. And of course, for the final finish, the Epifanes range of varnishes, which I absolutely love!
Jonathan explains, “I depend on WEST SYSTEM because I can rely on it to cure during the colder months here in Tasmania. Taking comfort in the knowledge I can trust and recommend the product to my clients is important to me, especially so with mast construction and structural repair works.”
As for the Epifanes PP Extra, Jonathan describes it as “a game changer”.
The ability to rapidly build grain filling coats allows me to complete varnish works much quicker than previously possible, which again is important when working in Tasmania’s climate. I then use Epifanes Polyurethane Gloss over the top for ultimate UV protection. It is easy to apply, with excellent flow characteristics both by brush and spray application “I’m so impressed with Epifanes, I used it on my own freshly-restored Derwent Class yacht Gremlin!”
