Calcutta Boats, Three Decades of Sarasota Power Cats

The Steve Ellis years

Calcutta Marine International was set up by Steve Ellis in Sarasota, Florida, in 1996. His customers were anglers who wanted a drier, gentler ride than a single-hull boat of the same size could give, and he answered with semi-custom catamaran center consoles.

For roughly a quarter century the business stayed small. The model list was short, many owners kept their boats for years, and used Calcuttas often moved between friends rather than through brokers. The brand was well known on Florida's coasts and much less so elsewhere.

The asymmetrical idea behind every hull

Calcutta's defining feature is the shape of its sponsons. Each one is formed differently on the inside face than on the outside, a design meant to keep the boat flatter through a turn. Plenty of conventional power cats lean toward the outside of a turn, which unsettles passengers, and Calcutta's approach targets exactly that complaint.

That hull concept runs through both current fishing models. The trailerable 263 handles inshore and nearshore duty, and the bigger 323 is built for offshore runs. Our Calcutta 263 review covers its dimensions, engine ratings, fuel economy and fishing features.

New owners, new tooling and Andros

The company entered a different phase in 2022, when a new ownership group bought it, invested in assets and fresh tooling and stepped up output. Trent Zenkewicz serves as CEO.

In April 2026 Calcutta announced that it had bought Andros Boatworks, another Sarasota builder, and moved production of the Andros Tarpon 26 and Offshore 32 monohulls into its plant. Later the same year it signed Sea Sea Marine in Boca Raton, Florida, and Orange Beach Boat Sales in Orange Beach, Alabama, as authorized dealers and factory service centers.

Buying and owning a Calcutta

Calcutta quotes each boat to order instead of publishing a price list. On the used side, the biggest value factors are engine age, tower or hardtop setup, electronics and whether a hull predates the 2022 retooling.

Resale is respectable in a small, knowledgeable market concentrated on Florida's two coasts, though boats listed far from Florida can sit longer. Between the factory and the new dealers, service support is stronger now than at any point in the brand's history.

• Hinges, latches and seals on the SeaGate transom door.
• Battery boxes, terminals and console wiring.
• Records for both outboards, plus a sea trial on one engine.
• Welds and mounts on any tower or hardtop.