Calcutta 263 Catamaran Review for Anyone Shopping Calcutta Boats for Sale

Calcutta boats for sale: what you are actually buying

Search for Calcutta boats for sale and you will find two models: the Calcutta 263 and the larger 323. Both are catamaran fishing boats from Calcutta Marine International in Sarasota, Florida, a small builder that produces semi-custom boats to order. The 263 is the original and still the volume model, a 26-foot center console that tries to do offshore and shallow-water fishing in one hull.

Calcutta was founded in 1996 by Steve Ellis and built its following on semi-custom catamarans. According to the company's April 2026 press release, a new ownership group took over in 2022, bought assets and new tooling and increased production. In 2026 Calcutta acquired fellow Sarasota builder Andros Boatworks, which brings Andros' 26-foot and 32-foot V-hulls into the same factory, and it has since added authorized dealers in Boca Raton, Florida, and Orange Beach, Alabama.

We could not confirm the year the 263 first went into production, but Boating tested one in 2015 and Salt Water Sportsman reviewed it in 2016, so the design has a decade of service behind it.

An asymmetrical cat hull in a 26-foot package

Calcutta lists the 263 at 26 feet 3 inches overall with an 8-foot 6-inch beam, a draft of 16 inches and 140 gallons of fuel. Maximum power is 300 hp, so the usual setup is a pair of 150s. Boating measured 14 inches of draft and Salt Water Sportsman quoted 13 inches, so expect a little variation with load and engine choice.

Weight is the spec to read carefully. Boating listed about 2,800 pounds before motors, while Calcutta's current page gives 6,200 to 7,000 pounds wet, a figure that includes engines, fuel, gear and rigging. The difference is mostly what is aboard, but it is a reminder that a fully loaded 263 is a substantial boat, not a featherweight skiff.

The hull is an asymmetrical catamaran, meaning each sponson is shaped differently inboard and outboard. Boating noted that the 263 held near-level footing in hard turns rather than leaning outboard like many cats, and Salt Water Sportsman found no bow steering or slipping in repeated maneuvers.

• LOA 26 ft 3 in, beam 8 ft 6 in
• Draft 13 to 16 inches depending on source and load
• 140 gallons of fuel, 300 hp maximum
• Builder lists 6,200 to 7,000 lb wet

Fuel economy in numbers

Efficiency is the Calcutta's headline. Boating recorded 3.5 miles per gallon at 26 mph and 2.4 mpg at 35 mph and called the economy likely unbeatable. Salt Water Sportsman, testing twin Evinrude E-TEC 150s, saw 28.3 mph at 3,550 rpm burning 12.6 gph combined and a top speed of 48.4 mph at 5,400 rpm. The boat went from rest to 30 mph in five seconds on two engines, and in 18 seconds on one.

Calcutta's own figures for twin 150s are 2.7 to 3.1 mpg at 30 mph, 1.9 to 2.2 mpg at 40 mph, and a top speed of 49 to 51 mph depending on power. Put simply, a 263 can run 40 or 50 miles offshore and back on a fraction of what a 26-foot V-hull with twin 200s would burn.

The single-engine result deserves attention. Salt Water Sportsman cruised easily at 25 to 30 mph on one motor, which is a real safety margin when you are far from the inlet.

The SeaGate transom and a cockpit built for fish

Calcutta's signature feature is the SeaGate fold-down transom. Down, it extends the cockpit onto an integrated swim platform with openings to port and starboard, makes boarding a big fish or a diver easy, and gives access to the bilge and engines. Up, it seals the cockpit, and Salt Water Sportsman reported it kept the deck dry even when backing down hard.

Fishing storage is generous for a 26-footer. Salt Water Sportsman described a 350-quart double-insulated fish box under the forward deck, twin 300-quart in-deck compartments aft, four flush rod holders, racks for three rods under each gunwale and raw-water washdown. Under the helm seat module sits a 42-gallon pressurized livewell finished in blue, and the current standard list adds 10 rod holders on the T-top and four 316 stainless gunwale holders.

An elevated bow deck works as a casting or cast-netting platform with a generous anchor locker, and a Yeti cooler with a cushion serves as the forward console seat.

Helm, wiring and build quality

Both major tests praised the wiring. Boating called the layout extremely organized, and Salt Water Sportsman described marine-grade tinned wiring with heat-shrink connections, clearly labeled and second to none. Current boats add CZone digital switching, electric steering, four 1,250 gph bilge pumps, a deluxe 40-inch helm seat, a lockable console door, a wraparound acrylic windshield and a flush Ritchie compass.

Construction is wood-free and fully composite, with an infused hull, liner, ring deck and hardtop, and Calcutta backs it with a 10-year structural hull warranty. The one criticism in Boating's 2015 test was that the batteries were uncovered, leaving terminals exposed, something to check on older boats.

Options that change the boat

Because each boat is built to order, two 263s can be very different. Options mentioned by testers and the builder include a T-top or hardtop with rod holders and spreader lights, a full tower with upper and lower controls, outriggers, coaming pads, a 65-gallon livewell with a clear lid, an aluminum leaning post with a 90-quart cooler, a console head and dual tackle stations. Boating priced the upper station with hardtop at about $20,000 and the head at $1,200 in 2015.

For inshore anglers, Calcutta's blog shows owners fitting a Garmin Kraken trolling motor for spot-lock fishing, and Louisiana and South Florida charter captains use 263s for everything from speckled trout to daytime swordfish.

Who should buy a 263, and who should not

The 263 suits anglers who run offshore in a chop and want to stop pounding, divers who appreciate the fold-down transom, and anyone who values fuel economy and shallow draft. Boating's verdict was that it is for anglers weary of compressed disks from pounding seas.

It is less suited to buyers who want a family day boat with lounges and a big console head, or who prefer the feel of a deep-V in a following sea. Running costs are modest for the class: with twin 150s and the efficiency testers recorded, we estimate $9,000 to $18,000 a year for fuel, engine service, insurance and storage.