1. EXTERIOR PROTECTION AND PRESERVATION:

2. FUEL SYSTEM ADDITIVES AND PROTECTION OF ENGINE COMPONENTS DURING NON-USE:

3. SALT WATER SYSTEM CLEANING AND COMPONENT PROTECTION:

1. You have some enemies to contend with, Birds, Sun, Salt and wind. A cover of some kind is the best solution. Having someone clean and service is another and usually expensive. We have the best, a totally secure and enclosed boat house..
2. Diesel's are much easier than gas engines to take care of. Diesel additives and filters are readily available and that is all that is necessary. Some feel that they need to be started once in a while, but I don't. You start an engine , gas or diesel, warm it up drawing in air with moisture and then turn it off for another month and what happens, all the moisture you drew in condenses and condensed moisture is not your engines friend. The first thing you need to do is warm up the engines to operating temperature and change the oil and filter. Don't forget to service the transmission every year or two. Then I top off my fuel tanks with plenty of additive and they are ready to go in the spring. For gas they make a additive called STABIL. The fuel valve should be turned off to the engine , the engine run until the fuel in the carburetor is all used up, if possible force a little STABIL into the carburetor, remove the spark plugs and squirt a little STABIL into each. If you have electric fuel pumps starting in the spring is easy, if mechanical you will have to run the starter for a bit to pump them up. Even if you don't empty the carburetor this may be necessary as the gas will have evaporated leaving some junk behind to be dealt with another day. The new gasoline's have products in them that are not very stable and tend to evaporate. Supposedly STABIL makes this gas more stable..
3. Captain's and boat maintenance people usually over look the salt water cooling system until there is a failure..I prefer to forstall the loss of a pump or other component by suitable layup maintenance. It is no fun and very expensive to lose a heat exchanger in the outback or wayward place and have one flown in with a mechanic or even Friday Hbr and lose 3 or 4 days of a planned outing. I close the inlet valve, open the strainer and use a wet vacuum to remove the salt water. I then take a hose connected to fresh water and push it into the opening to the salt water pump, the engine is then started and the hose turned on. Run for at least 5 minutes, this will flush the salt water system with fresh water. Then with water off and engine shut down, I open the salt water pump and remove the impeller, inspecting it for damage , if ok it is set aside for reinstallation, then loosen the belt and hand turn the pump, any resistance or grinding means a rebuild or new pump. The other hoses that did not drain with the pump opening are then opened. A wet vacuum is then used to suck the system dry and the the hose on the vac reversed and the system is blown dry. I then spray the engine and components with WD-40.