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You may want to look up the Nordhavn CP59 performance and specs and compare to say the newest and very nicely set up Fleming 58; that is my curiosity for purposes of this thread anyway.
Compare also the new Hatteras 60
First to the Hatteras. The Hatteras 60 will out perform the others by a mile. 32 knots WOT and 25+ cruising, but lacks range, even with the optional tanks. Even at 7 knots, the range is only 1,083 nm and at 1000 RPM, 10 knots, only 747 nm. So not in the discussion as a passagemaker. Having been on a Hatteras 60 and been very impressed overall, even if it had the range, I wouldn't want to cross the Atlantic with it. And the one thing that really turned me away is their lack of a lower helm. They did offer one but to my knowledge never actually built one in this model of 60 and while they would consider doing so, the windshield shape concerns me there.
Now as to the Nordhavn CP 59. My other comments were related to all other Nordhavn's. This boat I have a hard time thinking of as a Nordhavn. Not their first attempt at CP and the others failed and are gone.
You're right that performance of the CP 59 vs. the Fleming 58 is very comparable. The CP might even be faster. The CP 59 is actually a smaller boat than the Fleming 58. 71,000 lbs vs. 88,000. LOA 59' vs. 63' (or 66' with platform). Beam 17' vs. 17'6". Draft 4'2" vs. 5'. Fuel 1100 gallons vs. 1450.
I see them as very competitive boats. However, I see one as being within it's builders mainstream and the other as not. I know the CP 59 is rated category A, but I think of it as what they label it, a coastal cruiser. I don't see it appealing to a hardcore "Nordy." Now, which would I choose for passagemaking? Fleming 65. Oh, that wasn't a choice. Well, I would prefer it over the 58 for passagemaking, just as I'd see Nordhavn fans selecting a 63 or 68. However, if I was going to buy having never been on the CP 59, I'd choose the Fleming 58 for passagemaking. It's more a proven design. Perhaps if I actually tried a CP 59 in the ocean with rough seas, I'd change my mind. I also would be curious as to it's range. I haven't seen or found any review yet of the CP 59, so we're all shooting a bit in the dark.
I think the CP 59 is clearly an attempt to appeal to non Nordhavn fans. It just doesn't pull me in though. Perhaps standing alone as a Coastal boat it would, but it lacks to me the Nordhavn lustre. Yes, it makes up for the reasons I wouldn't normally be a Nordhavn fan, but it doesn't pull me in. It's a boat line of one boat. I don't see any traditional Nordhavn fan choosing it, and do believe if someone who really liked Nordhavn chose it, they'd be disappointed as it would be short in some of the areas they really like.