About The Team
Fionn Mcwilliam
Owner | Shipwright
I grew up on the East Coast in the historical town of Gloucester, Massachusetts. During those young days, I spent my time running around the docks and getting called a wharf rat more often than not. That natural attraction to the activity surrounding the water grew to me constantly bothering the local shipwrights, fishermen, and boat owners, asking questions, stripping paint, repainting boats, and learning how things were built.
My curiosity as a child couldn’t be contained by the restraints of supervised work, so pretty soon I was searching for a boat of my own. My first boat purchase of a 17’ Starcraft Speedboat turned into a humble collection of five boats sitting on my parent’s front lawn over the years of my childhood. One wooden, two fiberglass, and two aluminum boats made up the group and gave me uncountable lessons and allowed me to continue following my passion for all things ocean working throughout my childhood and young adult life with Gino Mondello at the Gloucester Dory Shop. As well as getting the opportunity to volunteer alongside the crews of the Schooner Adventure and the Schooner Ardelle.
Growing up on the water shaped a lot of who I am. My friends and I spent our summers fishing, lobstering, working on boats, and being around the harbor. That love of boats also led me into photography in my college years, where I built a business capturing schooners, harbors, working boats, and life on the water.
Now based in Colorado, the ocean may not be right outside the door, but my love for boats has not changed. Wooden boats and fiberglass boats may face different conditions here, with different rules, regulations, and environments, but the work still comes down to the same thing: craftsmanship, patience, problem solving, and respect for the boat.
Here at 5280 Boatworks, I focus on wooden boat restoration, fiberglass repair, structural work, refinishing, and bringing old boats back to life with the same care and attention that first got me hooked on the docks of Gloucester.
Xavier Miller-Barnes
Growing up in Western Colorado, water was part of life through desert rivers and mountain lakes but growing into my adult like the coast always called to me differently. Boats had a presence there. They were part of the work, the culture, and the stories people carried with them. That connection between craft and place stayed with me.
This led to me living in Oregon and it only brought that interest into focus. Coastal towns gave me a better sense of the people and small shops that help keep boats in use. I came to appreciate the trust behind that kind of work, a boat often means more than the materials it is made from. It can carry history, memory, and a lot of hope for what comes next.
That perspective followed me back here to Colorado. Boating here has its own rhythm, shaped by inland water and shorter seasons, but the attachment people have to their boats is just as real. Being part of 5280 Boatworks gives me a way to support that connection from the customer side of the business.
Having worked extensively in property management, I have learned how much trust depends on communication. When people know what is happening and what to expect, the process feels easier to move through.
My role is centered on clear communication. I help keep project requests organized, support the flow of information, and make sure the details around each job are handled with care. The restoration and repair work happens in the shop. My job is to make the experience around that work feel steady and easy to follow.
A boat project can start with a repair, a restoration, or a question about where to begin. My goal is to help customers feel heard from the first request, understand the next step, and stay excited as the work comes together.