All good points.

I installed the biggest Rule pump - I believe it is 3600 gph (aka 60 gpm) with a float switch. Water exits through the hull just to port of the motor shaft. My thinking was that if I needed a pump in a bad way, to save a few bucks getting a smaller pump was not a prudent choice. I believe the tube is 1 1/2".

In addition, I installed the Whale Urchin which I can't commend highly enough. Spectacular! Pumped water exits to the motor well. The pump is mounted in the cockpit, on the vertical surface (not the horizontal seat), about in line with the rudder stem. It is very easy to pump, and I don't find the up down action particularly tiring.

The reason I mounted it so far aft is so that someone who was pumping (assuming I was not sailing alone) would not get in the way of steering and navigating, etc. In other words, would be out of the way.

Lastly, I have a Thirsty mate with a hose that can reach from the bilge to the cockpit or the sink (which I also use for the dinghy), and, of course, a bucket WITH A SHORT LINE ATTACHED. The Thristy Mate is a lot of work and pumps a pittance compared with the Whale.

The electric bilge pump I do not leave operative when I leave the boat. If the leakage is that bad, the battery will be drained/dead and the results will be the same. Worse, the boat may be dry, and I won't know that there is a leak and the pump has been clicking on and off. The benefit of the float switch is that it keeps the pump from running when the bilge is dry.