THURSTON WOODWORKS

The Renaissance Man Behind the Name

From Rhode Island with Love...

Born and raised into the skilled marine trades, Richard Thurston had his professional start making sails at his family's renowned 3-generation sail loft in Bristol. From there he set his sights on becoming a shipwright, and wooden boat builder, spending over a decade honing his skills. From the humble shipyard grind to providing custom work for high profile yachts, Richard Thurston brings decades of fine marine craftsmanship and restoration to the art of woodworking.

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Richard is also a master welder, having spent many years in business building custom sport fishing towers for the rich and famous. His metalworking skills gained him such notoriety in the Northeast that the US Navy once commissioned him to manufacture prototype submarine tech.

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Among his other achievements are the partial restoration of the J boats Endeavor and Shamrock V, as well as full restoration and bronze refitting for Dorade - a famous wooden racing ship that went on to repeat its 1930's racing campaign, winning 1st place in the Transpacific for the second time in its legacy.

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Richard moved to Black Mountain in 2007, first building houses - one of which having been featured in the October 2008 Asheville Parade of Homes. The next year he opened his woodworking business in historic downtown, originally named "Sanctuary One" - a reference to Richard's philosophy, that one's home is their first sanctuary. In 2021 Richard renamed his company, but his philosophy remains unchanged, informing the reverence he imbues into all his work.