A G Williams

BiographyAG Williams were a firm of boatbuilders from Drummoyne Sydney NSW who are primarily recognized for their motor launches built in the 1920s through to the 1950s. Williams was a rival firm in Sydney to both Holmes and Lars Halvorsen, and each firm had features or styling details that set their craft apart from the others.

Wiiliams' boats featured prominently in the International Power Boat and Aquatic Monthly for many years in the later part of the 1930s and early 40s. They were described as '"one of the oldest boatbuilders on the waterfront, and for many years past many fine cruisers have been constructed and graced Sydney Harbour, particulary with memebrs of the Royal Motor Yacht Club of NSW, and the cruiser's owners have annexed many valuable trophies. Apart for the cruisers in NSW, the firm has received many orders through the advertisment ..... from interstate readers." The many reports carried over the years showed the yard was busy fulfilling orders with two or three craft under construction at the same time, along with repairs and maintenance .

From the early 1930s after the death of AG Williams the yard was run jointly by his brother GA Williams and AG Williams' son AS Williams. They built craft as simple as 5 metre long open launches up to 12 metre long luxury cruisers, and vessels for goverment departments such as the Water Board.

Their typical style was a white hulled, raised deck launch in common with many builders of the period, but other features seem to be consistent on a Williams boat when compared with contemporary launches. In the 1930s their stem was quite vertical, as was the general profile and windows of the cabin house. Gradually some curve was added to the windows and outline, but the break in deck height between the foredeck and side-decks was often bridged with a relatively long and sweeping curved coaming. Under this coamimg ran a clear-finished, large section gunwale timber, which tapered to an end just over halfway along the raised deck portion of the hull. Some craft had the raised topsides painted a contrasting dark colour. Another feature seen on a number of Williams cruisers was a bridge deck layout with a raised wheel house forward, lower saloon cabin aft, and then the open cockpit at the transom was covered by a raised top, giving three different cabin top levels in profile.

AG William's vessels were strongly built and many have passed though successive owners to remain in use as recreational craft around Australia, recognised for the elegant styling and fine finish. The premises in 34 St Georges Crescent Drummoyne are still operating as Presidents Shipyard, and are amongst the last commercial slipways on Sydney Harbour and the Parramatta River.

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