I just learned about this over at Ben Ellison’s Panbo. You can learn a lot from Panbo.

Anyway, Garmin is launching GHP 10, a marine autopilot system slated for release in the third quarter of 2008. What caught my eye was the “Shadow Drive” feature.

Essentially, it’s an interface scheme that uses a sensor in the hydraulic line to perform functions you would normally perform with conventional panel-mounted buttons.

Whuh-huh? Yeah, described that way, it sounds complex. But the point is that it’s actually very SIMPLE to use. Garmin does a better job explaining it:

The GHP 10’s patented Shadow Drive™ technology gives boaters the security of knowing they maintain control even when relying upon the autopilot. The Shadow Drive system automatically disengages the autopilot if the helm is turned, allowing the helmsman to maneuver the boat. The autopilot automatically re-engages when a steady course is held by the helmsman.

So imagine this scenario:

You point the boat in the direction you want to go, push a button and engage the autopilot, with Shadow Drive enabled. Along the way, you notice a clump of crab-pot buoys in your path, and you don’t really want to drive through them. So you grasp the steering wheel and adjust your course slightly, settling on a new course. Then you release the wheel.

Once past the crab-pot area, you take the wheel and steer the boat back toward your destination, and once you’ve settled on a course you’re happy with, you release the wheel.

Up ahead, you see a tide line with a lot of logs and crud drifting around. You take the wheel and weave your way through the debris, settle back on your course again, and release the wheel.

Hey, that’s how I want to drive my boat!

Actually, that IS how I drive my boat virtually all the time, except that with my current autopilot, the same scenario involves me pushing a lot of buttons, which necessitates that I spend some amount of time looking down at control panel interfaces instead of looking outside the boat.

I’m not complaining…I love my Raymarine autopilot. But when I read about Shadow Drive, I immediately grasped how it works, why it’s a good idea and, ultimately, how much I want it aboard Two Lucky Fish!