[Destroyer]

Welcome to the site. A v20's a great boat, and will get you home when others won't.

The most common things to look for in the boat are soft transoms and soft floors. That's pretty much it. Anything else like torn seats and such is pretty much cosmetic.

Walk the floor looking for soft spots. Take a hard plastic handle screwdriver and tap on the transom..looking for anything that sounds hollow... If it's on a trailer I'd also look under the boat, particularly at the keel, looking for cracks or dents. If the boats in the water look in the bilge for water that shouldn't be there.. Basically it's all common sense kinda stuff.

Engines are a whole different ballgame. You should hear it run (of course).. take it for a sea trial if possible, after it's warm pull a compression test..(all plugs out) You want consistancy on the compression.. all cylinders should be near each other ( I think it's 10%)
Check the steering lock to lock.. no stiffness or binding. Look at the gauges...all functioning? (Especially the tach) Any major rust or corrosion? On the wierd side, but I place a lot of faith in it, look at the boat itself...how does it "feel" to you? A well maintained boat looks and feels like it. If you get negative vibes, if the boat looks or feels bad, even if you cannot put your finger on it, back away.. there are tons of other boats out there.