Matt Morello

Matt Morello grew up in Middletown, Connecticut. After high school he followed a passion for art and painting and attended the Hartford Art School in Hartford. During his time there, he was introduced to an ongoing restoration of an Atkin double-ender, and spent countless hours drawing and studying boats at the Mystic Seaport Museum. After building several models and learning to loft on his basement floor, Matt enrolled in the International Yacht Restoration School in Newport, Rhode Island. While a student there, he was involved in the restoration of a Herreshoff S-boat led by instructor Warren Barker. At the same time, Matt also interned at the Henry B. DuPont Preservation Shipyard at Mystic Seaport under the guidance of Walt Ansel. Since 2014, Matt has worked with East Passage Boatwrights in Bristol, Rhode Island, where he has contributed his woodworking and boatbuilding skills to many wooden boats both large and small, most notably the 1935 Olin Stephens–designed SANTANA. He now lives in Providence, Rhode Island, with his girlfriend Evelyn and their sardine-loving cat. Matt still draws and paints, and in his free time enjoys exploring the state on vintage bicycles he restores in their living room.