DECATUR, Ind. (WANE) — When Decatur-based Formula Boats decided to reenter the center console market in 2022 after moving away from it years ago, President Scott Porter said it was the right move.

“It is a very good market and we wanted to expand our sales opportunity, so we kind of relaunched into it about a year with a 38-foot boat and it’s been doing very well,” Porter said.

On Friday, Formula Boats continued its venture back into the center console market with the announcement of the 457 Center Console, which builds upon last year’s introductory model.

The 457 comes in two separate versions, a “sport” and a “fish” version, that both include an outboard with three 600-horsepower Mercury Verado motors.

A side-by-side comparison of Formula Boat’s 457 “fish” (left) and “457” sport (right) models (Photos provided by Formula Boats)

One of the main upgrades compared to the original model, the 387, is that the 457 fish model will feature an upper station that allows anglers to get an aerial view of their surroundings.

Porter said the new models will also have “more cabin accommodations [and] a little bit bigger bathroom.”

Porter said Formula Boats only makes a limited amount of boats each year compared to other companies, and the company’s boats typically range on the high end in terms of cost.

“We really take our time completely throughout the operation,” Porter said. “Everything is different than what someone else might do.”

Pricing for the 457 models is not yet available, but the 387 models retail for over $1.2 million depending on the customization options.

Formula Boats, which started in Miami, Florida in 1962 and moved to Decatur in 1988, offers many offshore boats that are best utilized for the ocean or the Great Lakes.

Although Decatur is hundreds of miles from the Atlantic Ocean and nearly 2,000 miles from the Pacific Ocean, Porter said Decatur serves as a great place for Formula Boats’ headquarters.

“This is just a fantastic region to be manufacturing things … it does seem a little unique [since] we’re building ocean-going boats,” Porter said.

Porter said Formula Boats plans to advance their center console models in the future and continue to “build the best boats in the world.”