From handwritten letters and Buzz Lightyear to superyacht success: The Williams Jet Tenders story

Williams Jet Tenders’ growth began with two brothers, a wooden boat and three handwritten letters.

Co-founder Mat Hornsby and his brother John began building boats in a workshop in their parents’ garden in rural Oxfordshire, long before the business became an established supplier to major yacht builders.

“I always say the best businesses start in garden sheds,” Hornsby says, describing the early years as a period of experimentation, persistence and financial uncertainty.

The brothers spent around a decade building and selling two or three wooden boats, even remortgaging their parents’ house to fund their work. Recognising that wooden boats offered limited opportunities for volume, they began looking towards yacht tenders.

An early GRP tender secured business with Fairline and Sealine, and production grew to around 100 boats a year within approximately two years. But it was the development of a four-stroke, inboard waterjet-powered tender that would establish the direction of the business.

How the Williams story unfolded

“We knew we’d found a niche and a corner of the market that was active and that was looking for something different,” says Hornsby, but it was that early recognition from established British boatbuilders which helped the brothers build confidence in their product.

Hornsby wrote to Sunseeker’s Robert Braithwaite, Princess’ David King and Sealine’s Gerard Wainwright, inviting them to see their wooden boat at Earls Court Boat Show –  and all three came by.

“To have that connection and be noticed for what we did was fantastic,” Hornsby says.

The experience reinforced a principle that would remain central to the business: building relationships was as important as building the product.

A four-stroke engine from Germany

The next significant step came via the Sunday Times. Hornsby read about an amphibious car powered by a German-made four-stroke engine. Recognising the engine’s potential he contacted the manufacturer the following day.

“I thought ‘that’s just the engine that we need for our jet tenders’.”

The resulting collaboration enabled the brothers to develop a four-stroke, inboard waterjet-powered tender. Hornsby describes finding the right engine as “a pivotal moment” in the company’s development, but the business still lacked the funds it needed to expand.

Investment came from Roy Parker, an experienced boat owner with a background in product design. His existing tender was powered by a two-stroke engine. Hornsby says Parker’s boat would “fill the marina up with clouds of smoke” and says it “just wasn’t a very refined product”. Parker joined the business, bringing the additional expertise and financial support needed to develop and launch the new product.

From Buzz Lightyear to a growing factory

Investment allowed Williams to move into a shared commercial premises near a lake. While Williams concentrated on its range, the other half of the factory was filled with boxes of Buzz Lightyear.

As Williams grew, Hornsby went to Italy to develop relationships with the country’s major yacht builders.

After meeting Tilli Antonelli, founder of Pershing, Hornsby was invited to a dealer event in Slovenia, where the pair took part in a go-karting competition. The connection helped open the door to Pershing.

“That then opened the door to the wider Italian industry,” Hornsby says.

His advice to other businesses seeking growth is straightforward: “The answer is normally speak to people.”

For Hornsby, developing the confidence to approach people, identify the right contacts and build relationships has been fundamental to the company’s progress.

Yacht garages designed around Williams

Today, Williams’ relationships with major yacht builders extend beyond supplying a tender as part of a completed yacht package. The company is involved at an early engineering stage, with manufacturers designing tender garages around its products.

“We’re only as good as the retail customer demanding our product,” he says.

Product quality and aftersales support are essential to maintaining demand. Hornsby points to the company’s network of 50 dealers offering support around the world –  helping to give builders confidence in specifying its products.

“Because they know that we build a good boat and we’ve got support around the world with 50 dealers that support their customers, they’ve got the confidence to design their yachts around our boats,” he says. “It’s a really symbiotic relationship.”

A separate brand for a different market

Williams Marine Group has also expanded beyond its core jet tender business with the introduction of Evene Tenders, a separate brand aimed at the production superyacht sector. Hornsby says the move reflects the growth in larger yachts and the need to develop products for a different part of the market without confusing customers about what Williams Jet Tenders represents.

The group has increasingly supplied larger tenders for yachts measuring 40 and 50 metres, working alongside builders including Azimut Benetti, Ferretti Group and Sanlorenzo. Hornsby says the new brand provides greater flexibility as the business develops rigid tenders without inflatable tubes and explores opportunities beyond its established waterjet-powered range.

Investing for the next market cycle

Hornsby expects larger tenders and the superyacht sector to remain important areas of opportunity over the next three to five years. He acknowledges that the post-covid boom, when Williams was building more than 1,200 boats annually at its peak, proved unsustainable. The industry is now adjusting towards what he hopes will be a more sustainable level of activity.

Nevertheless, he sees opportunities in the continued demand for yachts measuring 30 metres and above. Larger tenders can offer higher margins, while the customers operating at the top end of the market may be better positioned to withstand economic fluctuations. At the same time, he expects the smaller tender market, which remains central to Williams Jet Tenders, to grow again as the industry moves through its cycle.

Product development will be central to both opportunities.

“Our mantra in the business is that we just want to be five years ahead of anybody,” Hornsby says. With the capital and resources available to invest, the group intends to continue developing new products and technology ahead of a market recovery.

“Now’s the time to invest in it, so when the market does come back, we’re able to really capitalise on that with new product, new innovation, new technology.”

About the Founder Podcast Series

This discussion forms part of the Founder Podcast Series, a collaboration between Yachting Ventures, Marine Industry News and the Ben Taylor Podcast. The series explores innovation, leadership and the evolving opportunities across the marine and yachting sectors.