Construction of Fleming Yachts began at the Tung Hwa boat yard in southern Taiwan in 1985 under the personal supervision of Tony Fleming. Today, all Fleming Yachts continue to be built by Tung Hwa, and they are marketed exclusively through Fleming Yachts, Inc. located in Costa Mesa, California. Flemings are sold through a network of authorized dealers in the United States and Europe and agents in Australia and New Zealand.
A Timeline of Milestones
1961-1983 Tony Fleming served as the technical director of American Marine in Hong Kong, builder of the Grand Banks line of trawler yachts. He was largely responsible for the development of these well-known yachts and later organized the company's new yard in Singapore, becoming its General Manager. While at American Marine Tony also helped develop the highly respected Alaskan series of pilothouse yachts.
1983-1985 Tony left American Marine and with his business partner, Anton Emmerton, worked with an American naval architect, Larry Drake of San Diego, California to develop an all-new pilothouse design. Tony and Anton visited Taiwan in the summer of 1985 to find the best boat yard to build what would eventually become the Fleming 55. The Tung Hwa facility located near Kaohsiung was selected, and work on hull number one began. Although the original mold was built for a 55-foot yacht, the first boats were 50-feet.
1985-2000 Starting with hull number 9, the length was extended to 53-feet and eventually to 55-feet. By 1997 over 100 Fleming 55s had been delivered, and customer demand for a larger model led to the development of the Fleming 75. The first Fleming 75 was launched in 2000. During this time Tung Hwa devoted itself to building Flemings exclusively. In 1998, Tony Fleming's nephew, Adi Shard, a young graduate engineer from England, joined the company and moved to Kaohsiung to work side by side with his uncle.
2000-2006 The popularity of the Fleming line continued to grow, and again customer demand led to the development of another new model, the Fleming 65. Launched in 2005, hull number one was spoken for by Tony himself, and he began to gradually turn over the day-to-day operation of Fleming Yachts to his management team which included his nephew, Adi Shard, his daughter, Nicky Fleming and his right-hand man, Duncan Cowie. Tony christened his new Fleming 65, VENTURE, and he embarked on an adventure which he has called a "voyage of personal discovery." By 2006, Fleming Yachts had delivered 170 Fleming 55s, 12 Fleming 75s and five 65s.
2006-2009 With well over 200 Flemings cruising the world, the company continued to focus on refining and improving its three models. Boating journalists and owners have lauded Fleming as "the ultimate cruising yacht," and Tony Fleming proved them correct. From her homeport of Newport Beach, California, Tony's VENTURE explored British Columbia, Alaska, Mexico and the Galapagos Islands before transiting the Panama Canal. She then traveled up the East Coast to the St. Lawrence Seaway by way of Lake Ontario. After visiting Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia, she made her way down the East Coast to winter in Annapolis, Maryland. This 20,000 voyage has been called the world's most extensive sea trial, as it allowed Tony to test and refine many new ideas and pieces of equipment. After completing this exciting voyage, Tony decided to commission an all-new Fleming 65, VENTURE II, which will incorporate several new, innovative features resulting from his vast cruising experiences. VENTURE II appeared at the Southampton Boat Show in England after a shakedown cruise along England's south coast. During 2009, hull number 200 of the Fleming 55 was delivered, marking a true milestone in the production boatbuilding industry. It was also the year that Fleming's own magazine, VENTURER, was launched. Described as "A Fleming Publication for Cruising Enthusiasts," it has received rave reviews from Fleming owners throughout the world. While the global economy has affected sales, Fleming has enjoyed continued success and has seen special interest in its brand in both Australia and New Zealand. As 2009 came to an end, new orders for Fleming 55s and 65s had been received as well as a heightened interest in the Fleming 75, the ultimate Fleming.
Looking Forward to 2010
Fleming will be appearing in major boat shows throughout the world starting with the Dusseldorf and Miami shows. Tony is planning on taking VENTURE II on a series of exciting adventures, including an exploration of the West Coast of Scotland and a voyage to Iceland. The 55, 65 and 75 will continue to benefit from evolutionary refinement as new features and layouts are being offered. Please continue to visit this web site for up-to-date information about our products and to read about the exciting cruises of our owners.