Adaptation theory: Test driving the refreshed Williams SportJet 520 aimed at a luxury market

Not one to rest on its laurels, the prolific British builder Williams Jet Tenders has reinvented its popular SportJet 520 to better suit the luxury market. Gabrielle Lazaridis discovers what's changed and why...

Multiple train delays, a fire on the side of the tracks and an ill-timed shortage of available taxis from the station have very rudely transformed my visit to the British countryside into a maddening five-hour episode of The Goes Wrong Show that leaves the exasperated viewer wanting to hurl their drink at the television screen by the end. 

Needless to say, it’s a blessed relief when I finally arrive at the historical seaside town of Dartmouth in Devon. Here, I can feel the stress melting away as I delight in a charming view of fishing boats gently bobbing in the marina and even the occasional steam engine chugging by on the opposite bank of the inlet, leaving a wispy white trail against a towering backdrop of dense woodlands.

Gazing further into the harbour, I catch a glimpse of what has brought me 170 miles southwest of London. That is, I’m one of the first to try the newly refreshed Williams SportJet 520 ahead of its official (re)release.

The largest model in the British brand’s SportJet lineup, this 5.2-metre jet-propelled RIB has been a staple on the tender market for years, catering to the needs of owners of 30-metre-plus yachts with an appetite for high-speed performance. So naturally I’m quite curious to see what innovations have gone into the redesign.

The display model’s stylish black livery and custom green detailing are a far cry from Williams’ traditional white and grey colour palette – although the differences hardly end there. As I settle into the cockpit, I take note of the of the modified L-shaped seating arrangement at the bow, giving a more spacious feel, while a shift to synthetic teak decking (now the standard option) delivers a dash more sophistication than on previous SportJet models.

"If the difference between a make-or-break product comes down to these finer details, then Williams appears to be leaving little to chance"

"The brief for this project was to keep the [520’s] performance-oriented SportJet DNA while improving its function as a really comfortable and practical yacht tender based on the feedback we’ve got from customers over the years,” says Williams’ head of product development, Oliver Browne, who walks me through some of the changes he and his team have made to hone the user experience. 

For instance, Browne describes the various ergonomic considerations that went into lowering the seats at the helm, raising the throttle and bringing the steering wheel closer to the driver, who now sits more comfortably upright where previous models had forced a slightly hunched over posture. If the difference between a make-or-break product comes down to these finer details, then Williams appears to be leaving little to chance.

Once we’ve passed the River Dart's no-wake zone, Browne opens up the throttle and the boat’s single 230hp Rotax engine rockets us to a blistering 48 knots, raising us onto the plane in just over three seconds. We drop her back down to a few kilometres per hour and I have a chance to register the 520’s other features, including a flip-up footrest for rear-facing passengers and a backrest rigged to create one large sunbathing area on the aft – perfect for restful stops between adrenaline-filled jaunts on the water.

I take the helm and, after a brief instruction period, start zigzagging around in the English Channel. A mild chop has me pare back the speed a bit, although Browne encourages me to test the boat’s handling through the waves. “The deep-V hull and elongated waterline [compared to the narrow beam] will give you added stability on the water while running at speed,” he assures me. I push the throttle forward, and am pleased at how easily the boat carves through the water while delivering Williams’ signature punchy performance.

According to Williams' sales director and co-founder Matthew Hornsby, the SportJet 520 is still considered a niche product for the firm, which sells upwards of 2,000 units a year across its portfolio.

“A five-metre tender will traditionally sell fewer units than our smaller offerings because it needs to sit on at least a 24-metre superyacht, which limits the number of prospective buyers in a given year,” he explains. “On the other hand, as you move up in size, the tender market very quickly becomes dominated by bespoke builders.”

Interestingly, however, Hornsby anticipates a shift in the prevailing market dynamic given the number of major shipyards developing greater capacity for production vessels. As their output rises, his plan is to leverage Williams’ high-capacity infrastructure and know-how to meet what he believes will be an intensifying need for tenders at a faster pace than custom tender builders are capable of. If all goes according to plan, this would effectively unlock a new base of consumer for not only the remodelled 520, but also a host of new, larger projects that Williams plans to release over the next few years.

Regardless of how the day began, I'm glad I was able to test the new SportJet. With a design update as slick as this, I'm willing to bet it'll be a difficult product to get your hands on next season.

First published in the October 2024 issue of BOAT International. Get this magazine sent straight to your door, or subscribe and never miss an issue.