Willie Boats was started by drift boat designer Willie Illingworth, an innovator in the drift boat industry. Prior to Willie Boats, Willie had quite the history perfecting the first aluminum drift boats. In 1971 Willie spent three months building the very first aluminum McKenzie-style drift boat, wanting to build a boat that would be lighter and easier handling then the older style wooden drift boats. Willie was thrilled launching it and finding the maneuverability was excellent.
Willie
continued building aluminum drift boats and perfecting the design and soon was
selling them under the name of Alumaweld Boats. Willie sold his share of
Alumaweld in 1977 and waited four years to begin the business that is now today
Willie Boats which was opened in 1981. Willie Boats is located on 1440 Justice
Road in Central Point, Oregon. Today, the company builds around 300 drift boats
a year and close to 100 power boats. Willie Boats is factory direct only
and does not have any dealers to ensure that each customer receives the best
service available. If you have any questions about Willie or the company's
history, please do not hesitate to contact us at 1-800-866-7775 or
inquiry@willieboats.com.