Congrats on your boat Brian! I'm also in salt water and I keep my 1800SR-3 in my garage (it really helps to have the swing arm!), which is nice because it's a 2006 that looks like the day they made it!
I've learned so much as a boat owner (this is my second) but have been around boats most of my life. A couple things off the top of my head without writing a book (which I often do)...
A Must: Buy 'Salt Away' and use it every time you return from the water. Also, even if you use Salt Away you MUST change your impeller every year! Period. I don't care what the guy says at the dock or the sales clerk at West Marine...have the dealer (or do it yourself if you are inclined) change the impeller every year.
I went from boating in an 18 mile long lake and a nearby 100 mile long river to boating in the Gulf of Mexico. Completely different ball game for us runabout owners. I've learned the hard way that it always pays to have a backup 'anything'. I now carry a spare prop/hub assembly and floating spindle nut wrench (and of course a complete marine tool kit which includes spare fuses, electrical tape, marine silicon, wire stripper etc). I have 2 engine batteries, extra batteries for my GPS and marine telephone etc. Things I took for granted on a lake/river I don't on the Gulf .
here's a link to Salt Away...
http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wcs...9&classNum=202