Re: Boat covers while docked
you have all you need to cover; there is no need to cover the gunwales.
The bilge pump should be wired directly to the battery, though the float switch, so you have the option of cutting off the power from the battery to the rest of the boat and still have power to the pump. Some bilge pumps have a built-in float switch and some it is seperate. If the latter, either it's a loose flapper you can lift with your finger to test, or if it's in a little box, there is a knob on the side you turn.
This is important: just because it's making noise doesn't mean it's working. So dump a bucket of fresh water in the bilge and see if (a) the pump turns on and (b) if it evacuates the water as it should. Throughout the summer verify that it's working.
I suggest you have a battery cut-off switch as described above; boats leak power and you can avoid corrosion from electrolysis, a run-down battery, and risk of a short and fire while the boat is unattended.
If you have those covers you describe, there is very little chance a single rainstorm will fill your boat enough to even turn on the pump, much less sink the boat. If a cover fails, even then, a single storm is not likely to sink the boat, much less overwhelm the bilge pump. Now you can sleep at night. If your boat sinks, it will be because that thin little rubber flap around the motor fails. Sleep tight.