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Subject: TWL: Purchasing new boats
From: Bent Tolstrup (Bent.Tolstrup@XXX.XXX)
Date: Wed Jan 09 2002 - 06:20:26 EST
From: Tony Fleming (by way of Bent Tolstrup)
Date: Sat, 22 Dec 2001 11:25:00 EST
From: DDW1668@XXX.XXX
This fall, I put in at Anchor Marine in Selby Bay, MD and noticed several
Flemings on the dock. >snip<
Dan Weaver
The string of comments starting with the e-mail of Dan Weaver re the Fleming
55 found their way to me through the ether via a roundabout route. They
made a nice Christmas present and I would like to comment on a few of the
points raised. Dan Weaver said that the Fleming 55 is close to 1.5 mil and,
although the boats are more than I would have liked, I think the figure is
higher than reality. In fact the current base price for a Fleming 55 is
around 1.06 mil. This is for a complete boat with 450 Cummins, 15KW Onan and
all the standard equipment including Aquadrives etc but does not include
such items as tender, ground tackle or electronics which are personal
choices for each owner. You can buy a lot of goodies for $450,000.
From: "Michael Maurice" <mikem@XXX.XXX>
I have bashed a 55 Fleming up the Baja and many more up past Cape
Mendecino. They are better than reported. >snip<
Note that I get no compensation commenting about Flemings, they are just
great boats.
Capt. Mike Maurice
Near Portland Oregon.
Mike Maurice made some nice comments on the boat for which I thank him. I
only realised that the fridge doors had been a problem when I attended the
Fleming Rendezvous this past summer in Maryland. I am pleased to advise that
these have been redesigned and I believe the problem is fixed.
Unfortunately, this is not a retrofitable item as the new catches take up
some space above the refer doors which would interfere with the louvered
doors above the refer on existing boats. The tumbling of the anchor chain
has been a grumbling concern to which I confess we have still not found the
ideal solution. As far as I am aware this has not been much of a problem on
the USA East Coast but has been an intermittent problem on the West Coast.
On the East Coast where the water is shallower they use smaller diameter
chain and less of it. One of the contributing factors on the West Coast
which I discovered only recently is that the chain tube we installed to
contain the chain was designed to hold 100 metres (325 ft) of 3/8" chain and
I found out by chance that the dealer had been routinely installing 400
ft.. This obviously did not help but even with less chain the problem
exists and if you need 400ft of chain then that is what you should have. On
the West Coast boats we have now eliminated the chain tube and reverted to
the open-topped bin. However, this does not cure the problem - it just makes
the chain easier to unravel. What we are working on is some kind of device
to keep the chain from flying in the air when the sea conditions cause that
to happen. In the meantime, some observations I do have is that, when large
amounts of chain are deployed - ie somewhere close to the full 400 ft - I
think it is advisable to flake the chain in the bin when bringing it back
aboard, I don't think this necessary when lesser amounts are deployed. I
have been told that if the chain is washed off with fresh water rather than
salt, the chain is much less prone to sticking together. As most boats have
watermakers these days, this is a more practical proposition that it would
once have been.
From: "Rex" <poledriver@XXX.XXX>
I was on the 55' Fleming at the 2000 Ft. Lauderdale show and maybe was part
responsible for you not getting a chance to board ;-). >snip<
Rex CO Tot
Re the comments from Rex, I am acquainted with Bruce Kessler and I have been
aboard his boat "Spirit of Zopilote". Northern Marine clearly builds a good
boat but it is quite a different vessel in character than the Fleming and is
intended for a different purpose. Boats such as those built by Northern
Marine are full displacement boats with tremendous range and weight carrying
capacity. They are real Passagemakers but are restricted to hull speed. The
Fleming on the other hand has reasonably good range at passage- making
speeds but they give the user the option of travelling up to speeds of 20
knots. The ability to run faster can be viewed as a safety factor because it
can allow you to reach port ahead of a weather system or enter an unfamiliar
port before dark. We designed the Fleming primarily for coastal cruising -
although one boat has crossed the Atlantic and, more recently, a Fleming 55
went from California to Hawaii and plans to continue on to the South
Pacific. Perhaps I should mention that our small group at Fleming Yachts
are among those Rex mentions who do not have to answer to shareholders and
our motivation is building boats the best way we know how and continuing to
refine them.
From: Mrmoo5@XXX.XXX
In my humble opinion, if the Fleming had less bright work it would be a
better boat maintenance wise.
Ralph Salerno
M/V ANCORA
Re Ralph Salerno's gripe about the amount of brightwork, in fact the only
brightworks on the Fleming are the bulwark railcaps and the foredeck
handrail. The latter is offered as an option as a stainless steel rail
either round or oval in section so, if this is eliminated, only the bulwark
rail caps are teak. These conceal the upper of the two joints connecting the
hull and the deck but, apart from that very practical reason, we would not
wish to remove them because they contribute aesthetically to the appearance
of the boat. Even the steel Mitsubishi-built expedition ship I travelled on
to Antarctica had teak bulwark railcaps."
Best regards, Tony Fleming.
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