We boat in the great lakes on a 60' power boat - with both bow & stern thrusters. Think of the thruster as a little nudge - toggle it on for a second or two & see if that moves the boat where you want. If not, toggle again for a few seconds. No need to flip it on and leave it on - unless you're in some serious winds and it's the only way to move the boat side ways - like docking and needing to get the boat over to the dock.