Williams Jet Tenders addresses the affordable boating sector with the fast and fun MX Turbojet range

For UK-based Williams Jet Tenders, launching two new TurboJet models, the MX280 and slightly larger MX320, was a decision based on addressing the global loss of the ‘Covid Bounce’. After sales jumped from 800 boats a year to 1200 at the peak of the pandemic, there was an inevitable contraction as the world reset itself. For co-founder and Sales Director Matt Hornsby, the answer was to create a boat that was both exciting and affordable, holding the price down with a very basic fitout, but using the same engine options as its more refined siblings.

“Since 2004, we’ve developed a business predominantly making 3.0m – 4.0m tenders for production yachts,” Hornsby explained. “That’s the heart of Williams, and we have been very successful. Over that time we have built up very strong technical relationship with many of the leading production boat builders, including some who have designed their garages specifically around our tenders.”

Hornsby reflects that Covid 19 was a very unusual time for everyone in the leisure marine sector, with Williams Jet Tenders seeing boat sales quickly increase by 50% as people sought a new interest, especially one that could be used during lockdown. As with any period of superheated economic activity, there is an inevitable cooling off and realignment, and in the post Covid era this began with much higher costs.

“After the peak time of 2022-2023 for sales, there has been a level of correction,” Hornsby said. “The industry has had to endure huge price increases for components and raw materials, and the price of boats has also increased dramatically since Covid 19. Along with other boatbuilders, we recognised a decline in orders from about halfway through 2024. Although we were back to producing between 800-900 boats a year, still a strong position, we assessed our role in the market, and how to react to costs which had increased steadily by around 20%.”

Williams also took a fresh look at what their customers wanted, and what they as an OEM were able to achieve with the buying power they had. The result was a new model range built to a price, but with no compromise on handling or performance. In fact, Hornsby considers the TurboJet MX320, with its 90hp BRP Rotax petrol engine and direct drive water jet, to be the best handling boat they have ever made.

“At the tail end of last year, we came up with the concept of the TurboJet MX range,” he said. “The MX has the same engine and horsepower configurations that we use on the TurboJet and SportJet range, but with a boat that’s engineered slightly differently. Whilst it doesn’t have as many fixtures and fittings as the SportJet models, it still performs the way that people expect from a Williams jet tender.”

Hornsby has personally been involved with many hours of testing of pre-production models on a lake located near to the Oxfordshire yard, describing the result as a boat that ‘handles like a go-kart’, and is just as much fun. But the key advance for encouraging sales is the highly competitive price point.

“Significantly, we have been able to reduce the cost of a Williams’ product that you can still waterski behind, and which you can use in exactly the same way as with other boats,” he said. “Whilst you may not be able to customise it the way you can with a SportJet, the MX is around 20% less expensive than an equivalent size model from our competitors. The MX is an interesting product, and a direct response to us looking closely at the current market and seeing where it is heading.”

Although Williams is mainly focussed on manufacturing tenders for larger yachts, the MX has also found a niche as an entry-level boat. The new product provides an affordable and trailable tender that allows people to ‘dip their toe’ into boating with a brand-new RIB, with the reassurance of an approved service and dealer network in 63 countries.

“We realised we could energise the post-Covid market,” Hornsby said. “For existing customers, the MX range gives them a reason to upgrade their tender. However, the range can also attract new people to the boating market. These newcomers were perhaps originally looking at an outboard tender, and maybe comparing it to a jet tender. Thanks to this new design, we are now we are lot closer to the price of an outboard tender than we were a year ago. We feel it is the right product at exactly the right time.”

The new MX range can be viewed at the Cannes Yachting Festival, 8-13 September 2026.