WOW, quiet boat...

[MikeP]

Was walking down the dock and heard a faint, low rumbling noise. It seemed to be coming from a new 55' Fleming that came to the marina recently. I thought it might have been the generator running for some reason so I walked over near the boat. Then it started backing out of the slip. THe low rumble was the main engines. I was shocked, impressed, and envious.

Yeah, yeah, I know...many of us talk about how we love the sound of those DDs. But they are pretty darned noisy. Sadly, I doubt if there's anything that can make my 8V71TIs as quiet as whatever engines are in that Fleming.

But even though is a lot of inherent engine noise from a DD as opposed to new engines, it does make me wonder about possible muffler differences between boats made "then" and boats made now. I would assume that current boats use much larger mufflers but I don't really know that. I believe our boat has the oem size mufflers. They have been replaced by the PO but our boat sounds just like all the other hatts with the same engines.

 

[holtcl]

Mike- another thing that will make you envious is the fuel consumption that Fleming gets. If I am not mistaken, I saw an ad in one of the mags that touted some amazing low figure. I can't recall now exactly what it was (am unwilling to risk printing an error that will get me jumped on!) but it seemed quite low - probably running at 'trawler speed' of course.

I looked at one at trawlerfest some years back, and though it was not a newer model, I remember the interior not being nearly as nice as our Hatteri. E.g., wallpaper as opposed to wood. But that's again a function of the year, cost, and trend. I do admit though, I do drool every time I see them go out, as the exterior of those boats is just lovely to look at.

Cheryl
53MY Cinderella

 

[OBXTucker]

I love their 65's! Have drooled on several over the past couple of years.

They had a rendevous at Manteo Marina while I was there over the 4th of July. A bunch of 55's and a couple of 65's. Very nice indeed.

The newer ones are definitely whisper quiet!

 

[GJH]

They always have made quiet and, correspondingly, low vibration a big priority. Among the first to use Aqua drives for instance. We did a day cruise on a 55 out of Newport Beach once, about 8 years ago. At least as quiet as boats twice the size in the pilot hose and salon. In some ways perhaps a little too quiet. Fabulous boats to be underway in, but we hated the stateroom layout and I didn't like the crawl-in engine room though it was beautifully designed. No way we could live aboard one. If you look at one side by side to my boat, the Fleming 55 is remarkably smaller. You see one on the hard and the hull form is very similar to mine, just a bit sleeker.

I guess I'd love to cruise in a Fleming, but once the hook was set or the lines tied to the dock, it would turn into my boat.

 

[OBXTucker]

Yeah, I never understood the way they designed the 55' engine room access.

65' is a much better layout....and could make a nice liveaboard! Still not as much space as the 58' LRC, but I honestly haven't found a boat under 70' that has this much interior volume.