Now theres a funny thing.....Fleming

[Renegade_Master]

Just been aboard a Fleming 53, which was I believe superceded by the 55.

Now the 55 is about 55ft LOA. However when they named the 53 it seemed rather odd as LOA is just under 60ft. So you think maybe it was based on water line length back then ....er no water line on 53 is about 50ft.......

Also odd is 60ft boat with 2 cabins??

As for the vessel itself, it ouses quality everywhere. You can see its been put together using top materails and to a very high standard. Width of side decks excellent also. Only other down side is view of bow and stern from fly very restricted. Today just starting own boat DSP. Should be interesting as strong easterlies forcast. eekk

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[tcm]

Re: Fleming v Sealine

Yep those flemings are very nice. I hear that they even use real wood for some of the tables. Is that right?

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[whisper]

Good luck with the DSP. Do you know the examiner ?/forums/images/icons/wink.gif

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[Renegade_Master]

Re: Fleming v Sealine

100%

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[Deleted User YDKXO]

Could be difference between US loa and Euro loa. US loa tends not to include bathing platform or pulpit ie. just deck length whereas Euro loa includes includes both these items which is why US boats tend to be bigger than Euro boats, length for length
So, could be F55 loa is US figure and F53 is Euro figure. Either way, I think F55 is just lengthened version of F53
Fab boats all round, I'd love one

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[Renegade_Master]

Hi Mike no the 55 is 55 ft long yet the 53 is longer?????

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[Deleted User YDKXO]

One of the mysteries of the sea, Clive

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[martinwoolwich]

Actual length of a Flemming 55 is LOA 60' 9" (18.50M)


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[burgundyben]

Nice boats Flemmings, I spent 6 months living on one about 12 years ago, a 55, think the difference between them is in the aft cockpit which gets bigger from 50 to 53 and then again to 55. Tony Flemming came with us from Hamble to Oslo, very nice guy, knew his boat design as you'd expect with his history at GB. He said to me "for every engineering problem there is a solution, if what you find is not simple then its not the solution" - many things worked really well on the boat and reflected his appraoach. Nice bloke, nice boat.

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[Renegade_Master]

Martin Piers web site does indeed say 60.9" including Pulpit, strange though that every Fleming 55, detailed on YBW boat sales says LOA 55ft

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[Piers]

The loa is 60' 9".

Length not including the pulpit or bathing platform is 55' 9".

Waterline is 50' 10".

The Fleming 53 had less aft cockpit.

Piers

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[Deleted User YDKXO]

F55

Piers, I've always fancied a 55 and its the sort of boat I'd like to have when I eventually get more time to go boating. It was interesting to read the test of the Nordhavn in MBY last month which of course is a pure displacement boat but I've always thought I'd like a boat which could operate in displacement mode but which had the power to go faster if necessary
How does the F55 go as a displacement boat? Do you need stabilizers? What sort of fuel consumption/range do you get at displacement speeds?

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[Piers]

Re: F55

You would never regret having a Fleming!

My cruising is nearly always at 9 or 10 kts displacement speed. Fuel used over 2004 was 3.7 ltrs per nm.

It's really useful having the available extra speed - for example, I had to use it to reach the Ouistreham lock before it shut for the night when Deauville suddenly told me (at 2 miles on final approach!) I couldn't enter their marina having confirmed the previous day, and that morning, that I could....

Given the boat has 3,800 ltrs, and using a reserve of 10%, useful fuel becomes 925 miles. However, if you come back to 6 kts, range rises well past the 1500nm mark.

The boat is fitted as standard with Trac stabilisers which operate superbly. You notice the moment they are turned off.

I had a mod done to allow either engine to drive the stabiliser pump, using the logic that if an engine fails your speed is reduced which is the precise time you want the stabs to work.

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[jfm]

Re: F55

Piers, I'm sceptical. Surely 0.8mpg isn't actually that good. Over this season we have got 0.6mpg with lots of 22-26knot stuff. Same size boat, but bigger engines. If we did more 10 knot stretches I bet we could get nearly 0.8mpg too. Have you included or excluded genset fuel burn in your number?

Edit: ignore this post, maths is all wrong, see below<P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1>Edited by jfm on 22/11/2004 12:13 (server time).</FONT></P>

 

[Piers]

Re: F55

It includes the two gen sets, and stabilisers which take their power from the engine driven hydraulic pumps.

The figure I published was for the 2004 season, which included some fast cruising as well.

The last trip I did covered 400nm on a round trip to the South West over three weeks. We averaged 3.27 ltrs to the mile - 0.72 gal to the mile.

Boat weighs some 35 tons.

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[jfm]

Re: F55 - my mistake

Sorry Piers, I misread your post. You were quoting gallons or litres per mile, not miles per gallon. In which case in your original post to which I was replying above, you were doing 1.23mpg, not the .8 figure I mentioned. That's pretty good, I agree. Sorry, my maths (in)ability is plumbing new depths, onset of old age.

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[Piers]

Re: F55 - my mistake

Phew - I was starting to doubt the economy of the Fleming!

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[Lozzer]

Re: F55 - my mistake

I have just finished the DSP course that clive mentioned on the Fleming 53. I have to say that I started it with some concerns as my students had only ever crewed a boat before and that was not very often.

The Fleming behaved superbly, handling in the marina was easier than boats half its size as it just went exactly where you told it to. The bow thruster was HUGE and on occassions needed to be deployed to help turn around in some of the tighter spots and windier conditions..

TCM the quality of finish is very good and yes they do use REAL wood.

Little surprised by the lack of accomodation on board, just two cabins, but if you are retired and pottering around the med I guess you want space.

Fuel consumption is good to staggering....

A proper little ship, I want one, but probably the 55 with bigger engines so I can go faster once in a while.

OH by the way the students passed, well done to them...



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[Piers]

Re: F55 - my mistake

"Little surprised by the lack of accomodation on board" - I was talking with Tony Fleming about just this, and suggested he could increase the cabin areas by reducing the huge engine and lazarette areras.

He turned to me in surprise and said, "but engine room is far more important than people room."

'Nuff said.

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[Lozzer]

Re: F55 - my mistake

what engine room and Lazerette. Yes there is a nice space between engines that you can do the engine checks very easily, but where is the headroom... Or are you vertically challenged.

I found the headroom to be about 3ft.. with the average anglo saxon in the region of 5'11" this is something of a problem.

Lazerette is big but you cant stand up in it....

I liked the fleming 53 very much, found it very sea worthy and believe it or not would be happy to teach beginners on it again. BUT the size of the boat deserves more living accomodation.

Marks out of 10 I would give it 7.5 and I am a tight fisted git.......

Is your Fleming 55 different...

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