Fleming Yachts 65 (2020-)

Brief Summary

The Fleming 65 was introduced in 2005 to fill in the gap between the company's 55' (16.76 m) and 75' (22.86 m) models. While she looks similar to the 55, the 65 displaces 70% more, making her a much larger feeling boat inside and out. As with all Flemings, she was designed mainly to cruise at trawler speeds, but she can get up and plane if the situation calls for it.

Key Features

• Spacious flybridge with hardtop
• Wide side decks
• Port and starboard boarding gates at dual levels
• A choice of deck plans in the salon and belowdecks
• Separate washer and dryer
• Two generators
• Day head on the helm deck

Test Results

Specifications

Length Overall	70' 10'' 21.6 m
Beam	18' 8'' 5.7 m
Dry Weight	102,698 lbs. 46,583 kg
Tested Weight	115,473 lbs. 52,378 kg
Draft	5' 1.52 m
Fuel Capacity	1,700 gal. 6,435 L
Water Capacity	400 gal. 1,514 L
Total Weight	115,473 lbs. 52,378 kg

Acceleration Times & Conditions

Ratio	TD 2.50:1 or ZF 2.609:1
Props	38”x31.7
Load	5 persons, full fuel load, 1/2 water, 50 lbs. of gear
Climate	72 deg., 48 humid; wind: 10-15 mph; seas: 1

Engine Options

Tested Engine	2 x 800-hp MAN i6-800 (800 HP @ 2300 RPM)
Std. Power	2 x 800-hp MAN i6-800

Captain's Report

By Capt. Martin Frobisher

Mission Statement

The Fleming 65 is designed for comfortable, long-distance offshore cruising. At trawler speeds, her range exceeds 2000 nautical miles. Protection against heavy weather is provided by the Portuguese bridge, which has an aft section designed for storing gear in a number of lockers. The salon and galley are on the same level, creating a spacious entertainment area. Accommodations can be arranged with a full-beam master accessible from the pilothouse or one in the bow.

Features Inspection

The Cockpit. Fleming finishes the 65’s cockpit in teak decking, which the manufacturer says it prefers for its nonskid properties and sound-dampening qualities. The area can be left open or a dining table that follows the contours of the transom can be ordered with seating for eight. A gate that is just to starboard of the center in the transom leads to the swim platform. The boarding ladder is to port. Two 50-amp CableMaster shore power cord systems are on the transom with one on each side. Twin hatches in the aft deck provide quick access to the top of the engines with the main hatch forward. An optional aft deck control station would be located to starboard of the salon entry. The stairs to the flybridge are to port. For boaters who frequent the Mediterranean, warping winches for the aft corners are available. Engine-room air intakes are under the port and starboard cockpit coamings.

The Pilothouse. Side decks lead forward to stairs that take us to the Portuguese bridge. There are two boarding gates that open inward on each side, one on the cockpit deck level at about amidships and one forward alongside the pilothouse. Three steps lead up to the pilothouse deck. Doors on each side provide entry to the pilothouse. Crewmembers who need to tend to bow or anchor lines can head forward through gates on each side. Inside, the pilothouse has an L-shaped lounge that wraps around a table to port with a bookshelf aft. Centrally positioned stairs lead up to the flybridge. To starboard, there’s a day head that can be equipped with an optional shower and forward is a good old-fashioned chart table. The centrally positioned helm has a Stidd captain’s chair abaft a stainless-steel steering wheel. A compass is in line with the steering wheel and a buyer has his/her choice of electronics with large screens in a glass-dash configuration. Digital controls are alongside the wheel and the AC and DC distribution panels are down low on each side of the wheel.

The Foredeck. From the Portuguese bridge, gates on each side open to the Fleming 65’s bow. The passageways are covered in teak and there are full-height stainless-steel rails that wrap around the boat’s bow. The foredeck has lockers for fenders and other gear. Forward in the bow are twin windlasses and the bow pulpit has two stainless-steel rollers in which the anchors rest.

The Flybridge. Easily accessed from the five steps from the pilothouse, the flybridge has the upper helm to port. It’s raised slightly to improve the captain’s visibility and features a Stidd double helm seat. The console has space for a full complement of instruments and electronics. To starboard of the flybridge stairs is a forward sunpad. Aft there’s an L-shaped lounge that wraps around a starboard table. To port, a refrigerator and ice maker are in the helm-seat base and beneath hinged hatches are a sink and a freezer. A grille is on the trailing edge. An owner can opt for a hardtop that covers most of the bridge. There’s space for tender storage in the open aft section and Fleming offers a davit.

The Salon. Large sliding glass doors open the entry to the Fleming 65’s salon. Aft to starboard is an entertainment center with a TV and stereo. To port, there’s a wet bar with its own refrigerator and icemaker. Owners can choose from a couple of layouts. One has an L-shaped salon to port that wraps around a high-low table with optional individual chairs to starboard. The other has couch-style lounges on each side with a smaller table and two chairs to port and a dining table to starboard. Forward to port, the galley has a long countertop aft with dual sinks outboard and a cooktop forward. The full-sized refrigerator is to starboard alongside a pantry and dish locker. Also, to starboard, there are stairs up to the pilothouse. Centrally positioned stairs lead down to the accommodations deck.

Belowdecks. Fleming offers the 65 with a variety of cabin plans. One has the master stateroom aft with access to the pilothouse. Another has the master in the bow while the other two don’t designate a master and can sleep a total of six. The port guest cabin can be set up with an island double berth, twins or a double with a single, pull-out berth over the double. This cabin shares a head with the third staterooms, but Fleming says it can do a three-head arrangement as well. The starboard guest stateroom can be arranged with two over-under single berths or with one berth and a private head. A separate washer and dryer are stacked in the companionway along with a supply closet and a slide-out hamper. As we can see from the pictures, the area is finished in shimmering teak with a synthetic leather headliner.

Engine access. As previously mentioned, access to the Fleming 65’s engine room is provided via a hatch in the cockpit decking just aft of the salon entry. There’s plenty of space between the twin MAN diesel inboards and Fleming provides additional space for two generators, one with a lower output for use during moderate power needs and the larger one when more power is called for. To isolate vibration and noise, Fleming uses Aquadrive rotating couplings on the shafts and they’re concealed beneath fiberglass covers for safety. The engines are installed on full-length stainless-steel mounts, a system that Fleming has been using since its inception in 1985. The fuel system is designed to make transferring diesel between tanks easy and every piece of equipment is accessible for routine maintenance. Engine room air conditioning is an available option. Abaft the engine room bulkhead, the lazarette houses the water tanks, steering and air conditioning compressors. Primary access to this compartment is through the outside engine room hatch and down a set of curved stairs. The two additional aforementioned cockpit deck hatches. Two freshwater pumps provide instant switch-over capability.

The Yard. Since Day One in 1985, Fleming yachts have been built at the Tung Hwa yard in Taiwan. From his company’s earliest days, Tony Fleming insisted on his boats being built to the most rigorous standards. Through the years, he and the yard management team developed a collaborative relationship and today, the yard is the exclusive builder of Fleming yachts. The yard remains a family-owned business with no outside members or debt. The yard employs nearly 200 craftsmen and about 18 Flemings are built each year. Adi Shard, Fleming’s nephew has worked full-time at the facility since 1998 to ensure consistency. Fleming’s Duncan Cowie also spends a lot of time at the yard specializing in design and the implementation of modern systems and working with suppliers.

Construction. All Fleming Yachts are built with a hand-laid solid-fiberglass bottom that’s reinforced by an interlocking matrix of frames and full-length, box-section stringers. This results in a stiffer hull that Fleming says doesn’t flex, even in difficult conditions. Vinylester resins are used to resist water intrusion and prevent blistering. Below the waterline, all Flemings are protected with five coats of epoxy barrier coating. To keep the overall center of gravity as low as possible, the superstructure and decks are cored with Core-Cell foam. Fleming also builds its own fiberglass fuel tanks.

Performance

The Engines. Standard power in the Fleming 65 is twin MAN i6-800 diesel inboards and owners can upgrade to twin MAN V8-1000-hp engines. The Aquadrive inboard propulsion system isolates the engine and transmission from the propeller thrust, which lets the manufacturer use dampening engine mounts.

We haven’t tested the 65 yet, but Fleming did provide some charts of speed and fuel consumption shown below.

Observations

Fleming only builds about 18 boats per year so a buyer who orders one knows he/she is getting a finely crafted yacht designed for extended cruising. The Tawainese manufacturer offers a variety of belowdecks layouts and we can imagine the flybridge hardtop being a popular option.

One of the best attributes of Fleming Yachts is that Tony Fleming spends a ton of time on his boats, learning about the nuances of his boats. When a potential buyer has questions about extended cruising, Fleming can provide real answers.