I had one w/ the f225s and currently have a 2006 w/ f250s. The 225 were more fuel efficient and just a hair slower out of the hole that the 250. I may consider selling mine in the near future. Either way, you will be fine.
Years ago, the good stuff was Micron 33. I could get 3 years out of it, except for the waterline. I just tried Interlux Trinadad SR. Hope it works well.
I have a rod rack on the transom of my 306. While I did not thru bolt, I did use a lot of 5200 and 6- 1 1/4" #14 screws. I only use this rack for light tackle. Works great and keeps the rod out of the way.
The Tempo extractor works great. I keep my boat on a lift and change the lower unit oil by using a skiff to get there and a garbage bag to catch the oil and prevent the wind from blowing the oil in the water.
The F225s are more fuel efficient at slower speeds than the F250s and only 3 mph less. They are also a little slower out of the hole, but I had 19" props. Boat was a Bimini.