Autopilot - decoupled from the helm

This shows an autopilot that is decoupled from the helm. There is a big advantage to this, in that you can put your hands through the helm wheel, and if the autopilot is turning the boat, the wheel is not turning simultaneously. Thus it does not hurt your hand or cause a safety issue. One thing to be careful of however is that if you forget that the auto pilot is on and you try to turn the helm, the boat will not steer. This could freak you out a little. So just be aware of that when using a decoupled auto pilot.