I hear exactly where people like JW411 and LOMCEVAK are coming from and to a certain extent - but only a certain extent - I agree with them.
As I have pointed out many, many times, it is incumbent upon pilots to keep ALL our skills up to date. However, there are times and places to do so.
CRM also dictates that you ask the PNF if he minds. JW411, you say you can't see him getting overloaded. Is he monitoring you at all times? Probably not. Do you ask him before taking the A/P out? You say you teach LOFT. How do you incorporate CRM into that?
I have no patience at all with pilots who refuse ever to do any hand flying except as noted earlier, when they have a sim ride coming up. Similarly I have little patience with the bluff old captain who blusters his way through a flight deprecating the youngsters nowadays and cowing them into submission (I'm NOT including you in this, JW411, lest there be any doubt!).
Nor do I have any patience with people who say "I've been flying this way for fifty years and never had an accident so I don't need CRM - we never did in the old days blah blah blah..."
CRM is here to stay. It has contributed to a massive reduction in the accident rate. Practice it. Likewise, the automatics are very good nowadays. They make the ride far smoother, far more economical. Use them as a matter of course. But keep your handflying skills in as well.