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obviously your Outrages are dryer at the dock than my Montauk 17. If its sitting still, with the plug out, the seawater will be about an inch or so deep over the deck right at the transom. The 'puddle' reaches right up to the back edge of the gas tank under the seat.
I owned a Montauk 17 for 15 years and found the same situation as you.
I always had my plug IN on the Montauk.
I installed a Rule-Mate 500 on mine and my buddies, Montauk.
I don't think they make the RM500 anymore but the RM750 is the same physical size.
They fit just perfectly in the sump and have both a manual and automatic position. Rule-Mate Bilge Pumps
I used the 500 or the 750 in the Montauks because of the 3/4" hose diameter.
I have also used the 750 or the 1100 on the Outrage series Whalers.
The 1100 series uses the larger, 1 1/8" hose so you have to make sure you have enough room to run this size hose.
Its not the pump that caused the problem, it was the switch. We tend to fish into December and I've seen them freeze up. I installed the pump just for convenience when running. No need to pull the plug. I fish Barnegat inlet and its gets pretty ugly. Its not unusual to take water over the gunnels, stern, or any place for that matter. My boat drains very quickly. There is a hinged door on top of the transom the opens to dump large amounts of water into the motor well and out the transom.
Not sure I understand the need for both the Auto and Manual, with an Off position switch.
Seems On and Off would do it. If theres water, turning in ON will turn it on, since its sensing water. Should turn itself off. if theres no water, pump would not turn itself on with switch on.
If you dont want to drain battery, turn power off. If you want the pump on, turn it on. If you dont trust it to automatically sense water, why would you want it in the boat?
Seems its an On or Off situation to me....but as I started out saying...maybe I dont understand?
However, the automatic float can get stuck open or closed due to debris, fish scales, etc...
Therefore, the manual switch could be used for emergency use.
Also, a person may not want to pump out a live fishwell automatically. They may want to leave the fishwell full of water. In this case, the manual switch could be used to control the height of the water in the livewell.... If you put the pump on automatic, then the fishwell would empty of water and kill your bait fish....
Of course if you are using a bilge pump just in the sump area, then you wouldn't need a auto/manual switch on the console.
My Outrage 18' does not have a switch on the console. I have my Rule-Mate hooked directly to the battery with an inline fuse of the recommended size. My pump is always on automatic.
To turn it off, I have to remove or disassemble the inline fuse. This works OK but still a switch on the console is a good idea, then you could turn it off or use it manually should something happen to the automatic part of the system.
The auto pumps I was referring to are the one with a separate float switch. Not the sensor type. I guess it boils down to what suits your needs or preference. I do believe the later whalers do not drain as well as the early ones. At least with the outrages. The olders ones (1970's. early 1980's) seemed much simpler. Whaler probably should have kept it that way.
