Fleming 85 Review (2024 Edition) by Aquaholic

On Deck

The Fleming 85 features the builder’s signature California deck, wrapping the stern with a clear working area and a bathing platform set just aft. Docking stations sit on both quarters so the skipper can manoeuvre directly from the aft deck, and the side decks are designed to carry water away from the cockpit so guests stay dry. A fixed shade keeps the cockpit comfortable when the sun arcs around, while a wet bar with sink and fridge sits by the aft doors. Steps lead up to the flybridge and separately down to the crew and machinery spaces.

Side doors from the wheelhouse provide direct access when berthing, and the Portuguese bridge carries deep lockers leading onto a heavily built foredeck. Up front there is a clamshell seat that folds flat for sunpads, a deck hatch over the forward cabin, twin Ultra anchors on heavy ground tackle with twin capstans, and substantial cleats and fairleads. Light prisms feed natural light into the interior, and all stainless work is heavy gauge, built for decades of use.

On the flybridge, the helm runs Furuno navigation with MAN engine displays, autopilot and comms. Engine and thruster controls sit beside a stainless wheel and a double Stidd seat facing a wide open view. The hardtop carries Starlink for connectivity offshore. The boat deck takes the largest tender that will fit, launched by a crane rated at about one metric tonne. There’s also a grill, sink, ice maker and fridge up here, so the flybridge doubles as an outdoor galley and day space. Multiple external docking stations are fitted around the yacht so the skipper can stand outboard with a clear line of sight when manoeuvring. There are seven stations in total.

Inside, the 85 carries a lighter, contemporary interior instead of the classic teak and holly. The joinery runs a horizontal grain with simplified detailing for a cleaner, brighter look. A rise-and-fall television lifts from the cabinetry. The saloon arrangement was left flexible, and here it carries a wine cooler and added storage on the starboard side.

The galley is in the standard Fleming position aft in the saloon but has a more modern atmosphere thanks to subtle lighting. Equipment includes a Miele dishwasher, sink, cooktop, microwave, tall refrigerators, deep freezer drawers and pantry lockers. The wheelhouse can be closed off at night using discreet doors, allowing the saloon to stay lit while maintaining night vision at the helm. Seating is a single double bench in place of twin chairs, another owner choice. The helm itself runs a Boning vessel control system linked to the joystick for combined engine and thruster operation, with navigation and engine data across multiple screens.

Owner's Cabin

A private stair leads directly from the saloon to the owner suite. This feature doesn’t exist on the standard layout and defines this particular 85. The aft bulkhead was shifted to enlarge the space, giving a generous cabin with extensive storage, large hull windows fitted with secure dogs, and blackout blinds. The suite sits aft for the quietest motion under way and immediate access to technical spaces for owner checks.

Guest Accommodation

Forward accommodation is arranged as three cabins rather than four. Because space was granted to the owner suite, the forward zone moved slightly and the two guest cabins now share a single heads compartment instead of having separate ensuites. The distribution panel sits at the foot of the companionway, displaying Fleming’s trademark belt-and-braces systems layout with generator controls and battery masters.

Laundry facilities are built into this deck, with stacked machines behind a slide-away door and a housekeeping locker adjacent. The forward cabin remains comfortably sized for an 85-footer, with a deck hatch overhead and plenty of locker space. The second guest cabin sits aft of the lobby and uses the same shared heads.  

Crew Accommodation

The owner typically runs with a captain and perhaps one more, so the space has been re-planned into one larger captain’s cabin to port and a separate mess area. The standard configuration would carry two smaller cabins with a central heads. Here there’s one ensuite with a proper shower and a comfortable lounge where crew can eat or brief during longer passages. A lazarette sits beyond the watertight door, normally housing steering gear and storage for deck kit.

Amidships, beneath the carpet on the lower deck, sits a dedicated air-conditioned engineering space. Sensitive systems are kept here, away from the salty air drawn through the main engine room. Lithium batteries, inverters, a watermaker, hot water tanks, pumps and cameras all live here. The space is cooled, quiet when sealed, and designed so the boat can run hotel loads without the generator. Solar panels on the hardtop assist daytime charging, while alternators replenish reserves under way, meaning quiet nights at anchor with inverter power alone.

The main engine room is a hallmark of Fleming engineering. Twin MAN V12 1550 diesels sit on massive beds with conventional shaft drives and large diameter shafts. Fin stabilisers are fitted. Primary fuel filtration is duplicated, with switch-over valves so filters can be changed while running. A Reverso system allows oil changes for engines and gearboxes. Air-conditioning and hydraulics are rack-mounted for access, and there’s full standing headroom with clear sightlines throughout.

Fuel management is elegantly simple. Each engine has its own tank but can be cross-fed in seconds if required. Both engines can even run from a single tank while the other is isolated. A polishing centrifuge lets you transfer and clean fuel on passage. Typical performance sees more than 20 knots flat out from the 1550s, a cruise of about 10 knots for roughly 2,000 nautical miles, or around 8 knots for about 3,000. Transatlantic crossings have been achieved by adding bladder tanks for extra range.

A new Fleming 85 comes with a two-year limited warranty on the hull and structure, with the rest of the major systems covered under their own manufacturer warranties.  Fleming prefers to work through a few trusted dealers, so owners deal directly with people who know the boat rather than a call centre.

For servicing everything’s laid out for access, so routine engine checks or filter swaps can be done without needing to be a contortionist. MAN support is global, and most hardware onboard uses well-known components you can source almost anywhere. The design encourages you to stay on top of maintenance simply because it’s so easy to get at.

In this size and range, the Grand Banks GB85 Flybridge and the Bering 77 sit closest. The Grand Banks aims for light composite efficiency, while the Bering goes full-steel explorer with heavy-weather range. 

The Fleming 85 feels like a yacht built by people who actually go to sea - very solid and full of clever, usable detail. It’s the sort of boat you could happily live with for years and still keep finding reasons to admire.