I use the ST-1000 on my M17 and love it. I use it both when motoring and when sailing, though its ability to keep the boat on track downwind with a following sea is pretty poor (lots of oversteering)...that's not surprising though. I have the same problem when I'm steering by hand. I don't have the manual in front of me, but I think max current draw is 1A, and that's when it is working really hard, constantly adjusting. Most of the time, it just clicks a tiny bit in and out, and you can adjust the sensitivity to make sure it doesn't over correct. The installation was pretty easy, like Jim said. When I'm not using it, it just hangs below the tiller and flops around a bit. I suppose I could add another pin on top of the transom and set it on a fixed point when not in use, but that would mean yet another hole in boat. Bad. Matt M17, Lily San Diego