Whaler outboard engine question

This past spring my old college roommate gave me an 18ft Boston Whaler Montauk that sat in his Florida yard for over 8 years. Only hitch was I had to come and get it and bring it back to NJ. It needed a fair amount of restoration but is coming along nicely. I have no idea if the engine is any good but he claims it ran great when he last took the boat out. I know I'll have to rebuild the carbs, and put a new water pump and impeller in it but what do I have to do to the engine if I keep it outside over the winter. After 8 years there can't be drop of water in it. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

as long as you leave it in the down position it will be fine. if you leave it tilted up and water is allowed to sit in the lower unit exhaust area it will freeze and crack the housing.

If it sat that long and wasn't prepped for long term storage it could be seized. I would pull the plugs and put a couple good squirts of fogging oil in each cylinder then turn it by hand from the flywheel in the right direction. If everything feels ok you could then crank it over a few times. I worry about some water staying in the impeller housing and water tubes so I run a gal,of pink thru it. You might want to pick up a new fuel pump also.

I have had 6 Whalers some with evinrude and some mercury. Do a leak-down test. Do not confuse with compression.
This will let you know if your pistons can hold compression. If that is good all you need is fuel and spark. Those are repairable systems
worth fixing. Check oil in lower unit and if not milky replace with new. Milky color means water was present and may be cause for concern.