our experience
We purchased a new 380 this last year and typical of all new things we are experiencing some bumps. The wind machine has been a problem. The paddle on top of the mast sometimes spins, sometimes doesn't. Seems to have a mind of its own. When it is spinning, the "true" wind reading seems to include at least some of the boat speed. One day it read from 12-15 knts of true wind, but there were no white caps out there. Then as the boat slowed, so did the wind reading. When you go to "apparent" wind reading, there is no reading. The dial just drops straight down. After many tries to fix, we are having it taken down and looked at. Our fridge quit last weekend. Got on the boat and everything was nicely thawed. Checked the connections and fuses and couldn't find anything, so again emailed the dealer and asked him to check it out. All in all, its a great boat. When you consider all of the "things" that we put on the boat, those two things aren't probably bad. Just nuiscance items. Although the wind machine working would sure be nice! Its a solid boat, weathers well to the wind. Comfortable and nice storage. Not the 42, but tis our experience buying a new Catalina. Depends a lot on your dealer and how willing he/she is to work with you. However, everything is warranteed for the first year. Good luck!
